State Documents At Your Fingertips
Did you ever wonder...
- What is the best way to attract butterflies to my garden?
- Where can I find a homeless shelter in Bastrop?
- Who holds the all-time Louisiana bow hunting record for the biggest white-tail deer?
- How many barrels of crude oil were produced in Louisiana in 2014—and how does that compare with prior years?
- What did my cousin Mike look like when he was in college?
The answers to all these (and many more) questions may be found in official State of Louisiana government documents in depository libraries.
Documents are a crucial free source of useful (and sometimes fun!) information for the public. They also serve to keep government transparent and the public informed as to what their tax dollars are being used to accomplish.
The Louisiana Public Document Depository Program (PDDP) was created in 1948 to guarantee the public’s access to official state publications as a basic right of citizenship. State agencies and academic institutions send copies of their publications to the Recorder of Documents, located within the State Library, for distribution to depository libraries throughout the state. Libraries participating in the depository program include Louisiana academic, public, and special libraries and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The PDDP also receives electronic documents from state agencies, which are stored within the Louisiana Digital Library. You can access these documents for free from anywhere that has an internet connection! If you’re interested, go to http://louisianadigitallibrary.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p267101coll4 and see what you can find!
Depository libraries serve the public every day by providing free access to a wealth of information. It’s an amazing amount of information FREE to everyone!