Government Documents at Depository Libraries
The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was established by Congress to ensure that the American public has access to its Government's information. Since 1813, depository libraries have collected government documents and provided free access to them for the public. Anyone can visit one of the 1,250 Federal depository libraries and use the Federal depository collections.
Publications included in the Basic Collection are vital sources of information that support the public's right to know about the workings and essential activities of their federal government. The Basic Collection serves as a good resource when developing and maintaining a depository collection.
The list of titles constituting the Basic Collection was first developed in 1977 to identify the most basic federal publications for inclusion in depository collections. This list has been periodically updated since then.
A depository library is REQUIRED to have the titles in the Basic Collection accessible for immediate use.
