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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    The State Library of Pennsylvania Law Library has an extensive law collection consisting of the laws, regulations, and higher court decisions of the U.S. government and all fifty states which can be searched through the ​​State​ Library's catalog.

    The State Library also subscribes to many government, law and code electronic resources. Online access to these resources is available in the Main Reading Room or by remote access to active State Government employees with a current State Library card.  The laws ​​and administrative codes of all fifty states are available in the State Capitol Universe database. This collection is especially strong in current and historical Pennsylvania law materials, and includes Pennsylvania appellate court records and briefs, legal treatises and periodicals, and Pennsylvania county court reports. For more information about conducting research with our Law collection, please review our Law Research Guide.​​​

    Pennsylvania State Documents Depository

    The State Library is the official depository for public printed publications of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This collection provides a historical repository of materials of the government of Pennsylvania from the 1700s to the present. A system of depository libraries has been set up so that many state publications can be used at locations outside of Harrisburg. Many of the publications are available electronically and may be located and accessed through the Library's catalog.

    Federal Documents Depository

    The State Library participates in the U.S. Government Printing Office Federal Depository Program. The collection dates back to the mid-1800s, with new materials being received on a continual basis. The State Library is the Regional Federal Depository Library for the Commonwealth, and therefore receives a copy of every U.S. government publication distributed to depository libraries. Many federal publications are published electronically and may be located and accessed through the Library's catalog.