The United States Government Manual 2013
The Government Manual is an essential guide to the United States Federal Government, where one can find the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and information on every U.S. Government agency. This official handbook on the Federal Government is published annually by the National Archives and Record Administration’s Office of the Federal Register.
Two years ago, Government Book Talk featured the Government Manual with the post “Browsing the Government Manual”. Here, we will take another look at this ultimate resource on the U.S. Government.
The 2013 Government Manual begins with the country’s founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and then goes on to profile each agency, quasi-official agency, international organization in which the United States participates, board, commission, and committee found in the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches of the U.S. Government. The profiles include:
- Organizational charts
- List of principal officials
- Summary statement of the agency’s purpose and role in the Federal Government
- Brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority
- Description of its programs and activities
- Information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and contact information.
This organizational structure is beneficial for large executive branch agencies that have several departments each with their own mission and function. For example, 20 pages of the manual are devoted to the nearly 40 different divisions, offices, and bureaus that make up the Department of Justice, which seems complex but pales in comparison to the Department of Defense and its behemoth structure.
The Government Manual concludes with the History of Agency Organization Structures. This section of the manual is arguably the highlight of this publication, as it provides a history of the lifetime and timeline of each agency as the U.S. Government grows with the country. For example, the Bureau of Immigration was created in 1891 as a branch of the Department of Treasury and cycled through to the Department of Commerce and Labor, the Department of Labor, the Department of Justice, and finally, after losing its name but keeping its functions, landed in the newly established Department of Homeland Security in 2002.
The Government Manual is not only a great resource on the United States Federal government and its functions, but also a goldmine of new information and interesting facts that are not commonly known about the U.S. Government and the country’s history. So, if you would like to understand how the U.S. Government is organized, then this is the book for you!
How can I get a copy of “The United States Government Manual 2013”?
- Shop Online: You can purchase this publication from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov by:
- Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.
- Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.
- Visit a Federal Depository Library: Search for it in a nearby Federal depository library.
About the Author: Our guest blogger is Emma Wojtowicz, Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Office of Public Affairs. Additional content provided by Stephanie Jaeger, Sales & Marketing Coordinator for GPO’s Sales & Marketing Division and is responsible for marketing GPO’s publishing services to the Federal sector.
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Trudy Hawkins
Government Book Talk 
As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.Great post .I like to read government book talks. Keep posting.
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This shall be a good source of information to index government bodies correctly. Will it be updated every year regularly?
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Yes, the U.S. Government Manual is an annual publication. You can always check at the following page on our U.S. Government Online Bookstore website for the latest editions: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/government-forms-phone-directories/government-directories-organizations/us-government-manual. Thanks for your question!
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Slightly late, but good info ;D
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[…] The U.S. Government Manual, the ultimate handbook of all Federal agencies, was a hit as it is every year. Now you can get the new edition: United States Government Manual 2013 (Read about it on our Blog post: “Understand How the U.S. Government is Organized”). […]
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Amazing post. thanks for sharing this knowledge able blog about The united state government.The United States Government Manual is the official handbook of the Federal Government. This special edition of the Federal Register is currently updated to provide comprehensive and authoritative descriptions of the programs and activities of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.
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great post….thank you very much
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Thanks a bunсh! It is an impressive website.
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I like it
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Great love to see it
elle
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