The Michigan Documents Collection contains information published by Michigan's executive, legislative and judicial branches and dates back to the territorial era. Materials in this collection provide unique, contemporaneous insight into the growth and development of the State of Michigan.
The first, and in some cases, only, copy of an item is kept in the Official Michigan Documents in a closed stack area. Official documents do not circulate, but can be used in the library by request through the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor. Most Michigan documents are duplicated in a second open browsing collection on the 2nd floor that circulates to the public.
In keeping with Michigan government's current information dissemination practices, the Library of Michigan officially changed the designated format of a Michigan document from print to electronic in 2006. Instead of collecting many documents in hardcopy, the library now captures and preserves a digital copy of individual publications as well as whole state government websites. Some documents that are not available online or that have significant, long-term value may still be collected and retained in print.
The Library of Michigan (LM) is directed by statute to collect, preserve and provide access to published and public state government information. State government agencies are obligated to participate by providing LM with copies of their publications in the number and format designated by the State Librarian. More information on how this program works is available under Michigan Documents Depository Program.
