Government Documents

What We Have

Watson Library is a 35% selective depository for Federal Government documents. Designated as a depository in 1887, Watson Library is one of the oldest depositories in the state of Louisiana. As a heritage depository, our collection mingles new documents with historical items.

Government information covers a wide range of topics including Agriculture, Business, Education, Health, History, Science, and Statistics. When searching the library’s online catalog for these and other topics, expect to find government documents listed in your results. Many government documents are now issued in electronic format, so look for a URL link when accessing government information. Documents published in electronic format are not necessarily websites, but are merely published works distributed through the Internet.

In compliance with Title 44 U.S.C. §§1901 -1916 (2010), all Federal Depository Library content is available for free use by the general public residing in the Natchitoches area and Louisiana 4th Congressional District. While only Northwestern State University affiliates or Friends of the Library may check documents out of the library, there is a scanner available for anyone to scan library material free of charge and save it to a flash drive.

Watson Library is a selective Louisiana State Documents Depository. Search State documents through the library catalog. Most State documents are located in the Cammie G. Henry Research Center located on the third floor of Watson Library. For uncataloged and ephemeral documents, see the Research Center staff.