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As one of
25 Federal Depository Libraries in Georgia, Dalton State
College’s Derrell C. Roberts Library has a large share of
documents under its roof – more than 100,000 to be exact.
But today, nearly 30 years after Congressman Ed Jenkins
designated the College as a Federal Depository Library, more and
more of those documents are available online, librarians say.
“The purpose of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is
to ensure that the American public has access to its
government’s information,” says Assistant Librarian Barbara
Jones. “Most of the documents are electronic now, and the
Library’s homepage on the College’s website gives access to the
electronic links, thousands of them.” |
Constance Morris takes advantage of the College’s
collection of federal documents as she pores over
criminal justice statistics in the Derrell C. Roberts
Library. |
For those who still prefer paper documents, the library’s first
floor collection is available for patrons to peruse whenever the
doors of the library are open.
Constance Morris, a Dalton State alum who is pursuing a B.S. in
Criminal Justice from Kennesaw State University, works in the
Roberts Library circulation department and plans to search
through the paper documents to find statistics on crime for a
project she’s been assigned.>
“The Roberts Library has a wonderful selection of Government
Documents that aid Criminal Justice majors in their research
endeavors,” Morris says.
“The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics is but one of
such documents. But my favorite is the Law Enforcement Bulletin,
since it gives the readers the most current news about local,
state, and federal law enforcement.”
The Roberts Library houses documents from various federal
agencies and sub-agencies including the Departments of
Agriculture, Defense, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and
Human Services, the Interior, Justice, State and Treasury, as
well as the Executive Office of the President, Congress, Census
Bureau, and the Library of Congress.
Documents like “United States Reports: Cases Adjudged in the
Supreme Court” are of interest to many patrons, says Jones, as
are CPI reports, Federal Regulation Codes and others.
“It’s important for people to know that they can view whatever
they want to, that none of these government documents can be
barred from public view,” Jones says. “Since 1813, the FDLP has
been safeguarding the public’s right to know by collecting,
organizing, maintaining, preserving, and assisting users with
information from the Federal Government.”
The Roberts Library and the library at North Georgia College and
State University are the only federal depositories in the 9th
Congressional District, Jones says.
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