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This collection consists of paper, microfiche, and CD-ROM copies of federal publications. Publications from the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government are available in this collection. Most of this collection dates from 1963 to the present. For earlier material, see the section on Historical Research using government documents.
Many federal government publications that formerly appeared in print are now appearing on the Web in full text. (External) Uncle Sam Migrating Government Publications is a site at the University of Memphis that tries to keep track of these documents. There are many ways to get to Web based government information. For some of the major links, see Government Information Online .
The GPO is the federal agency that publishes most government documents. It also sells material to the public through its (External) US Government Online Bookstore and announces new electronic documents in (External) New Electronic Titles available on (External) GPO Access .
To locate government documents on the library shelves, a Superintendent of Documents number, or SuDocs, call number is needed, which differs from call numbers used in the rest of the library. (In FirstSearch it is called a GPO No. or GovDoc number.) When you find the number, write it down in its entirety, with all the punctuation.
Note: Before 1976, material in federal documents was indexed only in print indexes, the most important one being the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications (Z1223 .A18 Documents, Ref).
From 1976 forward the material in the federal documents collection is also indexed in:
From 1994 the material in the federal documents collection is also indexed in the (External) Catalog of United States Government Publications . This index includes links to the full text of many publications.
From 1984 to 1995 the Department of Energy (DOE) supplied Waldo Library with microfiche copies of most research reports produced through contract with the agency. These materials were indexed in Energy Research Abstracts (TJ 163.2 .U544b). The microfiche collection is located in the microforms area on the second floor of Waldo Library. Since 1995 these research reports have been available in full text on the web via the (External) DOE Information Bridge .
In 1969 the library became a depository for United States Geological Survey maps. For more information, see the University Libraries' Map Collection .
State of Michigan depository material is housed on the second floor of Waldo Library. Finding aids are available. Please consult staff in the Documents Department to access this material. Some state publications are located in the general collections of the library and can be found in the Libraries' online catalog .
The Archives and Regional History Collections is designated by the Michigan Historical Commission as a State Archives repository for the public records of twelve counties in southwest Michigan. These are accessible through finding aids located at the Archives.
Many statistical publications from all 50 states are available in the Statistical Reference Index microfiche collection. To search the collection, use the print index or (External) Statistical Universe . The microfiche are located in cabinets labeled SRI, and the print index is located on Index shelves in the Reference Department on the first floor of Waldo Library.
The library subscribed to microprint copies of United Nations documents from 1946 through 1981 (1st through 36th session). Finding aids are available in the Government Documents area. Readers are available in the microforms area on second floor. It is NOT possible to make paper copies from these. The Library subscribes to a number of United Nations publications which can be found through Libraries' online catalog by entering "United Nations" as the author. Human Rights Today and other publications are available in the (External) United Nations Online Publications .
The library subscribes to a number of publications from international organizations that can be found through Libraries' online catalog using the name of the organization.
Many statistical publications from the United Nations and its agencies as well as other international organizations are available in the Index to International Statistics microfiche collection. To search the collection, use the print index or (External) Statistical Universe . The microfiche are located in cabinets labeled IIS, and the print index is located on Index shelves in the Reference Department on the first floor of Waldo Library. (Z 7552 .I53 (Ref
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