WHAT do we have?
Our Federal Documents collection has been carefully selected with our patrons' interest in mind. We select items which are Maine related -- such as items relating to forestry, fishing and marine environment, Census materials, weather, health and fitness, business and economics, for example.
Our State Documents collection consists of all
items published for public distribution by state agencies. These items
range from Departmental newsletters and annual reports to Legislative publications,
the State budget, business and economic statistics, to name a few.
WHERE are we located?
The Maine State Library Documents Office is located on the main floor of the Library, that is, one flight down from the lobby.
HOW do I access the Government Documents Collection?
Many of the Federal Documents in our collection are cataloged and are accessible through our on-line public catalog, URSUS. All of our State Documents are cataloged and are available through URSUS. Our reference librarians (located at the double desks at the foot of the staircase) are ready, willing and able to assist you in locating government documents and government information. Since the Government Documents Office is a closed stacks area, there is no browsing available except through the catalog. Please ask the Reference Librarian on duty for assistance.
All documents, unless marked LIBRARY USE ONLY,
are available for loan, just as is any book.
WHEN are these items available?
The Documents Office is open and its collection
is accessible during the normal working hours of the Maine State Library.
Currently, those hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, and Saturday
12 noon to 5 pm.
If you have any questions regarding government
documents, please feel free to call the Documents Office any time between
9 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday at the telephone number listed below.
On Saturdays during the school year, assistance is only available through
the Reference Desk.
Some of our most popular items:
Maine Revised Statutes Annotated, Title I, section
501A requires all state agencies to deposit 18 copies of their publications
with the Maine State Library. We act as the central depository in a multi-library
State Document Depository Program. As such, we are responsible for distributing
those 18 copies in the following manner.
We at the Documents Office keep 3 copies of these
publications. One copy is kept as an archival copy and does not circulate.
The other two are made available for the public to borrow, just as any
other book. The other 15 copies are distributed to, and are available for
use/loan at the other libraries in the State Documents Depository Library
Program. Those libraries are:
JUST WHAT ARE STATE DOCUMENTS, AND WHY WOULD I WANT TO USE THEM?
State Documents encompass a wide variety of subjects. Some of our most popular items are State and County Census figures, both population and economic, put out by the Division of Labor Market Information Services; the Maine State Government Annual Report, done by the Bureau of the Budget; the State of Maine Budget Document, done by the Governor's Office, just to name a few.
We also have legislative documents, generated by each of the Legislative sessions' committees and hearings. We have historical records, useful for genealogical research, in the Maine Adjutant General's Reports.
This is just a brief sampling of what is available. We urge you to come in and check us out!
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Documents Office
Maine State Library
64 Statehouse Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0064
(207)287-5600