Government Documents

Reed College receives approximately 30 percent of U.S. government publications distributed to libraries in paper, microfiche, and CD-ROM formats. Access to the collection and to government information on the World Wide Web is available to members of the Reed community and to the general public. For more information about the collection or help locating a document, contact:

Dena Hutto
Federal Depository Librarian
503/777-7572

As a participant in the Federal Depository Library Program, Reed College Library has received selected publications, or documents, from the United States government since 1912. The collection contains many historical series with holdings dating from the nineteenth century. Currently, Reed receives about 25 percent of all documents available to depository libraries. Highlights of the collection include:

  • Primary documentation of the United States Congress, including public laws, congressional reports and documents, transcripts of hearings, and the Congressional Record.
  • Publications of the executive branch, including presidential speeches and public statements and proposed rules and regulations.
  • Supreme Court decisions.
  • Publications on American foreign policy from the U.S. Department of State.
  • Historical statistical series and current data on CD-ROM issued by many government agencies, including the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Reed College documents collection is shelved by Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) number in the Center Stacks, Lower Level 1. In addition to the paper collection, many government documents are issued as microfiche. They are filed by SuDoc number in the Microforms Room, located adjacent to the Center Stacks, Lower Level 1. Selected high-use or special format government documents are housed in the Reference Room or in other parts of the library. These materials may be located using the Reed College Library Catalog.

Reed's library reference collection contains several databases, catalogs, and indexes that can be used to locate any government publication, not just those in its own documents collection. U.S. documents not available at Reed College Library may be borrowed from the regional depository collection at Portland State University, which includes all documents issued to depository libraries since 1972, or from other depository libraries in the area.

Government resources available directly on the World Wide Web:

Locating U.S. Government Documents

Reed College Library Catalog
Search for U.S. government publications received since January 1998, as well as CD-ROMs and maps published by the U.S. government.

GPO Catalog
FirstSearch database for identifying U.S. government publications distributed to libraries since 1976.

U.S. Government Online Bookstore
U.S. government publications available for sale from the Government Printing Office. Some may be available in libraries as well.

Consumer Information Center
Free and low-cost U.S. government publications on popular, consumer-oriented topics.