About Us

Table of Contents

• Our Mission & Collection
• Lending Policies
• Computer/GIS Lab Policies
• Location, Access, & Assistance
• Staff Directory

Our Mission and Collection

The University of Maryland Libraries are part of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Established by an act of Congress (Title 44, USC), the FDLP ensures public access to information published by the Federal Government. The FDLP provides Government documents at no cost to designated depository libraries throughout the country and territories. These depository libraries, in turn, provide local, no-fee access to the information in an impartial environment with professional assistance.

The University of Maryland has been a Federal Depository Library since 1925 and became the Regional Depository for Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia in 1965. See Keeping America Informed for more on depository libraries.

Our collection of over 2 million documents, which includes legislative hearings and reports, federal regulations, census records, statistical reports, court decisions, agency publications, posters, pamphlets and more, is available in paper, microfiche and several electronic formats. We also maintain a substantial collection of indexes, abstracts and commercially produced resources designed to facilitate the search for government information.

The Map Collection is home to approximately 350,000 items,primarily from U.S. Government sources. Coverage includes all U.S. states, most U.S. territories and possessions, and some areas outside the U.S.

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Lending Policies

Most government documents may be checked out for 28 days. Patrons with current, valid University System of Maryland identification may check out materials from the Circulation Desk on the 1st Floor of McKeldin Library. Media, including CD-ROM's, DVD's and videos, may be borrowed for up to 3 days from the 1st floor Information & Research Services Desk. Requests regarding materials that do not normally circulate must be made with a government information librarian.

The general public are encouraged to use government documents in the library or request them via interlibrary loan from their home library. Special requests regarding access to the materials must be made with a government information librarian.

Other circulation policies are the same as those of the UM Libraries.

Photocopy machines and photocopy services are available.

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Computer/GIS Lab Policies

The resources in the U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services Computer lab (4114 McKeldin Library) are available to all University faculty, staff, students and the general public to support academic research and access to free Federal Government information.

To ensure fair access and appropriate use of resources, computer use is governed by the following rules:

• Patrons may use only one computer at a time.
• Patrons should be courteous of others, and may be asked to talk quietly, turn the audio down on computers, iPods etc, and/or use headphones.
• Use of these computers is at the patron's own risk. Data saved to an internal drive or the desktop is not protected, backed-up or preserved from day to day. U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services is not responsible for lost data, for assisting in the recapture of lost data, or for providing computer assistance.
• Patrons must supply and secure their own storage media (disks, CDs, flashdrives) prior to initiation of work. Be aware that the computers are not networked to any servers inside or outside the library.
• When others are waiting to do library research, patrons may be asked to leave their computers if they are engaged in activities not essential to their research, including personal e-mail, chat, and games.
• Patrons wishing to use GIS programs have priority at the GIS computers, those wishing to use U.S. Government Information microfiche/film have priority at the computer by the fiche machine, and those wishing to use U.S. Government Information CD-ROM's have priority at any other computer. Patrons engaged in other activities at those computers may be asked to relocate. If use of the GIS computers becomes heavy, a signup policy may be instituted allowing patrons to sign up for the computers in 2-hour intervals.

All use of computers in the U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services Computer Lab must conform to the Libraries' Computer Use Policy and the University's Policy on the Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources.

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Location, Access, & Assistance

The U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services collection is located on the 4th Floor of McKeldin Library at the University of Maryland in College Park. (Directions to campus.) Other collections of government documents on campus include technical reports and patents and trademarks, located in the Engineering and Physical Sciences Library.(Map of Library Locations on Campus.)

You may browse and borrow from the collection during McKeldin Library's hours. Access to the Rare and Folio collections are available by appointment. Please email govdocs[@]umd.edu to schedule an appointment. For access to the Media collection (including CD-ROM's), please ask at the Information Desk on the 1st floor of McKeldin Library.

For reference assistance, please ask at the Information Desk on the 1st floor.

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Staff Directory

*Note: To email a member of our staff add "@umd.edu" to the e-mail name.

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