Main Contents Page

Before you start

STEP 1: STARTING OUT

STEP 2: FINDING

Information finding tools

- OPAC

- Internet

- Databases (incl CD Roms)

- Dewey (DDC)

Information sources

- Dictionaries

- Encyclopaedias

- Books

- Periodicals/Magazines/Journals

- Newspapers

- Audio-visual

- Internet

- Grey literature

- Broadcast media

- Conference proceedings/reports

- Course-specific resources

- Maps

- Government publications

- Standards

- Museums

- Archives

- Quizz

STEP 3: EVALUATE

STEP 4: LEGAL USE

STEP 5: COMMUNICATE

Government publications

What are government publications?

Government publications are exactly what the name says: all publications published by the government. These include law reports, statutes, government gazettes, etc.

Where can you find government publications?

    • In your Library there will normally be a section that includes different government publications. Remember to ask a Librarian for help!
    • Copies of government publications can be bought (at minimal cost) from the government printers. The Government Printing Works is situated at 90 Plein St., Cape Town. Tel nr.: (021) 465-7531. In Cape Town they only supply government gazettes and acts.
    • Many of these publications are also available on the Internet at South African Government Information. (Remember you will only be able to link to the Internet if the computer you are working on is connected to the Internet!)

Different types of government publications

The following are just a few types of government publications that are available in your Library:

TYPE DESCRIPTION
Statutes Statutes include all the acts that have been approved and are law in South Africa.
Government Gazettes All notices, changes to acts, acts, green papers, etc., are published in the government gazettes. In other words it is used by the government to publish official information to inform the public.
SA Law Reports Very significant court cases are published in SA Law Reports which are used for future references in court cases.
SA Labour Law Reports This is similar to SA Law Reports, except that these reports only focus on the labour law in South Africa. These reports include CCMA hearings, bargaining councils, proceedings, etc.

A very useful resource on the Internet

Governments on WWW This is a comprehensive database of governmental institutions on the World Wide Web: parliaments, ministries, offices, law courts, embassies, city councils, public broadcasting corporations, central banks, multi-governmental institutions, etc. Also includes political parties. Online since June 1995. Contains more than 17000 entries from more than 220 countries and territories as of December 2000. Frequently updated.

Acknowledgements: Image - http://www.yolo.k12.ca.us/resources.html