Government Documents: Government Depository Libraries

The Gov Docs librarian by Georgios Christopoulos

While most contemporary government documents are on the web, this is often not the case with those produced before the advent of the Internet.  Government depository libraries are important repositories of documents and other information and are important centers for research to keep in mind.

The Federal Depository Library Program was created to provide the public physical access to federal government documents throughout the nation.  Public, academic and law school libraries participate in the program by receiving and keeping a vareity of documents produced by the different branches of the federal government.  There are two types of depository libraries:

• Regional: These institutions receive all government documents within the program and serve an entire region within the United States.
• Select: These institutions receive those government documents which they choose to receive.

 Below is a list of depository libraries serving Philadelphia area.

Web sites with more information on federal govenrments and how to locate them.