"Research with government documents is intimidating and time consuming for both novice and experienced users," said Mary Sauer-Games, vice president of publishing for ProQuest's Chadwyck-Healey unit, which published the archive and is known for expert treatment of special primary research material.  "The ProQuest Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications simplifies the process of identifying high-value documents created by all three branches of the U.S. government. This unparalleled resource is part of ProQuest's ongoing initiative to digitize critical finding aids to important historical information."

More than 1,250 libraries in the U.S. alone hold part or all of the documents distributed by the GPO, with the Monthly Catalog as the only finding aid to this enormous body of literature.  In 1976, the GPO began publishing the new issues of the Monthly Catalog online as well as in print. These records (from 1976 forward) are available on the Government Printing Office's website and on CD.  However, the nearly 1000 issues comprising years 1895-1976 of the Monthly Catalog have been available only in print.  ProQuest's Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, 1895-1975, provides single-point access to 80 years of documents.

Users can simultaneously search an array of subject areas, finding entries on documents with information on environment, energy, health and nutrition, legal, regulatory and consumer information, demographics, and others.  Each entry is carefully zoned, keyed, and fielded for maximum accuracy, searching, and browsing. Records link to the original catalog page image for authenticity, eliminating the need for print issues of the Catalog.

ProQuest's Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Documents is now available for trial and purchase. For additional information, visit http://monthlycatalog.chadwyck.com/