Electronic U. S. Government documents listed in the library catalog are free to all. Each document will have a Permanent URL (PURL) with access to the entire text.

Electronic Arkansas Government documents listed in the library catalog are free to all.

The Ross Pendergraft Library offers electronic access to all library patrons. A user ID and password are required of all persons who use the computers in the Library. Non-campus users may obtain a library card, username, and password at no charge. Children under the age of 18 are required to obtain their parents’ signature to apply for a library card.
Government documents are available in electronic, print, microfilm, microfiche, and CD-ROM. All materials are locatable through Find it! on the library’s website.
CD-ROMs and Microfiche Government Documents are both located on the second floor near the compact shelving. CD-ROMs can be viewed in the Media Lab on the 2nd floor. Microfiche and microfilm can be viewed in room RPL 129 on the first floor.

Arkansas Government Documents are located in the first compact shelving unit on the 2nd floor. They are arranged using the Dewey Decimal System.
U. S. Government Documents are located in compact shelving on the 2nd floor. They are arranged by the U.S. Sudoc Classification System. For more information, look at the U.S. Government Information Libguide.

The Federal and State documents collection are located on the second floor of the Library in the compact shelving area. The Federal documents are arranged by Superintendent of Documents classification and State documents are arranged currently by Dewey classification.

Federal and State documents have the same access as other Library materials. All federal and state documents circulate, except those that are periodicals or Reference materials. There are some documents that contain statistical information: United States Reports and Statutes at Large. These are not housed in the Reference Collection, and they do not circulate.

Ross Pendergraft Library has been a selective depository for U.S. documents since 1925. It is a selective State of Arkansas depository, as well. The primary mission of the federal documents collection is to support the curriculum of the University and the needs of the surrounding community, which supports industry, agriculture and tourism. Some university departments that we try to support with documents include: Education, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation, Nursing and Emergency Management, for example. The depository program meets the requirements defined in the Federal Depository Manual and Instructions to Depository Libraries. The U.S. documents collection strives to serve the government information needs of the constituents of the 3rd Congressional District.

The Documents Librarian is responsible for making recommendations regarding the replacement of lost, damaged, missing, or worn-out monographs. The Documents Librarian will determine whether to replace a specific item or purchase the item, and may consider the following:

Does the material being replaced meet the general Library collection policy?

Does the frequency of use justify replacement?

Is the material out of date?

Is the material superseded?

Document monographs are bound on an “as needed” basis. Document periodicals are bound on the same basis as other Library periodicals.

The Ross Pendergraft Library & Technology Center offers reference service to all patrons. Reference services are available on the first floor of the Library. It is available most of the hours that the Library is open. If the person on the desk is not able to answer a question about documents, the Documents Librarian or Documents Assistant is called for further assistance.

The reference staff can help patrons use the Library catalog to find document materials and where they are located in the Library. If the patron needs microfiche documents, the staff can help them find the document and help them to use the microfiche/microfilm reader/printers.

Most document materials circulate, with the exception of materials shelved in the Reference and Periodical areas of the Library. The Library does not circulate any of their periodicals, except to Faculty. Some documents shelved within the regular documents collection, such as United States Reports, the Statutes at Large, and some statistical materials do not circulate. They are considered reference materials, but just not shelved in the main Library Reference area.

Non-university patrons must obtain a Library card to check-out Library materials. There is no charge for a Library card. Persons under the age of 18 must provide a parents signature in order to acquire a Library card.