Use search.usa.gov for Federal, State and Local Government Site Search

Researchers looking specifically for government documents should add search.usa.gov to their repertoire.  This site, billed as the "U.S. Government's official search engine," is extremely useful when conducting a broad-based search for specific mentions inside of government records including minutes, staff reports or agency memoranda.  For example, if you are interested in learning the number of places a particular contractor or service provider has been retained within a particular state, this search engine allows you to enter the contractor name and limit your search to government records in that state. This method is not a substitute for a universal (Google) search but is a wonderful (and targeted) complement.  For many researchers, this site will also provide a flavor for how the Bing search algorithm works since the site leverages Bing to produce its results.