FAQ

According to the Federal Library Depository Act of 1962, a government document is defined as “informational matter which is published as an individual document at government expense, or as required by law” (44 U.S.C. § 1901)

In general, most publications issued by government agencies are considered government documents. These publications may be produced in a variety of formats, including printed paper, microfiche, and audiovisual materials. In recent years, government information resources have been expanded to include computerized formats such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and Internet sites.

Many government documents at UNT may be checked out at the Circulation Desk on the First Floor of Willis Library by presenting a current I.D. card that is honored by the UNT Libraries. See the Circulation Policies of the UNT Libraries for information about loan periods, checkout limits, renewals, fines, and replacement charges for lost or damaged materials.

If you are not a UNT student, you may be eligible to apply for a UNT Libraries Courtesy Card, which may also be used to check out government documents.

Some documents are “non-circulating,” which means they must be used in the library building, and may not be checked out. Exceptions to this rule are made in special cases, such as student class presentations or faculty research. Please call our Service Desk at (940) 565-2870 for more information about “non-circulating” check-outs.

Our Hours Web page provides detailed information about when the Government Documents Service Desk is open.

The Services and Policies page explains what services and materials are available during our Service Desk hours, and what materials are available during Willis Library hours.

The staff of the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department can provide you with the following:

• strategies and sources for finding information on a specific topic
  
• information about indexes, online databases, and other research tools
  
• information about the Libraries' holdings

We cannot provide legal, medical, business, or tax advice, nor do we provide statistical data; but we can direct you to the appropriate sources of such information.

Personal assistance with government documents and legal materials is available during Government Documents Service Desk hours. Our Service Desk is located on the Third Floor of Willis Library.

If you need in-depth reference assistance, you may call (940) 565-2870 to schedule a reference appointment with one of the members of our staff.

We also provide an electronic reference service on our Web site. This service is designed to provide electronically the type of assistance you might otherwise obtain in person or by phone at the Government Documents Service Desk. Use the service by following the instructions on our Virtual Reference E-Mail Form.

Yes, in most cases. As a U.S. federal and Texas state depository library, we provide reference assistance to the UNT and Denton communities and to the general public.

All government publications are available for use in the library building. A picture I.D. (e.g., a driver license or passport) may be required to photocopy certain reserve materials.

Some electronic materials are restricted to UNT students and faculty. Others may need to be installed on our computers before use. We recommend that you call our Service Desk at (940) 565-2870 at least 24 hours in advance to find out if the electronic materials you need are available for use.

For information about library courtesy cards for checking out materials, please see “May I check out government documents?” in this FAQ.

Detailed information on locating government documents in the UNT Libraries is available on our Web page entitled “How to Find a Government Publication in the UNT Libraries.”

LexisNexis® products are available to anyone, including the general public, using a computer on the UNT campus. Currently-enrolled UNT students and UNT faculty and staff can access LexisNexis products off campus with a UNT EUID and password. [See Tips and Tricks for Using UNT Libraries Electronic Resources] 

To access LexisNexis products from the Libraries home page (http://www.library.unt.edu/):

1. Select Electronic Resources.
   
2. Select L for Lexis, then scroll down and select the LexisNexis product of your choice.
   

• LexisNexis Academic has news, law reviews, and federal and state statutes, regulations, administrative decisions, and court cases
• LexisNexis Congressional has federal legislative and congressional information
• LexisNexis Government Periodicals Index helps find articles in periodicals published by government agencies
• LexisNexis State Capital has information about state legislatures and legislation
• LexisNexis Statistical has national, state, local, and international statistics
  

Detailed information about statistical resources is available on our Statistical Resources Web page. 

Specific information about U.S. Census resources is available on our Census Information Web page.

Tax forms and publications can be obtained online at www.irs.gov or ordered over the telephone by calling 1-800-829-3676.

For direct access to U.S. federal tax forms and publications, visit the IRS Forms and Publications page. At this site, you can scroll through a list of current IRS publications, select the document you need, and print it out. 

Many of the most popular tax forms, instructions, and publications are available to the public free of charge at the Denton Public Library and at the downtown post office at 101 E. Mckinney St.

Our Taxes Subject Guide is a detailed guide to U.S. federal and state tax resources, including printable IRS forms and publications.

Several programs provide free assistance with filling out and filing U.S. income tax forms:

• United Way's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) members are available at the Denton Public Library, North Branch on Saturdays from February 7 to April 11, 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., to help you fill out your forms and answer tax related questions. Open to the public. Sessions are free, no appointment needed.

• The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program offers free tax help to people who earn less than $42,000.

• The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Program offers free tax help to taxpayers who are 60 and older.

• The military also has a strong Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. The Armed Forces Tax Council (AFTC) consists of the tax program coordinators for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. 

Call 1-800-829-1040 to find the VITA/TCE location and hours nearest your home and to see if you qualify for any of these programs.

Please do not ask librarians tax law questions. They are not tax law specialists. Instead, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 for tax information.

Detailed information about finding and using legal resources is available in our Law Subject Guide.

LexisNexis Academic and West Campus Research provide online access to legal materials for members of the UNT community.

LexisNexis Congressional provides online access to congressional, legislative, and regulatory materials for members of the UNT community.

LexisNexis State Capital provides online access to information about state law, legislation, and legislators for members of the UNT community.

For further assistance with legal research, please visit the Government Documents Service Desk on the Third Floor of Willis Library, or call (940) 565-2870 during Service Desk hours.

Assistance with legal research is available online through the UNT Libraries Virtual Reference service.

The Government Documents staff are not attorneys or paralegals and are neither authorized nor qualified to practice law. We can help you identify and locate print and online sources and can assist you in using these sources, but we cannot conduct research for you, give you legal advice, or interpret laws or cases for you.

Our Citation Guides and Style Manuals Web page provides general guidelines for citing various types of publication, including government documents. The University of Nebraska Government Documents Department has guidelines and samples of citations of government publications in MLA and APA format. You may also want to visit DocsCite, a service provided by the Arizona State University Libraries that allows you to enter the publication information and receive a citation in MLA or APA format. 

Here are some guides to citing specific types of government publications or using specific styles of citation:

• Scholarly and Professional Style Manuals
• Citing Legal Materials/Legal Style Manuals
• Citing Government Documents/Government Agency Style Manuals
• Citing Maps
• Citing Electronic Publications

The Government Documents Department also has some style manuals you may find helpful on reserve at the Government Documents Service Desk. Our Service Desk is located on the Third Floor of Willis Library.

If you are writing for a class or for publication, your instructor or publisher is always the final authority to consult for determining which style to use as well as for determining the proper format for a specific citation.

In order to avoid last-minute deadline crises, we recommend that you always make a photocopy of the title page, and/or write down the call number of any government publication you use for research projects. Without this information, it is extremely difficult to relocate a document you may need for writing your bibliography.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the official repository for records of military personnel who have been discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard. NARA has compiled an extensive page on Military and Veterans Records at the National Archives, which gives detailed information on how to acquire military records from the U.S. Government. 

For more information on finding military records using resources in the UNT Libraries, see the Genealogy Subject Guide’s Military Records section.

Historical Manuals

The UNT Libraries Government Documents Department owns hundreds of technical and field manuals published by the War Department and the Navy Department between 1939 and 1947. There are also numerous technical manuals (TMs) and field manuals (FMs) published from 1947 to present.

There are several ways to obtain copies of technical manuals.

The best way to determine if UNT owns the technical manual you are looking for is to search the Library Catalog.

You may be able to obtain a copy through Interlibrary Loan. If you know which manuals you are looking for, submit the request at your local library’s Interlibrary Loan office, and they will try to borrow the manual from a library that owns it.

If you wish to purchase a manual, Military/Info Publishing sells photocopies of technical manuals. Their site is organized by subject and by manual number.

Recent Manuals

More recent military manuals can be purchased through the National Technical Information System (NTIS).

GlobalSecurity.org has posted PDF copies of a number of military manuals and guides. Select the department, then select from a list of titles and categories.

Please contact us if you need further assistance.