Oklahoma Publications Clearinghouse
The Oklahoma Publications Clearinghouse Collection contains state government publications from every agency to permanently preserve and make available to people living in Oklahoma. State publications are an important part of the state’s policy-making process. They tend to be the most current source for statistical data and often contain information not available elsewhere.
The collection includes state publications ranging in format from one-page informational leaflets, to maps, to comprehensive reports, and dating from 1978, the year the Publications Clearinghouse was officially established by law. Materials circulate to state employees and are available through interlibrary loan. Digitized state government publications are available through Documents.ok.gov.
Official Duties of the Clearinghouse
- To collection state publications from every agency to retain and preserve them
- To compile and maintain a permanent record of state publications
- To establish a state publications depository library system
- To enter into contracts with other libraries within this state, designating them as depository libraries for the Oklahoma Department of Libraries
- To distribute copies of state publications to the United States Library of Congress and depository libraries of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries
- To prepare and publish official lists of state publications
History
Created by legislation in 1978, the Oklahoma Publications Clearinghouse of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries was charged with the responsibility “to establish an Oklahoma government publications depository library system for the use of the citizens of the State of Oklahoma; to collect state publications from every agency and to retain and preserve permanently copies of all such publications.”
The Clearinghouse has always employed technology to aid in the sharing of government information with depositories and the public. The once state-of-the-art microfilming program of the collection’s early days has been replaced by online access, a process that accelerated after state legislation passed in 2011 requiring state agencies to submit searchable electronic versions of publications and forms. The Clearinghouse serves as steward to the ODL-created portals Documents.ok.gov.
Location
The Publications Clearinghouse can be found on the 2nd floor at the Allen Wright Memorial Library, 200 NE 18th Street, OKC, OK.
Contact
For more information or to inquire about access to the collection, please contact Sam Johnson at 405-522-3189 or Samuel.Johnson@libraries.ok.gov.
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