Since 1813, select U.S. Government documents have been made available throughout the United States and its territories to designated libraries. These designated libraries are called Federal depository libraries.
As members of the FDLP, depository libraries play a prominent role in providing Federal Government information to the public. FDLP libraries collaborate on a local and national level to provide informed access to both historical and current Federal Government resources distributed through the FDLP and deposited in libraries across the country.
Anyone can visit Federal depository libraries and use the Federal depository collections which are filled with information on careers, business opportunities, consumer information, health and nutrition, legal and regulatory information, demographics, and numerous other subjects.
To identify a library near you, please see the Federal Depository Library Directory.
The authority for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and the legal obligations of designated Federal depository libraries are found in 44 United States Code §§1901‐1916.
Prescott Memorial Library has over 2.6 million documents published by the federal government. Louisiana Tech University has been participating in the Federal Depository Library Program since 1896. Among the oldest depositories in the nation, in 1964 the Library was designated by Congress as one of 47 regional depositories in the United States.
The Library is open to the public and welcomes usage of its extensive federal government document collections. Most of the documents circulate to any person with a valid Louisiana Tech ID, a LOUIS consortium Reciprocal Borrowing Library Card, or a Prescott Library Courtesy Card.