The Federal government is the most prolific publisher of business information in the world. Government agencies are constantly creating, gathering, and producing information in the daily exercise of their official duties. In all cases this information is public -- information paid for by public funds, owned by the public, and accessible to the public by right and by law. The government holds this information in trust, and is obligated to provide access to it and to guarantee its integrity and preservation.

The Federal Depository Library Program was established to ensure that the American public has access to its government and its government's information. Through the depository libraries, the Government Printing Office works in partnership with Federal agencies to supply government publications at no cost to designated depository libraries throughout the country, at least one such library in each congressional district. Each depository, in turn, provides local, no-fee public access for the citizenry and the business community.

Fourteen of Louisiana’s Federal document depository libraries have joined together in this project to make more accessible and available Federal information sources of interest to Louisiana's business community. The project is funded by the Board of Regents for Higher Education's Louisiana Educational Quality Support Fund Grant number LEQSF(1996-98)-ENH- TR-67.

This website presents direct access to many federal agencies that have made material available over the internet. However, there is much additional Federal information that appears only in printed publications in the local Federal depository library in your or a nearby community. To help you identify additional publications, these libraries have included descriptions of each of their Federal documents in their online catalogs. The library catalogs are also available on the internet, so that you can identify what you need without having to leave your home or office. They are all mounted at a common site, the Louisiana Online University Information System (LOUIS).