Skip to main content
Library

Government Documents

Mississippi College School of Law Library has been a selective depository for U.S. Government Documents since 1976. The collection is available to both the University community and the general public. As a selective depository, the library holdings consist of about 11 percent of law related government documents in a variety of print, microform, and electronic formats.  Items listed in the Federal Depository Library Program that are not available online, can be obtained through interlibrary loan. Additional resources can be found at the University of Mississippi Libraries which serves as the Regional Depository and in the Federal Depository Library Program Handbook. 

In accordance with the mandate to facilitate free public access to all government documents in the library, a government documents staff member is on duty Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. to assist anyone in obtaining the requested document material. Anyone wishing to access government documents after 4:30 p.m. or on the weekends should make prior arrangements by contacting the library at 601-925-7120.

REFERENCE SERVICE

Government documents can be found by:

  • Consulting MICAL, the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) of the Law School library, searching by author, title, or subject
  • Searching the Monthly Catalog, paper index printed by the Government Printing Office, by author, title, subject or SuDoc number
  • Utilizing online Government Document indexes

Once the item is found in the OPAC, the location indicator will direct the patron to the Government Documents Section of the library, the microform area, or the main collection, or to connect via URL to the document. All Government Documents, whether print, microform, or electronic format, in the library collection are cataloged. When classified according to the Library of Congress Classification System, LC, the item is an integral part of the main collection. If the SuDoc number (see sample below) represents the classification, the item can be found in the Government Document section of the library.

  • C = Department of Commerce (government department or agency)
  • C 3. = Census Bureau (the agency or subordinate office)
  • C 3.2: = General Publications (series, serial title, or category of publication)Letters and numbers up to the colon = class stem
  • C 3.2:C 24/9 (letters and numbers after the colon = the individual publication)

CIRCULATION POLICY

All documents in the library are available for public use. Patrons with library cards may check out items at the circulation desk. Requests by other libraries to borrow Government documents  will be filled by the interlibrary loan. According to standard library practices, microforms, multi-volume sets, CD-ROM or DVDs, do not circulate without special permission from the library director.

ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

In order to provide the latest access points to its patrons, the law library strives to catalog all the electronic titles in its collection and provide links to sources not necessarily selected by the law library. The online catalog lists document titles in various forms,  including microfiche, paper, and electronic resources. Thus one title may be represented through two or more formats.

INTERNET USE

Patrons wishing to access government information from the Internet are welcome to use any of the public workstations in the Library. Printers are available as well. The Law School Library supports and adheres to the Federal Depository Library Program.

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS, GENERALLY

Mississippi College School of Law Home

151 James H. Meredith Drive
Jackson, MS 39201
601.925.7100