Clarivate works with GPO to expand access to historic government publication records

Researchers increasingly rely on digital tools to navigate vast government archives, making efficient search critical for understanding policy development, regulatory history and government decision-making. Clarivate is collaborating with the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) to expand access to more than a million government documents published over the course of 80 years.

Expanding Access Through Partnership

The Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications documented federal government publications from 1895 through 2004 and remains an important finding aid for researchers, librarians and citizens seeking government information.

As part of its longstanding commitment to discovery and access to government information, Clarivate digitized Monthly Catalog content from 1895–1976, creating a searchable database of approximately 1.2 million records and making decades of federal publications easier to find and use.

Clarivate has now provided those XML records to GPO, where they are publicly available under a Creative Commons license. Their rich metadata and detailed cataloging information strengthen access to historical government publications and support research across a wide range of disciplines.

Benefits For The Library Community

Key benefits include:

• • Improved search: Refined metadata, subject indexing and field-level cataloging complement GPO’s existing records, making it easier to search by publication type, issuing agency and subject area.
  • Support for research continuity: Detailed issue and page information help researchers locate specific entries and continue their work across different formats and systems.
  • Support for government documents research: The initiative is especially valuable for government documents libraries, which have long relied on the Monthly Catalog as a primary finding aid for historical federal publications.

“Making these 1.2 million records available is an investment in the future of public access to Government information,” said GPO Superintendent of Documents Scott Matheson. “Researchers, students, librarians, and the public can now more easily find and use historic Government publications, and we look forward to seeing how the library community puts these records to work.”

Supporting Libraries and Researchers

Libraries, publishers and government agencies all play a role in preserving access to information. This collaboration between Clarivate and GPO shows how organizations can work together to support long-term access to the historical record.

By making 1.2 million Monthly Catalog records publicly available, Clarivate and GPO are helping ensure that historical government publications remain easier to find, use and preserve for the libraries, researchers and communities that depend on them.