“Women and Children First …” Primary Sources of Information from the Federal Government

Abstract

ABSTRACT Oral histories, interviews, letters, diaries, journals, and autobiographies published by the U.S. government are available to researchers, due in part to the Federal Depository Library Program. Topics covered in primary sources reflect the myriad missions and objectives of government agencies, from military instruction to lunar landings. Salient examples are cited and major subject categories are discussed; special or unusual subjects and formats are noted and the stage set for an annotated bibliography, enabling librarians and subject specialists to assess the reference value of these government information sources.