General Information
The State Document Depository collects, preserves, and disseminates all North Dakota state government documents produced for public use.
State government documents include annual reports, strategic plans, audits, meeting minutes, newsletters and magazines, brochures, handbooks, maps, statistics, public university catalogs, Cooperative Extension publications, and research results.
Documents are easily accessed in the Library Catalog and can be checked out from the State Library. If you are not in Bismarck/Mandan, the item can be mailed to you. Copies are also distributed to the libraries at North Dakota State University in Fargo, University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, Minot State University, and Valley City University.
An increasing number of documents are available in .pdf format, either in addition to or instead of on paper. The State Library also retains those electronic versions and includes them in the ODIN catalog record.
State Agency Information
The State Document Depository was created by North Dakota Century Code which states:
54-24-09. Distribution of certain state publications for certain libraries required.
The office of management and budget shall arrange to deposit with the state library eight copies of all publications issued by all executive, legislative, and judicial agencies of state government intended for general public distribution. These publications must be provided to the state library without charge. If expense and limited supply of state publications, particularly audiovisual items, make compliance with the depository requirement impossible, the state library shall accept as many copies as an agency can afford to provide. However, each agency shall provide no less than two copies to the state library. State publications refer to any informational materials regardless of format, method of reproduction, or source, originating in or produced with the imprint of, by the authority of, or at the total or partial expense of, any state agency. The definition incorporates those publications that may or may not be financed by state funds but are released by private bodies such as research and consultant firms under contract with or supervision of any state agency. In circumstances not directly involving the office of management and budget, a state agency shall comply with the depository requirement by arranging with the necessary parties for the printing and deposit of eight copies of any state publication issued. State publications are specifically defined as public documents but not those administrative or training materials used only within the issuing agency. As the document acquisition and distribution agency, the state library shall retain for its document collection two copies of every state document received and transmit the remaining copies to the depository libraries. These are the libraries of the state historical society, the university of North Dakota, North Dakota state university, library of Congress, and two others to be designated by the state library. The state library shall catalog state publications and arrange for their conversion to digital format as prescribed by the state records administrator and shall make available for distribution of the same upon request to the designated depository libraries.
Agencies who use Central Duplicating Services to print their publications can mark a special box on the requisition form and Central Duplicating Services will send eight copies directly to the State Library. For agencies that use the services of a commercial printer, it is the responsibility of the agency to send eight copies to the State Library. Your copies may be dropped off at the State Library, mailed to the State Library, or sent through inside mail. Please address the parcel to State Documents regardless of how it is sent.
The most common sorts of publications that the Depository does not need are press releases, blank forms, and internal policy/procedure manuals, including computer software and database instructions.
For documents that are available in PDF format, the State Library has a software program to retrieve those files. They do not need to be emailed to us by the agency.
More Information
To request any title, please go through the Library Catalog or contact the Reference Department at (701) 328-4622, 800-472-2104, or statelib@nd.gov.
For more information about the State Document Depository, please contact the State Document Department at (701) 328-2491, 800-472-2104, or ndslstatedocs@nd.gov.
Recent Arrivals
These lists are sorted by agency name and then by document title.
To request any title, please go through the Library Catalog or contact the Reference Department at (701) 328-4622, 800-472-2104, or statelib@nd.gov.