Government Information
Federal Documents at F&M
Franklin & Marshall College has been a selective depository for United States federal documents since 1895. The Federal Depository Library Program is a national network for providing public access to government produced information. The library's mission is to provide government information that supports the college's curriculum and to make this information available to residents of the 16th Congressional District in Pennsylvania. The government documents collection is available to everyone, though it may be necessary to arrange for research assistance. Inquire at the Information Desk in the Shadek-Fackenthal Library, or by phone at 717-291-4217. You can also submit an email question here. The library selects approximately 23% of the publications available from the U.S. Government. Strengths of the collection include legislative documents, census publications, statistical reports, and U.S. Geological Survey maps.
Government information can be found in a variety of formats: paper (or print); microfiche; CD-Roms; and web documents on the Internet. Most of the paper collection is housed on the Ground Floor of the Shadek-Fackenthal Library, arranged according to the Superintendent of Documents Classification. Microfiche and CDs are housed in the Microforms Reading Room on Level One. Scientific publications (primarily from the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and Interior, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA) are housed in the Martin Library of the Sciences. Reference assistance for the documents collection is available in both libraries.
Many federal documents are not contained in the Library Catalog. Indexes and other finding aids must be used to identify and locate these publications. A good place to begin is the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
- GovInfo This link opens in a new windowGPO's GovInfo provides free public access to Government information submitted by Congress and Federal agencies and preserved as technology changes. (replaced FDsys in December 2018)
- Catalog of U. S. Government PublicationsThe Catalog is the primary search tool for print and electronic titles of the National Bibliography of U.S. Government Publications. Coverage is from 1976 to the present, with selected older publications back to the late 1800s.
- Federal Depository Library ProgramThis provides an overview of the services offered by the FDLP.
- Library of Congress This link opens in a new windowLargest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.
