Federal Library Depository Program
SUBJECT AREAS & COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Subject Areas
Federal government publications received via the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) are used by social scientists, historians, engineers, and scientists across the Cornell library system. For many years, three libraries on campus – Law, Mann and Olin — functioned as selective depositories within the FDLP, receiving a selection of government publications from all three branches of the US government, including many agency documents. In 2025, the Mann Library depository collection merged with the Olin Library depository collection under a single FDLP designation.
The Library Annex also houses an archival set of Readex microform that includes non-depository items from 1953-2007 and depository items from 1956-2008.
Collection Arrangement
Government documents at Cornell are integrated with the main collections under the Library of Congress Classification System.
Formats
In 2024, the Federal Depository Library Program moved to a digital-first model and Olin Library became an all-digital depository. There is a record for every FDLP publication we have in our collections, whether the item is available electronically or in a tangible format.
Resource Sharing
The depository at Olin Library shares the benefits of resource sharing arrangements in place for the entire Cornell University Library. Our interlibrary loan system in New York State relies heavily on the resources of the New York State Library, our Regional Library for federal documents. We are also a member of the Center for Research Libraries through which patrons may borrow lesser-used materials purchased for member use.
Access
Online documents appear as entries in the Cornell Library’s public catalog, and are available at all times. Documents in all formats are cataloged with bibliographic and holdings information. The online catalog is available to users both on site during regular library hours and remotely, both on and off campus at all hours.
Tangible documents (books, maps and CDROMs*) are freely accessible to members of the public during library hours. Many of the tangible depository items are now housed in the Library Annex and may be requested via an online form and viewed at the Annex, with easy bus and parking access, or delivered to any library on campus. In addition, documents may be requested via Interlibrary Loan to any of the public libraries in the area. Professional librarians and trained reference assistants with knowledge of government documents and the skills to find them are available at regularly scheduled hours throughout the day and evening. In addition, the library provides remote reference assistance through e-mail, online chat, and postal mail.
In addition to both historical and current document indexes and abstracts, the library catalog includes records for commercial indexes which include or are exclusively devoted to government documents. Use of these commercial sources is available on-site to all visiting researchers.
*Please note: Older CDROMS may be incompatible with newer computer operating systems.