Government Documents

Welcome!

Looking for government information? Start here.

Introduction

As a participant in the Federal Depository Library Program, University Libraries at the University of Akron provides public access to publications of the United States government in print, microform, audio-visual, CD-ROM, and electronic formats. Documents are distributed to Depository Libraries at no charge. In return, these libraries make the documents available to the public. Federal government publications include official documents from Congress and the President, brochures and research papers on a wide range of current interest topics, scientific and technical studies, statistical publications and data sets, and detailed, authoritative works on nearly all aspects of American history.

University Libraries also serves as a depository for the State of Ohio.

Reference Services

The Government Documents Subject Guide provides resources organized by item type on the left-hand side of the page. See the Ohio Subject Guide for Ohio government resources. Additionally, Government Documents Services include FAQs and tutorials to help you access and use government resources. For more assistance, contact the Government Documents Librarian or Ask a Librarian.

Item Locations

IMPORTANT NEWS: The  government documents print and microform collections have moved to the ground floor (basement level) of Bierce Library. Please contact the government documents librarian or a librarian at the Reference Desk for assistance in locating materials.

Not all of our government documents are listed in the catalog. For further assistance in retrieving and using any materials, including older U.S. government publications and State of Ohio pamphlets, please contact the Government Documents Librarian.

Federal documents in print, microform, and CD-ROM formats are shelved by SuDoc numbers, and can be accessed at the back of the ground floor (basement level) of Bierce Library, behind the Curriculum Center collection. The Reference/Information desk, located on the first (main) floor, can provide assistance in discovering and locating these materials.

• For microforms: Reader/printers with scanning capabilities for materials on microfiche, microfilm, and microprint (opaques) are located near Media Services on the ground floor. 
• For CD-ROMs: CD-ROMs are kept in locked cabinets against the wall in the documents print collection, near the Tutoring Services. Please ask for assistance at the reference desk. CD-ROMs and other media may be loaded on laptops or the Maps computer.
• For audiovisial materials: Audiovisual materials are located in the shelf outside of Government Documents Processing, near room 77B.
• For maps: All maps are located in the second floor Map Room. The Maps Librarian is available for assistance with these materials.
• For electronic materials: Clicking the link in the catalog under "Connect to" should immediately open the electronic document on your computer. Please contact the Reference Desk or the Government Documents Librarian if you are unable to connect to a resource via PURL.

Most documents from the State of Ohio are assigned Library of Congress call numbers and shelved with the main collections at Bierce Library and the Science & Technology Library. Smaller pamphlets are not cataloged, and are filed in the documents processing area on the ground floor.

Some government documents are currently held in our shared storage at the NE Regional Depository in Rootstown, OH. To obtain these materials, click on "Request" from the item record and enter your UANet ID and password. Ask a Librarian can help you make this request. The Government Documents Librarian can also request this material on your behalf.

The Law Library at the University of Akron School of Law, located in the McDowell Law Center, also serves as a Federal Depository Library. Contact the Law Library with questions about materials in the School of Law collection.

About this Collection

Bierce Library has been a selective depository of U.S. government publications since 1963. Currently, the Library receives about 60% of the government publications that are distributed by the Government Printing Office (GPO), including electronic items. The emphasis of the collection is on statistics, business, education, applied science, social and political science, and history. Other sources of government publications are the Educational Resources and Information Center (ERIC), National Technical Information Service (NTIS), and documents available in databases such as ProQuest Congressional.

Policies

Please see our Access Policy for Government Information. We also have a Government Documents Collection Development Policy.