Government documents

Government publications at the University of Arizona Libraries

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The University of Arizona Libraries are a congressionally designated depository for U.S. government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law (Title 44 United States Code).

We were designated a Federal Depository in 1907, and have also been a European Union Depository Library, since 1974. Extensive current and archival collections of Arizona State and local publications are located in Special Collections. In 2005, this library became the official U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) "Virtual" Federal Depository Library. We also serve the government information needs of the 2nd and 3rd U.S. Congressional Districts of Arizona. For more information, see Special Collections' collection development policy.

The U.S. Federal Depository Library Program was established by Congress to ensure that the American public has access to its government’s information. GPO administers the program on behalf of the participating libraries and the public. Information products from the federal government are disseminated to these nationwide libraries that, in turn, ensure the American public has free access to the materials, both in print and online. 

Access to the federal documents collection

We hold nearly 2 million paper and microform federal publications among our collections. The vast majority of paper items are housed on the 3rd floor of the Main Library. The maps are mostly housed on the first floor of Weaver Science-Engineering Library except for those located in Special Collections. 

Federal documents in paper format are shelved by the Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) classification system, which groups material by the issuing agency. Specific documents are located by using library search and/or online and paper indexes. A specialized index to federal publications is the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, which was published by the GPO since 1895. In 2004, the MoCat was discontinued, and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) assumed this purpose. GPO's new search tool, DiscoverGov, provides simple, one-stop searching across multiple U.S. federal government databases including the CGP and GovInfo. Other specialized online indexes and databases include ProQuest Congressional and statistical materials published by federal government agencies.

Our collections are particularly strong in statistical materials and congressional publications. Census publications include printed reports from all decennial population censuses, 1790 to the present, and reports are from all quinquennial economic and agriculture censuses from 1940 to the present. The library's holdings of Congressional publications includes the Congressional Record and its predecessors; hearings, committee prints, reports, documents, and laws from 1789. The documents collection features a number of significant historical works, selected commercial electronic databases, and digital repository collections.

Reference services for government documents, including chat, email, phone, and in-person, are provided whenever the library is open.

Find federal government documents

ProQuest Congressional
Find Congressional reports, bills, hearings, committee prints, serial set maps, and other documents. See ProQuest Congressional Accessibility Statement.

GPO's Govinfo (formerly FDsys)This link opens in a new window
Find critical federal publications, including the Federal Register, Congressional Record, and Code of Federal Regulations.

DiscoverGov GPO federated searchThis link opens in a new window
Find U.S. government documents by searching across multiple federal government databases simultaneously.

GPO Monthly Catalog (1976 - to date)This link opens in a new window
Find electronic and print publications from the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the U.S. government, from 1976 to the present.

Hein OnlineThis link opens in a new windo
Find articles from law and law-related journals, as well as government documents, legal classics, treaties, and more.

HathiTrust Digital LibraryThis link opens in a new window
Find digitized resources from major research libraries around the world.

TRAILThis link opens in a new window
Find U.S. government technical reports in technology and science issued prior to 1976.

Declassified Documents Reference System (DDRS)This link opens in a new window
Find declassified government documents on major domestic and international events of the post-WWII era.

Digital National Security ArchiveThis link opens in a new window
Find declassified government documents about U.S. foreign policy and military policy since 1945. Search across all collections, by a specific area, and by chronology.

Find Arizona government documents

Most of our current and archival Arizona state documents are located in Special Collections (including Arizona Revised Statutes, Arizona Code, Arizona Commission on Indian Affairs, etc). Other places to find Arizona state documents include:

Find international government documents

U.K. Parliamentary Papers This link opens in a new windo
Find full text of government documents of the British House of Commons and House of Lords, 18th century to present, including bills and committee reports.

Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS)This link opens in a new windo
Find articles, book citations, and government documents on public policy, international relations, and business. PAIS Archive and PAIS International are searchable as one combined database.

Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)This link opens in a new windo
Find scholarship on international affairs, including working papers, research projects, paper series, conference proceedings, books, journals, and policy briefs, from 1991-present.