Government Publications Department

215-686-5330 Call our helpline or Contact Us.
1901 Vine Street, Room 201
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Open today 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, 10/5 Closed
Monday, 10/6 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, 10/7 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, 10/8 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, 10/9 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday, 10/10 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. *
Saturday, 10/11 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • * Friday has hour changes – preparation for the Indigenous Peoples' Day
Sunday Closed
Monday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Upcoming Closures

  • Mon., Oct. 13 : Closed Indigenous Peoples' Day
  • Tue., Nov. 11 : Closed Veterans Day
  • Thu., Nov. 27 : Closed Thanksgiving Day
  • Fri., Nov. 28 : Closed Thanksgiving Friday
View all holiday closings
Government Publications Department
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Services

Facilities

  • Book drop box
  • Computers for public use
  • Electrical outlets available
  • Handicapped accessible
  • Photocopier (black/white)
  • Printing (black/white)
  • Scanner
  • Self-service checkout
  • Wireless internet access (wi/fi)

About

One of the oldest collections of public documents in the Delaware Valley, Government Publications includes pamphlets, atlases, photographs, and fine art prints from the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the federal government, regional agencies, and organizations reflecting upon the development of our nation and the history of our tri-state region.

Planning Your Research Visit

Government Publications within Special Collections

Selections of the Government Publications holdings are part of the Special Collections Division. These materials are accessible by appointment. All materials in the collection are non-circulating. To learn more about these holdings, visit staff at our second floor service point located within the Print and Picture Collection. 

The majority of our physical holdings are stored at our offsite annex, the Regional Operations Center, and would need to be requested in advance for research use. All questions and inquiries about our holdings can be made via email at erefGPD@freelibrary.org, or phone (215) 686-5330. Inquiries about our holdings can also be directed to our Ask a Librarian form. 

We welcome scheduled visits from school groups, college and university classes, and community organizations that can be tailored to meet particular subject interests and research needs. Educators are invited to contact us in advance, so materials can be gathered for presentation. To schedule a group or class visit, please email erefGPD@freelibrary.org or contact us via our Ask a Librarian form. 

Government Information Services within the Social Science and History Department

The staff of the Social Science and History Department provide reference assistance with research and instruction across the social sciences. The government information librarians assist individuals, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and other community groups in need of access to public information related to consumer and tax information, census and other economic, market, and statistical research, passport and travel guidance, citizenship, as well as law, copyright, and legislative history reference services. Questions and inquiries about our information services can be directed to erefSSH@freelibrary.org or our Ask a Librarian form.

Collections

The Free Library of Philadelphia is a selective depository library for U.S. Government publications as a participant of the Federal Depository Library Program. The library has been serving as a congressionally designated depository for U.S. government documents since 1897. We are also a designated depository for publications produced by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as the City of Philadelphia.

Government Publication Special Collections

Philadelphia Collection

This collection is maintained by our Special Collections Division. Holdings are accessible by appointment. In the catalog, these items can be identified with call numbers beginning with "Gov Pub Cities."

According to §21-901A of the Philadelphia Code, the Free Library is tasked to collect and maintain formal reports and publications of "any office, department, board or commission of the City, including City Council and the Mayor, and any public authority or non-profit corporation supported in whole or in part from the City Treasury." The Philadelphia Collection spans the breadth of our city's history in primary source materials dating back to the eighteenth century, including early legal digests, annual and other specialty reports and studies, budgets, maps, plans, press releases, photographs and other ephemera. 

Born-digital city government publications are collected and archived for permanent public access through the web-archiving service, Archive-It. 

Pennsylvania Collection

The Pennsylvania government holdings date back to the colonial era and include subjects relating to the constitutional and legislative history of the Commonwealth, its military history, corporate and financial history, natural history, geology, and agriculture, public health, education, transportation, as well as specialty reports related to Pennsylvania’s participation in state and international fairs. 

These publications, including those produced through the mid-twentieth century, are maintained by the Special Collections Division and are accessible by appointment.  In the catalog, these items can be identified with call numbers beginning with "Gov Pub States."

Interstate Collection

Maintained by the Special Collections Division, the Interstate Collection includes reports and studies pertaining to regional planning commissions, including the Delaware Bridge Joint Commission of the States of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the Delaware River Port Authority, and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. Reports and plans are accessible by appointment.  In the catalog, these items can be identified with call numbers beginning with "Gov Pub I-States."

Societies Collection

Maintained by the Special Collections Division, the Societies Collection consists of reports and studies conducted by research bureaus, organizations, nonprofits, and NGOs about government operations at the city, state and federal level. Also included within the collection are pamphlets related to suffrage and antisuffrage movements of the 19th and early 20th century. Materials from this collection are accessible by appointment.  In the catalog, these items can be identified with call numbers beginning with "Gov Pub Soc."

Federal Collection

While we have been a depository library since 1897, some of our holdings predate this formal designation. The federal collection includes public documents from all three branches of government. With holdings dating back to the revolutionary era and early Continental Congress, the collection represents important primary source materials and includes publications produced by agencies no longer in existence, as well as declassified documents. Print holdings include reports, pamphlets, atlases, maps, plans, photographs, posters, and fine art prints.

Collection holdings pre-dating 1976 are maintained by the Special Collections Division and are accessible by appointment.

Government Information Services within the Social Science and History Department

The staff of the Social Science and History Department can provide assistance with reference questions pertaining to law and legislative history, census and other statistical research, consumer and tax information, copyright, and citizenship. 

Government Information and Legal Reference Collection

The Social Science and History Department houses law materials, including a circulating collection of books on popular legal topics, such as divorce, wills, real estate, contract, and business law. This collection includes the United States Code Annotated (USCA), Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statutes, the Pennsylvania Code, and various court rules. The collection also includes the United States Reports (the decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court) from 1754, portions of the Federal Reporter 2nd and 3rd, as well as historic case law for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from the 19th century and the Pennsylvania Reporter 2d.

Databases

The Free Library offers access to a broad selection of databases that support government research.

  • American State Papers 1789-1838 - This is a source of primary material on many aspects of early American history.
  • Archive-It - This is a web archiving service that collects and stores the websites of Philadelphia government agencies and selected cultural institutions. You can search or browse the collection to view these sites as they existed in months or years past.
  • Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government - This guide is designed to inform students, parents and educators about the Federal Government.
  • Declassified Documents Reference System - Declassified U.S. Government documents are available to view here
  • Coronavirus Research Database - This ProQuest resource curates openly available content related to coronaviruses. It includes thousands of open-access articles from the world’s leading publishers as well as current research from pre-print repositories such as arXiv and will continue to grow and evolve as more is learned about the pandemic.
  • Education Research Index - This ProQuest index provides access to ERIC’s index and the Supplemental Education Index combined. Coverage dates back to 1966.
  • ERIC - Institute of Education Science - Sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences, this bibliographic and full-text database assists researchers in locating education research and information. 
  • Gale Legal Forms - This Gale resource provides access to customizable legal documents. 
  • Govinfo.gov - The Government Publishing Office provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
  • Gun Regulation and Legislation in America - This HeinOnline collection brings together periodicals, legislative histories and government documents on gun regulation with bibliographies and external resource recommendations.
  • HathiTrust U.S. Federal Documents Collection  - HathiTrust's government documents program expands and enhances digital access to U.S. federal publications including those issued by GPO and other federal agencies.
  • HeritageQuest Online - This is an expanding collection of research materials to help you trace your family lineage, including United States population census records.
  • Healthcare.gov - This is the official guide to U.S. health care, health insurance and the Affordable Care Act.
  • LearningExpress Library - Find practice tests and preparation study materials for academic and professional tests including the LSAT
  • Medlineplus.gov - This National Library of Medicine service provides health information for the public.
  • PennDOT Driver Services
  • Peterson’s Test Prep - This test preparatory resource offers exam preparation for LSAT and citizenship.
  • Serial Set Maps 1817-1994 - More than 70,000 maps in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set include great atlases, small individual maps, triangulation surveys, weekly weather maps and more.
  • Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture and Law - This HeinOnline collection brings together legal materials on slavery in the U.S. and the English-speaking world. It includes nearly 2,000 titles with every statute and case on slavery, as well as hundreds of historic texts and modern histories.
  • U.S. Citizenship Test Prep - Find information about the U.S. Citizenship test, as well as study materials and practice tests.
  • U.S. Congressional Serial Set (1817-1980) - Full-text reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are available here.

Lib Guides

  • Free Case Law - The Law Library of Congress introduces free case law resources available online.
  • Pennsylvania Legal Research 101 - Created by the Greater Philadelphia Law Library Association, this handbook provides a basic overview of law in Pennsylvania—what the law is, how it's made and where to find it.