The University of South Alabama (USA) Libraries have been a Federal Depository since 1968.
The USA Marx Library’s government documents collections have over 325,000 items, with most of them obtained through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Materials include books, periodicals, maps, CDs/DVDs, and other formats, including microfiche or microfilm and AV materials. All collections are available in open stacks on 2nd Floor South of the Library. They are shelved in call number order using the Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) Classification Scheme. Since 2000, all materials acquired through depository or from outside sources are included in the SOUTHcat catalog. Many of the materials prior to 2000 are also included in the catalog with more being added as time permits.
The more recent materials from the last twenty years through the depository program come as electronic/digital materials with links to the documents available through SOUTHcat.
The overall documents collection is particularly strong in materials from the following agencies or departments: Census, Defense, Education, Health & Human Services, and Justice. There is also a strong emphasis on materials relating to the Gulf of Mexico and the southeast region of the United States.
The emphasis of the collection is on Alabama and surrounding states (FL, GA, MS, TN), as well as additional states along the Gulf of Mexico (LA, TX). We collect primarily topographic, hydrographic and national forests/parks maps for this region. We have an almost complete collection of soil survey maps from the USDA for the state of Alabama, as well as a complete collection of topographic maps of the state from the USGS. To round out the collection, we also collect current maps for the United States, foreign countries, and the world.
A majority of the maps are found in the map cabinets in the southwest corner of the department near the south entrance of the library. The small CIA country maps are housed in the vertical file nearby, while the folded maps from the U.S. Forest Service (A 13), U.S. National Park Service (I 29) and U.S. Geological Survey (I 19) are housed on the documents bookshelves.
In addition to federal documents, the department has a small collection of Alabama documents. Since the State of Alabama does not have a depository program for their publications, the scope and depth is limited but all materials are available through the library’s catalog.
Most of the materials in the Documents Collection are available for check-out. You will need to present a valid borrower’s card at the Circulation Desk on the first floor of the library to check materials out of the library. For USA students, this is your USA picture ID (Jag card). For USA Faculty and Staff, this is your USA employee ID card. Community members may receive a special permit, at no cost, to check government publications only (Limit of ten items at a time). A photo ID is required to receive this permit.
