Brooklyn College is a selective depository receiving 43% of available government publications. Our collection strengths are: census materials and demographics; criminal justice information; economic information; education; geology; health and human nutrition; international/foreign relations; law (federal and state statutes); Congressional materials (hearings, bills); and Supreme Court decisions.

Our holdings of federal materials from 1976 to the present are included in the CUNY+ online catalog. You may search CUNY+ by author, title, subject or keyword. Paper indices are available for older materials. We have a variety of indices including: the Cumulative Title Index to US Public Documents, 1789-1976; Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog of US Government Publications, 1900-1971; CIS Serial Set Index;  CIS Index to Congressional publications from 1970 to date; and the US Government Periodicals Index. Inquire at the Documents Desk for assistance with these and other finding aids.

A small collection of reference materials and statistical works are kept behind the Documents Desk. The remainder of the collection is on open stacks in the Documents room. If you cannot locate the material you want, ask at the Documents Desk for help. A small portion of the collection will be stored off campus during the Library Renovation project, these materials can be retrieved upon request.

Documents come in a variety of formats including: paper, microfiche, CD-ROMS and World Wide Web pages.

Web access is available in the Documents room. Web printing is available for ten cents per page or users may download material if they wish.

Documents microfiche materials can be read and copied in the Documents room. Photocopiers for print materials are available in the room as well.

A selection of federal documents on CD-ROM is available via campus workstations. Click on the CD-ROM icon to get a menu of available titles. Other specialized discs are available at the Documents Desk for library use and many titles may be borrowed for home or office use.

Some materials in the collection may be borrowed. Non-reference paper and electronic materials may be borrowed by members of the Brooklyn College community and its affiliates if they have general library borrowing privileges. Ask at the Documents Desk about materials you wish to borrow.

We are also a New York State depository. No indexing is currently available for New York State materials. Statistical publications are kept at the Documents desk with comparable federal materials. Please ask for assistance. Other New York State materials are arranged by issuing agency and retained for five years. Distribution of New York State materials is somewhat erratic. Non-reference New York State materials may be borrowed.