This interdisciplinary guide to public policy for adult education has four objectives: (1) to provide both information about the supply of federal information on the topic and assistance with searching federal sources; (2) to build a basic understanding of federally produced information on an interdisciplinary topic; (3) to introduce the researcher to federal information resources using different formats and types of publications; and (4) to provide research assistance for adult educators and students. A brief discussion of the need for such a guide and the objectives of this one in particular is followed by an introduction to the federal system, including the "depository system," the functions of the Superintendent of Documents and the Government Printing Office, and electronic access to the "Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications" via OCLC and commercially produced CD-ROMs. The next section provides background information about adult functional illiteracy, describes the range of persons affected by it, and identifies congressional efforts to combat illiteracy. A 12-item bibliography lists both governmental and nongovernmental sources for information on adult functional literacy. Following this, a section of commentary on specific information sources describes both federal and commercial publications providing access to or information on legislative and educational issues; general sources for facts and data; congressional hearings; and legislation and regulations. The next section contains an annotated bibliography listing 26 publications produced by the U.S. Department of Education and one by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, including seven specific sources for facts and data; 13 congressional committeee hearings; and 13 titles on federal legislation and regulations. Appended materials contain a list of seven additional titles; an explanation of various components of a sample entry in the "American Statistical Index" (ASI), "Congressional Information Services" (CSI), and the "Monthly Catalog"; and a list of acronyms used in the guide. (MAB)