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Government Information: Federal Depository Library

A law-oriented guide to public information provided by the U.S. federal government

Public Access

As a designated Federal Depository Library, the Hofstra Law Library offers free access to Federal Depository Library Program content, including online materials. Most of the print materials selected by the Law Library through the depository program relate to law or to information about the federal government. Note, however, that in the wake of GPO's recent "digital first" initiative, the Law Library is now offers fewer government print publications.

 

 

(The preparer of this guide gratefully acknowledges the NYU Law Library, which provided the template for this LibGuide).

Other Federal Depository Libraries Near You

Axinn Library Government Information LibGuide

In addition to this guide, note that Axinn Library has created an excellent LibGuide to government information resources, which you will find here.

WMS Discovery Law Library Catalog

The WorldCat Discovery catalog of the law library lists all types of federal depository materials (reports, books, codes, etc.) in different formats.

  • To search by author, it may help to put "United States" before the name of the government body, e.g., United States Tax Court. See also
    GovSpeak: A Guide to U.S. Government Acronyms & Abbreviations, by Kelly Smith, UC San Diego Libraries.
  • To locate print material in the Law Library, note the call number and location. Click the location for a map, or ask for directions at the Reference or Circulation Desks. 

The Reading Room of the Law Library is the location for some of the documents listed in WorldCat Discovery, e.g., the United States Code. Other documents that were formerly shelved by SuDoc number are now available in the Law Classified collection.