The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was established by Congress in 1813 to ensure that the American public has access to its Government's information. R.M. Cooper Library was designated as a Federal Depository Library in 1893, and as such we receive shipments from the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) of print, microfiche, and electronic titles that are produced by federal agencies. We serve the 3rd U.S. Congressional District as well as Clemson University.

There are 20 FDLPs throughout the state of South Carolina. Our library has additional responsibilities, shared with USC's Thomas Cooper Library, as one of 53 Regional Depository Libraries. We cooperate with USC to ensure that at least one copy of every distributed document is permanently retained.

The federal government in begining to distribute most of its information in electronic formats. Consult this link for a page that provides access to Electronic Federal Documents by subject, agency, or branch of government.

To locate specific government publications, you can search the online library catalog to find many of the federal publications the library has in print, microfiche, or electronic formats. In addition, we provide access to an online Government Publications Index called MarciveWeb DOCS, which lists all titles distributed by the FDLP from 1976 - date. Check the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications (Cooper Library REF Z1223 .A18) for materials from before that time. Nearly all federal documents can be checked out.

The collection is housed on the 3rd floor, arranged by Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) classification number. For assistance locating government publications, please contact Jan Comfort, Government Document Reference Librarian (864) 656-5168 or come by the Documents Office on the 3rd floor of Cooper Library. Assistance is also available at the Reference Desk on the 4th floor.