Pennsylvania State Depository Documents

Paley Library is a depository for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Government Documents. In return for receiving these documents at no cost, the library is responsible for maintaining them and making them available to the public. Most Pennsylvania documents are arranged by the State Library call number and located in the compact shelving on the ground floor of Paley Library. They are indexed in the Pennsylvania State Library Online Catalog.

Search Engines and Databases

Search engines and databases are a good way to begin a search for government documents. The following search engines and databases are particularly useful to start your search for State Government Documents.

GovSpot.com
Use the state government pulldown menu.

Stateline.org
State politics and policy news.

State Legislative Presence on the Internet

Links to state legislative home pages.

The State and Local Government Internet directory
Directory of state agencies and city and county governments.

United States State Laws

From Findlaw for Legal Professionals

United States Sate Laws
From LexisNexis Academic

Yahoo! List of State Libraries
Documents from state governments can often be found through the catalogs of state libraries.

Pennsylvania State Government Resources

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The official homepage for the State of Pennsylvania. Links to request forms, services, and information. Search by keyword and subject.

The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Official version From the State of Pennsylvania.

Creating a Commonwealth: A Guide To Your State Government
From the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Making Law in Pennsylvania
An online booklet authorized by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to explain the state legislative process.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly
Senate and House Calendars, Session Information and Committee meeting schedules. Biographies of Senators and Representatives. Search current legislation by keyword or bill number.

Session Information from the Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania General Assembly's full text and history information of House and Senate Bills from 1969 to present. Includes the text of prior versions/printer's numbers of bills.

The Pennsylvania Statutes

• The Pennsylvania Statutes Online: An unofficial version of the consolidated and unconsolidated statutes.
• Paley Reference Stacks (under call number K94.A3P9 )

The Pennsylvania Bulletin

The Commonwealth's official gazette for information and regulations includes Statewide and local court rules, the Governor's Proclamations and Executive Orders, General Assembly actions, Notices, new and proposed regulations from State agencies.

• Online from 1996 (vol. 26) to the present. Search by keyword or browse by date of publication.
• Paley Reference Stacks (under call number KFP31.P4 ) - Latest Issue
• Paley Microforms v.1-24; 1970-1994

Pennsylvania Code The Commonwealth's official rules and regulations.

• Pennsylvania Code Online
• Paley Reference Stacks (under call number KFP30 1969.A2x )

The Pennsylvania Manual
Information about the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of Government.

• Volume 17 (most recent edition)
• Volume 16
• Paley Reference (under call number JK3631) - Most recent edition
• Paley Stacks (under call number JK3631) 1923 to the present

Pennsylvania Historical Government Resources

Pennsylvania Session Laws
Selected coverage of the session laws as originally enacted. Coverage starts in 1682.

Pennsylvania Colonial Documents
Colonial Charters, Grants and Related Documents from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School.

The Pennsylvania Constitution Web Page of the Duquesne University Law School.
Text of current and historic constitutions, commentary and comments.

Pennsylvania legislative history: a research guide

An E-book by Tsegaye Beru that can be downloaded in PDF format.

Pennsylvania County Histories to 1900
Primary historical sources for Pennsylvania county history.

Pennsylvania Health and Welfare Information

Pennsylvania Department of Health
Links for health professionals, health departments and members of the public. Information about state vital statistics, public health, bio terrorism fact sheets, contagious diseases, county health profiles, state health status indicators, morbidity and mortality and health care reform. A search function is offered through the Pennsylvania Public Health Information Clearinghouse link.

Pennsylvania Bureau of Health Statistics and Research

Vital and health statistics, behavioral risk data, links to sources for health statistics and interactive software to that allows the user to create data tables, charts, maps and assessments of the local, regional and state health statistics.

List of Nursing Homes in Pennsylvania
From the Pennsylvania State Department of Health

Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare

Services for low income families, children, and individuals with disabilities. Information, forms, and online applications for a variety of social services and programs. Search site by subject or keyword.

Pennsylvania Judicial and Legal Information

Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General

The responsibilities of the Attorney General extend to Criminal Law, Civil Law, and Public Protection. Links offer information on filing complaints, consumer advisories, crime, child safety, elder abuse and press releases. Site includes keyword search function and contact numbers.

Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security

Security tips and fact sheets.

The Pennsylvania State Police

The Pennsylvania State Police was formed in 1905 and was the first State Police Force in the United States. Links to request criminal histories, lethal weapons training, Amber alerts, Megan's Law information, employment opportunities including an online application to join the State Police force and a history of the State Police.

The Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting System

Download Pennsylvania Annual Crime Reports from 1999 to 2004. Search local regional or statewide crimes broken down by date, nature of the offense, perpetrator, property or victim. Generate crime maps by county, offense and date.

Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System

Links to the Supreme Court, The Superior Court, The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Search Opinions, Dispositions, and Memorandum by by caption, author or date. Access forms, press releases, and statistics.
 

Pennsylvania Educational Information

Pennsylvania Department of Education
Includes information on education reform initiatives, education law, teaching in Pennsylvania, education reform initiatives, school profiles, obtaining a GED, educational grants and school property taxes. Searchable by keyword.

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

Extensive information for researching Pennsylvania history and records, historical preservation, historic sites, records management and events of interest sponsored the the Historical Commission.

The State Library of Pennsylvania

"The State Library of Pennsylvania provides information for State Government and citizens while collecting and preserving our written heritage through materials published for, by, and about Pennsylvania."

General State Resources

Commonwealth Telephone Directory
Lists all state employees.

Corporation Bureau Search
Information on companies registered to do business in Pennsylvania.

Environmental Protection Agency Region III
Press releases, small business assistance center, environmental progress reports.

Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
Tax forms and information.

Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
Search the Liquor catalog, download licensing forms, read press releases or access alcohol education information.

Professional License Verification

Search Engine from the State Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs

The Pennsylvania State Data Center
Pennsylvania's official source of demographic and economic data.
 

GET HELP!

To get help with your research or to obtain assistance finding Government Documents, email Susan at susan@temple.edu, call her at 215-204-3842 or stop by the Government Documents Office on the ground floor of Paley Library in Room 18.

You can get help on literature searches at Temple University, chat online with a librarian, co-browse Web sites, or submit an e-mail reference question through the Reference Department at Paley Library.