The New Jersey State Library was designated a federal depository library in 1895. We are 1 of 22 depository libraries in New Jersey, including 21 selective depository libraries and 1 regional depository library at Newark Public Library.
The Federal Depository Library Program, first authorized by Congress in 1813, provides free, ready, and permanent public access to Federal Government information, now and for future generations. The Government Publishing Office (GPO) administers the FDLP on behalf of the participating libraries and the public.
About the Collection
The State Library's US Documents collection is tailored to meet the needs of State government, with an emphasis on the Social Sciences, Legal, and Congressional materials. State Library holdings include a complete Census collection, dating back to the 1st Census of 1790, and a comprehensive collection of Congressional reports and documents. The State Library contains major holdings from the following federal agencies: Commerce, Education, Environmental Protection, Health & Human Services, Justice, and Labor.
Cataloging
All the federal documents the State Library currently receives from the Government Publishing Office (GPO) are cataloged. The majority of federal documents are published in digital format only. We provide permanent links to this digital content in our online catalog.
Earlier, pre-1976 documents that don’t appear in our catalog can be retrieved by using our subscription and free GPO databases.
Location
The majority of the State Library's US Documents collection is shelved in Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification number order on level 4 and level 1.
Legal materials like the Congressional Record, Code of Federal Regulations, United States Code, and Statutes at Large, are located in the Law Library on level 3.
