Background

In 1966, the Mississippi Legislature established a depository system for state publications and created the position of Recorder of Public Documents in the office of the Secretary of State. The statutes were amended in 1975 to move the state depository program and the Recorder of Public Documents position to the Mississippi Library Commission.

Purpose

• To create and maintain an archival collection of state agencies’ publications
• To provide access to the written results of the state agencies’ work and research
• To provide statewide access to state agencies publications through the network of depository libraries
• To fulfill the public’s right to know how their government is operating and their tax dollars are being spent

Definition of a State Document:

Any item published by the state government, for the state government, or at state government expense, and which would be available without charge upon request from any person other than employees of the producing agency and bears the imprint of producing agency.

Responsibilities of State Agencies & Depository Libraries

The cooperation of state agencies and depository libraries is essential to the success of the depository program. The Mississippi Code Annotated of 1972 [25-51-3] states that “[a]ll agencies of state government shall furnish to the director of the Mississippi Library Commission sufficient copies of each public document printed . . .” Depository libraries have the equally important responsibility of ensuring that those documents are made easily accessible to the general public. Eleven institutions have been designated as state depositories by the Mississippi Library Commission. Holdings will vary among depositories because not all retain retrospective documents.

ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

• Alcorn State University, Lorman, MS
• Delta State University, Cleveland, MS
• Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
• Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, MS
• University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
• University of Mississippi, Law School Library, Oxford, MS
• University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS

PUBLIC LIBRARIES

• First Regional Library, Hernando, MS
• Pearl River County Library System, Picayune, MS

State Agencies

• Mississippi Dept. of Archives & History
• Institutions of Higher Learning
• Mississippi Library Commission