United States Federal Government Documentation: US Federal Government Information

The University of Southern California is one of the oldest federal depository collections in Southern California, having been a selective federal depository for government documents since 1932. The federal depository collection is a broad based multidisciplinary set of print and digital resources selected to support the curriculum and research needs of USC faculty, researchers, and students and the information needs of the general public. The core collection consists of over 500,000 monographs and serials, CD-ROMs, video tapes, and online resources; in addition, there are over 1,000,000 microfiche in the collection. The collection is especially rich in Congressional materials. Additional government documents are housed in specialized subject libraries and Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library, the main campus library. The print and microfiche collection is housed in the off-campus Grand Avenue Library and is accessed through USC's online catalog, which allows our user community and the general public to request items either online or manually. In addition, walkup access to the collection is provided 10:00am - 2:00pm, Monday-Friday. All documents except those designated as reference or as serials, circulate for four weeks to USC faculty, staff, and students. Non-USC users may use materials in the library.

Access Policy: The general public is welcome to use materials in the library. Federal depository law guarantees free and unimpeded access to the collection (44 U.S.C. § 1911), however, there is a fee charged for photocopying materials. To access online electronic publications and electronic databases, the Library maintains public terminals meeting the Recommended Specifications for Public Access Workstations in Federal Depository Libraries.

Government Information Online is a free national online information service that responds to questions about government information.