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,
The Reference Collection includes standard reference sources such as almanacs, encyclopedias, yearbooks, and directories. Titles of special interest to the Department are also collected.
The Library receives dozens of journals and newsletters, and subscribes to three daily newspapers: The New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. Recent issues of some of the most popular periodicals are shelved in the Periodicals Reading Room. Earlier issues are retained in stack areas. Most periodicals are shelved alphabetically by the title of the periodical. Earlier issues of a few journals are shelved in the book stacks by their call number.
All current periodicals and newspapers, 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:
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.
Seven other online information services may also be of interest to employees:
* HeinOnline
* Indian Claims Insight
* ProQuest Congressional Collections
* ProQuest Legislative Insight, Part B (1789-1960)
* Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Digital Library
* U.S. Congressional Serial Set
* Ebsco Online (Legal Collection)
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.
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 1926 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.
Updated October 2021