What is the Federal Depository Library Program?
The FDLP is the "largest publisher in the world" and ensures that the public has free access to government information. The FDLP has been governed by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) since 1895. The official website of the GPO states that its mission is to "keep America informed as the official, digital, and secure source for producing, preserving, and distributing official Federal Government publications and informational products for Congress, Federal agencies, and the American public." The FDLP resources include electronic publications, books, journal articles, microfiche, photos, and DVDs.
Individuals across the U.S. and in U.S. territories can access this information online or in a federal depository library. To determine if your university or local library is one of 1150 federal depository libraries, visit fdlp.gov. Click on the "About FDLP" tab and then the "Federal Depository Libraries." The website provides an interactive map of the U.S. and its territories. Click on a state or territory for a list of the libraries in that location. The list provides the name of the university where the libraries are located, name of the libraries, the city in which it is located, link to the library's website, telephone/fax number, and much more.
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| Picture of interactive map found on the FDLP website |
There are multiple websites to access government information, including agency websites: the FDLP partners with many government agencies to educate and inform the public.
Govinfo.gov is a "service of GPO to provide free public access to the full text of official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government," including laws, regulations, Presidential proclamations, records of Congress, and court opinions. The website has a search bar for quick access to documents, along with "Recent," "Trending," and "Popular" resources. Under the search bar, you can filter your search by alphabetical order, category, date, committee and author. If a more detailed search is needed, the advanced search tab is an option. This enables a search by date, list of collections, Sudoc class number, and other criteria.
The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) is another helpful tool to access free and authentic government information. The CGP obtains "descriptive information for historical and current publications," along with identifying the federal depository libraries where certain publications can be found. Under the search bar, click the drop-down tab next to keyword(s). The search can be filtered by title, author, or subject. The advanced search option is available and allows for a more defined and narrow search. Filters for the advanced search include the following: date, format, language, catalogs, keywords, ISBN, Sudoc numbers, series, etc.
The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) is in charge of administering and monitoring all of these free resources. The official website of the GPO presents an easy way to find these materials. The search bar is located at the upper right hand corner of the home page. However, quick links to the CGP, Govinfo, and more are located at the bottom of the home page. These tabs also include "Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government," "Government Book Talk," "U.S. Government Bookstore," and "Locate a Federal Depository Library."
Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government is a resource for children, parents, and educators to make learning a fun experience. This resource has three different levels of materials depending on the child's age. The apprentice level is dedicated to ages four through eight; the Journey Person level is for ages nine through thirteen; and the masters level is for ages fourteen and up. The colorful info graphics and games makes learning about the government more enticing for children. This is a valuable tool for parents and educators to use to encourage children to learn about government basics.
Government Book Talk is dedicated to raising the awareness of publications that the government offers. Blog posts are written to highlight old and new publications. There is an option to subscribe to be notified when a new blog post is uploaded onto the website.
For additional information
For more information about these resources or to answer specific questions please visit the Government Documents Department web page. If assistance is still needed, the department is available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily by phone at (405) 744-6546 or by email. The Government Documents department is also available by appointment to assist with research questions. As an FDLP library, our goal is to support individuals in locating reliable government information.
~Emily Hancz
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