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Government
Depository Collection
Government
Depository Collection
What is the Depository?
The OCLL depository collection contains both federal and state documents. OCLL is a selective federal depository collection which means that we do not collect all the information available from the Government Printing Office, only that which our librarians feel would be of legal interest to this congressional district. The Library has acquired materials primarily of value in legal research, as well as agency publications and statistical and historical information.
Our library's collection also contains government information that deals with the community's concerns such as health, safety, security and the environment. For instance, the federal depository collection contains several publications by the Environmental Protection Agency on such varied topics as ozone, radiation, safe drinking water and combustible appliances. The California depository collection contains a vast array of materials -- for example, college catalogs, pictures and information on California’s missing children and suspected child abductors and DMV handbooks in multiple languages. For those interested in earthquakes, we have several documents on the subject. For those looking for a job, we have a breakdown of salaries for state positions such as firemen, librarians and clerks.
The most popular federal documents are congressional reports and hearings and Supreme Court Reports. We have a set of presidential papers that include the scripts of radio addresses, news conferences and interviews. We also have information on the Warren Commission and a CD-ROM on presidential ethics.
Our depository collection comes in a variety of formats: paper, microfiche, CD-ROM and video. Public access to the depository collection is guaranteed. There are a variety of tools for finding Government Publications in the Law Library: INNOPAC, the Library’s on-line catalog, printed catalogs of government publications, journal articles and legal research texts. Library-produced guides are also a valuable source.
You are welcome to come and see how the governments, both
federal and state, play a vital role in sustaining both our current and
archival collections. The Law Library staff will be happy to help patrons
locate materials in the Government Depository Collection. Your access to
depository documents is a part of the citizen’s "right to know," a right
that goes back to our founding fathers.