Notice: Due to ongoing construction, 4 East is currently closed to the public.  To obtain items located on 4 East, please place an online request for the item to be paged for you using the ‘Place Request’ button in the catalog. Please visit our Circulation FAQ page for assistance in using our catalog.
Notice: Due to ongoing construction, 4 East is currently closed to the public.  To obtain items located on 4 East, please place an online request for the item to be paged for you using the ‘Place Request’ button in the catalog. Please visit our Circulation FAQ page for assistance in using our catalog.
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Michigan State University Libraries
Government Information
366 W. Circle Dr.
East Lansing , MI 48824
United States

Collections 

The Government Documents collection includes publications of the United States federal government, the Canadian government, the State of Michigan, the United Nations, and many other international intergovernmental organizations. The collection includes over 3 million documents in paper, microformat, and electronic formats.

U.S. Documents

The MSU Library has been a selective U.S. federal depository library since 1907 and currently receives approximately 75% of the publications made available to depository libraries.

An extensive range and variety of subjects are covered in the U.S. documents collection. It is particularly strong in the areas of agriculture, demography and population, education, environmental sciences, international relations, labor, and law. The collection is arranged by Superintendent of Documents call number which organizes publications by issuing agency rather than by subject. The print collection is located on 3 West of the Main Library and the microfiche is on 2 West.

Note: A portion of the physical collection is presently uncataloged and, therefore, does not appear in the Libraries' catalog.

There are over 7,000 serial titles, many of which are complete from early dates, including Foreign Relations of the United States from 1861, Geological Survey Professional Papers from 1896, U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Papers from 1902, and the Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics from 1913.

More content is becoming available online and can be accessed for free on GovInfo. GovInfo contains official and authentic publications from federal agencies and it is hosted by the Government Publishing Office.

Michigan Documents

Until 2007, the MSU Library served as the permanent depository for official publications of the State of Michigan for 20 years. Materials received throughout the years dating back to statehood include House and Senate Journals, reports on a variety of subjects, statistical reports and annual reports of various state agencies. The physical collection is located on the 1st Floor of the East Wing, directly following the U.S. Census Collection.

European Union Documents

As a participating European Union Depository Library, users are provided free access to the official publications containing information ranging from policy developments in all sectors of EU activity to statistics on trade, demographics, agriculture, transport, energy and economic indicators. These items are stored at our Remote Storage facility and can be found and requested through the Library's catalog.

Canadian Documents

The library served as a selective depository of Canadian federal documents from 1967 until the print program's cessation in 2012.  The library selected a general range of publications from science to foreign policy and labor relations. These items are stored at our Remote Storage facility and can be found and requested through the Library's catalog.

United Nations Documents

While the MSU Library has never been a United Nations Depository, our collection includes documents and publications issued by the main UN organs since 1946. It also includes materials issued by various UN programmes and bodies including, but not limited to, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the UN Development Programme, UNICEF, UNRISD, UN University, and the UN Environment Programme.

The collection also contains publications issued by most of the UN specialized agencies and autonomous organizations. These include the Food and Agriculture Organization, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/World Trade Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, International Monetary Fund, International Telecommunication Union, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, World Bank Group, and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Materials issued by several UN specialized agencies (International Atomic Energy Agency, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization. The books and microcards that comprise this collection are stored at our Remote Storage facility and can be found and requested through the Library's catalog. Microfiche is available on the 2 West of the Main Library.

Other International Intergovernmental Organizations

The Government Documents collection also includes materials issued by other international intergovernmental organizations including, but not limited to, the Asian Development Bank, Organization of American States, Council of Europe, NATO, Association of South East Asian Nations, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This material is stored in our Remote Storage facility and can be found and requested through the Library's catalog.