Organization of the Government Documents Collection

Federal Documents

Located in the 14^th Congressional District of Ohio, the Hiram College Library has been a selective depository for United States government publications since 1874, and a participant in the Federal Depository Library Program of the U.S. Government Printing Office. By participating in this program, the Hiram College Library agrees to house, maintain, and provide access to federal government information to the public.

Organization:

The documents collection is divided into separate sections based upon both format and date of publication. Post-1970 paper publications are found on the main floor of the Library, in the southwest corner. Pre-1970 paper publications are housed on the 3rd floor, north side, adjacent to the book collection designated 900s. In both cases, documents are organized according the the Superintendent of Documents Classification System.

Electronic Documents:

Online government publications are accessible through the Library's catalog. Increasingly, government information is available only in this format.

Microfiche:

Microfiche documents (designated Documents Fiche in the catalog) are housed in the Microforms Room, on the south side of the main floor. Reader-printers are adjacent to the cabinets for your convenience.

Maps:

Maps that are larger than shelf size are found in the Map Case on the south side of the main floor. They include USGS 7 1/2 minute topographic maps, 1:100,000 scale maps of the U.S., National Ocean Service nautical charts of the Great Lakes, and CIA maps of countries and regions of the world.

CD-ROMs/DVDs:

CD-ROMs and DVDs containing statistical, map, and other data are shelved at the beginning of the Government Documents area on the main floor.

State of Ohio Documents

The Hiram College Library is also a depository for State of Ohio documents, and has been since the 1960s. By participating in this program, the Hiram College Library agrees to house, maintain, and provide access to state government information to the public.

Organization:

The Ohio documents collection is organized by a system similar to the federal SuDoc system, in which publications are organized by agency and series. Each agency and series receives a separate letter/number designation (OED: Ohio Dept. of Ecuation; OED 1.1: Annual Report). All Ohio publications are housed on the 3rd floor of the Library, on the north side, with the exception of CD-ROMs, which are shelved with the federal CD-ROM collection.