For more information on the Government Publishing Office see 100 GPO Years, 1861 - 1961: a history of United States public printing
For more information about the FDLP program see The United States Government Manual, the official manual of the Federal Government.
The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was created in 1813 by Congress for purposes of providing the general public access to federal government documents that is produced by the United States Government for free of charge. The Rinn Law Library has been a proud member of the FDLP since 1979.
There are two types of FDLP libraries; first, there are Regional Depository Libraries, where they receive and retain all government documents provided by the FDLP; and, second, there are Selective Depository Libraries, which only receive a small number of select titles provided by the FDLP. The Rinn Law Library is a Selective Depository Library.
The Government Publishing Office (GPO) was established by Congress and began operations on March 4, 1861, the same day Abraham Lincoln took the presidential office. At that time, GPO was then known as the Government Printing Office. Since 2023, GPO decided to go digital whereby they began to limit the number of government documents made available in print. As a Selective Depository Library, the Rinn Law Library is only afforded the opportunity to collect certain unlimited titles in print and not all available titles offered in print.
While the FDLP was designed for the general public, all users of the DePaul community are welcome to use the collection. Please note that public patrons must make an appointment prior to your visit the Rinn Law Library. Please see our Public Visitors page for more information.