Gov Docs, Gov Pubs, Gov Info, etc.This library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the Government documents collection is guaranteed by public law. (Title 44 United States Code). NMU Has been a depository since July 1963. Nearly all documents now are electronic, they are not on shelves nor are they just "books"--they are entire websites and datasets and they change.
In fact, certain presidential administrations will remove (are removing, aka censoring) outright once-public data and publications across the spectrum (climate change & environmental data, health data, population data, equality, DEI, reports & publications, financial information), eliminate entire agencies and the services they provide to citizens, entire departments (the Department of Education of all things is on the chopping block; the Institute of Museum and Library Services has been chopped, two entities close to home in Higher Ed), and stifle (or eliminate) scientists and employees (including military personnel), because they don't agree with new directives (one tracker here, Silencing Science Tracker here, Federal Environmental Web Tracker, page from the University of Minnesota Library, one from the UC San Diego Library (in particular the Weekly Roundup), and lengthy piece from LLRX here). Download what you find and save it. For scientific and health and environmental information you might very well need to go to another country for a real source and perhaps real research....
There are two other federal depository libraries in the Upper Peninsula portion of the 1st district, Michigan Technological University in Houghton and Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie. The Olson Library also receives documents from the State of Michigan via their depository program.
Nearly all documents (Federal and State and Local) are now available in an electronic format, accessible through a link in OneSearch or available via an internet search (unless they are removed. See above comment in bold). The collection, both electronic and hardcopy, is available to the general public and NMU faculty, staff, and students. We are also one of several affiliates in the UP of the Center for Shared Solutions & Technology Partnerships (formerly the State Business Data Center/Business & Industry Data Center program). This program is designed to expand access of census statistical materials to all citizens.
Both federal and State of Michigan documents can be found in our online library catalog OneSearch.
With few exceptions (and this is noted in the library catalog), most documents will circulate. Census materials, the federal budget, microfiche, and maps & atlases from the map collection do not circulate and must be used in the library.
If you are not associated with the university, you will need to look at the materials in the library (or make photocopies or scans), purchase a community borrower card at the Circulation Desk (227-2250), or request the materials through Interlibrary Loan via your local library.