A government document may be broadly defined as any publication (in print, on microfiche, or electronic) issued at government expense or published under the authority of a governmental body. Examples are hearings, reports, statutes, treaties, periodicals (example: Monthly Labor Review) and statistics (e.g., U.S. Census). This library guide focuses on documents published by the U.S. federal government through the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) of the United States Government is the largest publisher in the world. It distributes materials in a variety of formats, including electronic, CD, microfiche, and paper. AS part of its publishing program, the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO), through the FDLP, distributes certain classes of Government documents free of charge to designated libraries throughout the United States and its territories. These libraries are known as Federal Depository libraries. For an annotated list of the core U.S. Government resources made available at all Federal depository libraries, see the FDLP Basic Collection Guide on the FDLP website; for an additional list including historic cornerstone documents, see govinfo’s Other Resources, also known as Core Documents of Our Democracy.
The University of Nebraska - Lincoln Libraries has been member of the Federal Depository Library program since 1907 and is the Regional Depository for Nebraska and one of 11 federal depository libraries in the state of Nebraska. Our primary mission is to serve the needs of the students, faculty, and staff at the University of Nebraska. We also serve the needs of the residents of the State of Nebraska.
The Government Documents collection can be found in a variety of formats, including digital/web format, print, microfiche, maps, and CD-ROM/DVD. The tangible collections are distributed throughout our libraries, including our storage facilities. Many, but not all items, can be discovered and accessed directly through our on-line catalog at https://libraries.unl.edu/.
Since 1994, all materials acquired through depository or from outside sources are included in the catalog. Many of the materials prior to 1994 are also included in the catalog with more being added as records become available.
The GPO and the Federal Depository Library Program have discontinued distribution of print copies of U.S. Documents except for a few especially important titles. This change acknowledges the importance of electronic distribution and access. Libraries anticipates that U.S. Documents will remain accessible through catalog records which link to electronic copies. As of this writing, over 600 new records are being added to the catalog each month.
All items are available for access by any member of the public, including digital content.
Most of the tangible materials in the Documents Collection are available for requesting from any of our locations or for check-out. You will need to present a valid borrower’s card at any of our AskUS Desk locations to check materials out of the library. For UNL students and faculty, this is your NUID. Community members may receive a card at no cost.
In addition to federal documents, the department has a limited collection of Nebraska, United Nations, and Organization of American States documents.
The University of Nebraska - Lincoln Libraries are a Congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to Government documents is guaranteed by public law (Title 44 U.S.C.).
302 Love Library South
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-4100
Linda Novotny
Documents Specialist
Ana Gomez
Documents Associate
Michael Straatmann
Associate Director
Collection Management