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Government Documents Collection - Law Library

University of Akron Law Library's Government Documents Collection

The University of Akron School of Law 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)

The University of Akron School of Law Library is located in the Eleventh Congressional District and is one of nearly 1400 Federal Depository libraries in the United States. Documents are freely available to the public and there are no copyright restrictions for government publications. It is the policy of the Law Library to comply with law governing depository libraries (Title 44, Chapter 19 of the United States Code).

Federal documents in print, microform, and CD-ROM formats are shelved by SuDoc numbers, and can be accessed on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Law Library within the McDowell Building.

For microforms: Reader/printers with scanning capabilities for materials on microfiche and microfilm are on the 3rd floor where the microform collection in also located.

For electronic materials: All electronic resources are available through our online catalog. Two public computer stations are available near the circulation desk for internet access. After searching for a resource, click the hyperlink in the record for the resource and it should immediately open the electronic document on your computer. Please contact the Reference Desk or the Government Documents Librarian if you are unable to connect to a resource via PURL.

Reference assistance is available during the academic year from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and during the Summer from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Reference librarians help patrons identify and access documents and information available locally or elsewhere, if necessary.

Accessing Government Documents

Accessing Government Documents

The Law Library government document collection is available during library hours.  Patrons are expected to follow the University of Akron Libraries' Acceptable Behavior Policy.

Some government documents are held in a storage facility at the NE Regional Depository in Rootstown, OH. To obtain these materials, click on "Request" from the item record in our online library catalog and enter your UANet ID and password. The Reference librarians can also request this material on your behalf.

Bierce Library at the University of Akron also serves as a Federal Depository Library and their collection is included in our library catalog. Contact Bierce Library with questions about materials in the Bierce Library collection.

Online Government Document Sources

Finding Government Documents, in a nutshell

  • Search GovInfo which contains official information from each branch of government. If it's not available online, look for it in the UA Libraries Catalog.
  • Often times information is published directly by agencies and departments.  USA.gov can connect you to them.
  • Search a catalog of government publications via the Monthly Catalog 
  • Many Ohio government entities have documents on their websites.  There are Cumulative Lists of documents deposited with the State Library of Ohio, going back to 2001.
  • For foreign government information:

Online Government Documents Finding Aids

Government Information on Grant Opportunities

Items Removed from the Federal Web

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