"This library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law."

-Title 44, United States Code

Columbia University Libraries selectively collects federal, state, and local government information and has been a Federal Depository Library for government documents since 1882. The Libraries stewards current and historical publications in formats including books, microforms, CD-ROMs, and maps, as well as provides online access to both recent born-digital publications and historical digitized publications. The Libraries also offers reference and research services for finding, accessing, and using government information.

Please contact the Government Information Librarian at usgd@library.columbia.edu with any questions.

How can I find print and physical government documents?
Most government documents can be found by searching CLIO, the library catalog. Physical items are held in a variety of on-campus library locations as well as in offsite storage, with the item location listed in the CLIO record along with any available options for scanning and delivery services. Some physical items may only be identified through the card catalogs in Room 310 in Butler Library (primarily pre-1976 Congressional documents) and the microfiche collection on the 200 level of Lehman Library (New York State documents published 1983-1996 and certain federal publications), although most of these documents are also available digitally.

Isn’t most government information online?
The Federal Depository Library Program is now digital, with only very limited physical print materials distributed to select libraries. The Columbia University Libraries only receive current government documents in digital formats but continue to steward older documents in physical formats. CLIO has records for some online items, and official U.S. government resources such as GovInfo, Congress.gov, and agency websites provide access to current documents and a growing number of digitized historical documents. Many born-digital and digitized documents can also be found in subscription library databases such as HeinOnline and ProQuest Congressional.  

Where can I find information published by the State of New York and the City of New York?
The Columbia University Libraries have a selection of New York State and New York City documents that can mostly be found by searching CLIO, the library catalog. Lehman Library is also a microfiche depository for New York State documents from 1983-1996, which are located on the 200 level of the library and can be used by contacting usgd@library.columbia.edu.

State documents can be found at the New York State Library, including by searching the Excelsior Catalog and the New York State Library Digital Collections. City documents can be found at the NYC Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS), including by searching the Municipal Library Catalog and the Government Publications Portal. The Government Information Librarian can assist with finding state and local publications.

What if I’m not affiliated with Columbia University?
As a Federal Depository Library, the Columbia University Libraries provide free access to government documents and welcome the use of its physical collections by members of the public. Appointments are required for anyone not affiliated with Columbia. Please contact the Government Information Librarian at usgd@library.columbia.edu with questions about the collection or to arrange a visit.

Other depository libraries can be found by searching the Federal Depository Library Directory.