Government documents are publications published and distributed by the government rather than by commercial publishers. Documents include such commonly used titles as United States Reports, the United States Code, and the Code of Federal Regulations. They also include a wide range of both popular and obscure pamphlets, posters, treatises, annuals, maps and journals on every subject. Government documents can be valuable research sources and are often cited in legal literature. Though documents are still published in a variety of traditional formats, including paper, microfiche and CD ROM, more are being published daily on the Internet.
Documents in all formats are available to libraries through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Biddle Law Library is a selective federal depository library, receiving approximately 12 percent of the publications available through the FDLP. Biddle collects most law and law-related government documents. Many of Biddle’s documents are cataloged and can be found using Catalog Search (which includes links to some government documents on the Internet) and the card catalog. However, some of Biddle’s documents are not cataloged, so you should always ask a Reference Librarian for help if you do not find a publication in Catalog Search or in the card catalog.