Hackley Public Library has been a Federal Depository Library since the late 1800's. We have a large collection of Federal Documents available for use in the library. We are also a depository library for State of Michigan Documents.

What is a Federal Depository Library (FDL) you ask? Well, the Federal Depository Library Program was established by Congress in 1813 so that all Americans would have access to government information that had been created with public money. An FDL receives publications from the government on a regularly scheduled basis. These "documents" are cataloged and made available to the public. A Regional FDL collects upwards of 100% of all government publications. Here at HPL, we collect about 14%. We try to collect documents that fit the needs of our patrons. The nearest Regional FDL is the Library of Michigan in Lansing. If we don't have something a patron needs we can get it, or a copy of it, from Lansing.

You may now wonder, what kind of information is included in these documents? Good question! Because every agency of the government is required to provide copies of all their publications to the depository system, just about anything can be found in government documents. Careers, business information, health information, legal information, demographics, you name it!

The government has put many of their publications on-line in an effort to reach even more people. Not everything is available, but a lot of useful stuff is here. Try some of the links on the Government Documents page to find what you are looking for. We are also adding links in the catalog for many documents. Just click on the link just above the call number. And remember, if you can't find it, check with the Librarians!

• Links to Basic Documents on line American Factfinder (census info), Budget of the US Governemnt, Code of Federal Regulations, Congressional Directory, Constitution, Economic Indicators, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Social Security Handbook, Government Manual, etc.
• Congressional Research Service Reports from Open CRS. "Open CRS provides citizens access to CRS Reports already in the public domain and encourages Congress to provide public access to all CRS Reports." (RB)(RT)
• Documents Center (University of Michigan) "The Documents Center is a central reference and referral point for government information, whether local, state, federal, foreign or international. Its web pages are a reference and instructional tool for government, political science, statistical data, and news."
• Federal Depository Library Program Administration News and Updates page, including a link to their RSS feed.
• Government Printing Office Access page "Official Federal Government Information at your fingertips!"
• GODORT Handout Exchange (tons of subject guides and pathfinders)
• Government Documents Librarianship (University of Michigan) Aimed at Documents Librarians.
• Resources of use to Government Documents Librarians (GODORT Web Server)
• Documents Data Miner A Library Management System for United States Governement Documents.
• U.S. Government Information on the Web Subject Index compiled by St. Mary's University, Texas. (LII)