Government Documents Collection
The Oberlin College Libraries have been a member of the Federal Depository Library Program since 1858.
About
As a selective depository we receive material from the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the government in a variety of formats including paper, microfiche, and CD-ROM.
Access
Between 1858 and the 1940's most government publications acquired by Oberlin College Library were incorporated into the Main Library collection and assigned Dewey call numbers. Since then, the majority of government publications have been maintained as a separate collection organized according to the Superintendent of Documents, or SuDocs, classification system. From the 1940's until 1993 only selected government publications were added to the Main Library collection and included in OBIS. Since mid-1993, most non-serial government publications have been included in OBIS.
- For documents issued between 1858 and the 1940's, use OBIS.
- For monographic government documents issued after mid-1993, refer to OBIS.
- If we don't own the government document you need, we will attempt to borrow it from another library. Refer to the Interlibrary Loan guide for more information.
There are exceptions to these guidelines; ask a Reference Librarian to verify whether or not we received a particular government document.
Location
SuDocs numbers beginning with A through Y4 are on the fourth floor.
All U.S. government publications on microfiche are on the second floor.
If you can't find a government publication that you identified using the online catalog, look at the OBIS record again. If the status is listed as AVAILABLE but you can't find it on the shelf, select Request ITEM to place a search request. If you can't find a government publication, ask for assistance at the Reference Desk.
Contact Information
Tim Keller, Head of Discovery and Metadata Services
440-775-5035
tkeller@oberlin.edu