Citizens' Handbook
Your Guide to the U.S. Government

The Internet and information technology have changed the ways of distributing government information. Here are a number of useful ways of finding what you want.

Have a question about Federal agencies, programs, benefits, or services?

You can search the web at USA.gov, the comprehensive web information portal for the United States Government. USA.gov should be your first stop to find any government information on the Internet, with topics ranging from business and economy to money and benefits to science and technology - and everything in between!

You can call the National Contact Center toll free at 1 (800) FED-INFO (that's 1-800-333-4636). They also have recordings of frequently requested information available around the clock. They can answer your question or get you someone who can.

Or you can e-mail your questions or comments via a handy webform on the USA.gov website.

The Government Information Locator Service, GILS is a database under development that contains records of all public government information, not just what is available on the Internet.

You can learn more about the United States of America and our government from the United States Information Service.