Government Documents
We collect government documents and materials in three primary areas, United States Government Documents, State of Mississippi Documents and Maps.
Government Documents
Government Documents are located in J.D. Williams Library. To find government information, search the UM Library Catalog or Government Information Guides.
A Federal Depository Library since 1883, the J.D. Williams Library
- continues to be one of only 46 regional depository libraries in the United States,
- serves as the Regional Depository Library for Mississippi,
- holds the largest collection of federal documents in the state with over 3,670,000 federal documents in various formats, and
- receives all publications distributed through the U.S. Federal Depository Library Program (Title 44, USC).
As part of the ASERL (Association of Southeast Research Libraries) Collaborative Federal Depository Project, the Library is a Center of Excellence for the United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the Small Business Administration (SBA).
The Library is also a member of the Mississippi State Depository Program. Though the program wasn’t legislated until 1966, the Library holds significant 19th-century Mississippi documents, including Department Reports, the Laws, and Senate and House Journals. It continues to receive publications through the state depository program.
Our mission is to make our resources and services available to the citizens of Mississippi and to Mississippi’s libraries, as well as to the students, staff, and faculty of the university.
Government Documents Collections
Designated as a Federal depository in 1883, the Library’s collection has grown to include over 800,000 paper documents, 1.5 million microforms, and over 250,000 maps. The historical print collections date from the beginning of the 19th century and include many reports of government-sponsored scientific and ethnographic explorations.
The Library also owns the entire nineteenth century Congressional Serial Set. Significant components of the collection include census reports and USGS, DOE, EPA, and NASA technical reports.
The bulk of the federal depository collection is located on the ground floor of the library on the Lyceum side (see map). Most documents can be checked out (see Government Document Lending Policies). The nineteenth century collection is stored in the Library Annex. These items will be retrieved on request.
Virtual access to more than 400,000 publications is available via the library catalog and One Search discovery service.
Although the State Depository Program wasn’t legislated until 1966, the Library’s collection includes significant historical Mississippi documents from the nineteenth century such as Department Reports, the Laws, and Senate and House Journals.
The entire state documents collection is cataloged and searchable in the library’s online catalog. The State Documents Collection is located in the Library Annex, the library’s offsite storage facility.
State Documents can be requested from the Annex and are typically delivered within 24 hrs (Monday-Thursday) to the main library for viewing.
The maps collection consists of more than 250,000 federal depository maps and charts from government agencies.
Current and historical topographic maps of all fifty states and territories from the U.S Geological Survey comprise the largest part of this collection. They are organized within states by map name and filed flat in map cases. Many are also available for sale or downloading from the USGS.
Nautical charts from NOAA cover the coastline and harbors of the continental U.S. Alaska and Hawaii, while those from the NGA cover the world. Aeronautical charts are issued by the FAA.
The collection also includes thousands of agricultural, recreational, political, economic, and statistical thematic maps from almost every federal agency. These include maps of national parks and forests, CIA maps of foreign countries, congressional district maps, and soil survey maps. All these maps can be checked out for a two week loan.
Instruction and Consultation
The Government Documents Librarian works with faculty to tailor instruction for specific courses and to assist in creating workable library assignments. Research consultation is available by appointment. To schedule an instruction session or a research consultation, please contact the Government Documents Librarian. Reference and consultation services are available to other depository libraries as well as to individuals.
Ashley Sorey Dees
Associate Head of Research & Instruction Services and Associate Professor
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Research Guides & Resources
Research Guides for Federal documents and State documents are available as well as Resources for Depository Libraries.
U.S. Federal Documents Mississippi State Government Resources for Depository Libraries
About Government Documents
The Government Documents team work to make the 2 million item federal regional collection visible and accessible to users. The department processes and catalogs all new federal documents, also adding records for full text documents to the catalog. They also work on the backlog of uncataloged older documents. As a result of this work, the catalog provides access to more than 950,000 volumes of federal documents in all formats. More than 400,000 records provide links to full text.
Regional depository duties include providing guidance and training for the nine selective depositories in the state and to coordinate disposal of depository materials. The documents librarian assists patrons with complex documents related questions and provides instruction to groups.