Government Documents

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Library has been a member of the Federal Depository Library Program since 1966 and serves the 16th Congressional District of Texas. The UTEP Library selects 66% of the government documents that are available through the Depository Program. Government materials from GPO come in a variety of formats (paper, microfiche, microfilm, CD-ROM, DVD, video) and all formats are represented in the collection. In addition to Federal Documents, the UTEP Library receives state documents from the Texas State Depository and local documents as well.

The Federal Government Documents collection is located on the first floor of the library building. The materials are shelved according to the Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) numbering system. Historical materials in the United States Serial Set dated before 1900 are restricted use and may be requested through the Special Collection Department on the sixth floor. Texas State Documents are shelved after the Federal Documents in the Southern end of the first floor.

Located along the border with Mexico, the UTEP Library has a distinct advantage when it comes to collecting unique materials of the area. The collection contains Mexican and U.S. gazetteers, and is home to the INEGI Collection – a collection of over 3500 items of statistical and cartographic information on Mexico (in Spanish). The map collection at the library numbers over 200,000 items and contains U.S. and World topographic, geological, meteorological, demographic, and aerial maps. The Map Collection and Law are housed in the Southeast section of the third floor, next to Library Administration. You may ask for assistance in using these collections at the Research/Instruction Desk.

Much, though not all, of the government document collection can be found in the Classic Catalog, and is available for check out by students, faculty, and staff of the University. The collection is open to the public and may be photocopied.  The items that do not circulate can be copied for $.10 a page at any of the library copy machines. Copies of Government materials found in the databases and through government agency websites can be downloaded. Researchers or interested persons outside of the University may also obtain documents or copies through their local library’s Interlibrary Loan Department.

To search exclusively for Government Documents in the Library Catalog you may perform a keyword search and modify the results to “Location:  Government Documents.” You may also search by author using the government agency or use a title search if you know the exact title.

Charles Gaunce
Head, Government Documents and Maps
Subject Specialist: Government Documents, Maps & Atlases, and Law
E: cgaunce@utep.edu
P: (915) 747-8939