Interior Library Collections

General Collection

The general collection includes publications produced by bureaus and offices of the Department of the Interior, as well as reports of research and projects funded by the Department. The Library receives many reports each year from other agencies of the U.S. Federal government as a selective Federal Documents Depository Library.

The Interior Library acquires books and journals on such subjects as,

  • Public Lands
  • National Parks and Historic Sites
  • Native Americans
  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Environmental Protection
  • Fisheries
  • Water Resources Management
  • Historic Preservation
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Energy Sources
  • Offshore Oil and Gas Development
  • United States History
  • Forest and Range Management
  • Government, Public Policy, and Public Administration
  • Endangered Species
  • Mining
  • Earth Sciences
  • Natural Resources Management

Reference Collection 

The Reference Collection includes standard reference sources such as almanacs, encyclopedias, yearbooks, and directories. Titles of special interest to the Department are also collected.


Periodicals

Recent issues of periodicals are shelved in the Periodicals Reading Room. Earlier issues are retained in stack areas. 

All current periodicals and most others are listed in the online catalog. A summary of holdings for some periodicals is shown in the catalog listing for that periodical. Consult a Reference Librarian to discover the Library's exact holdings of other titles.

Recent issues of these periodicals are located in the Reading Room:

  • American Indian Culture and Research Journal
  • American Scientist
  • Conservation Biology
  • Consumer Reports
  • CQ: Congressional Quarterly
  • High Country News
  • National Geographic
  • Nature
  • New Scientist
  • Science
  • Science News Magazine
  • Scientific American
  • Time
  • Federal Register
  • Congressional Record


Law Collection

The Law Collection contains United States Reports, Federal and regional reporters, selected state, territorial, and tribal codes, and legal treaties. There are also Departmental legal and administrative materials and law reference sources. Subject specialties include environmental law, public lands and land use, law relating to American Indian tribes, and administrative law.

Six other online information services may also be of interest to employees:

* Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law Digital Library
* HeinOnline
* Indian Claims Insight
* ProQuest Congressional Collections
* ProQuest Legislative Insight, Part B (1789-1960)
* U.S. Congressional Serial Set
 

Department of the Interior employees are offered access to these databases at their desktops; employees who are teleworking may access them through the Department's VPN. Others must contact a Reference Librarian for assistance.

Rare Book Collection

The Rare Book Collection includes titles published in the 19th century and earlier, on subjects such as the Department of the Interior, Native Americans, American history, and natural history. The location "Rare Books" is shown in the library's online catalog for these titles. Many of the titles in the Rare Book Collection published prior to 1927 are also available on the Internet, and to the extent possible, the library staff has noted their availability and provided links to the full text. To use a physical copy of a rare book in the library, please see a Reference Librarian.

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