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New Mexico State University Library
United States - Mexico Border Research

Government Documents Databases

  • GPO Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications
    Lists every document that is part of the Federal Depository Library Program. We do not receive all these documents; however, we can interlibrary loan the ones we don’t. Need to check the shelf to see if we have a copy. Also available in print at DOC REF GP 3.8: in Branson Library.

  • WorldCat
    Contains records for libraries across the United States. As documents collections are cataloged at other libraries, records will appear in this catalog. Again you need to check the shelves to see if we own.

Search terms to use

  • border
  • Mexico
  • Southwest (or specific states)
  • inter-american affairs
  • boundaries
  • Rio Grande
  • Specific agencies
    Agency names change over time. Check out older verions of the United States Government Manual to identify past names and affiliations.

Agencies related to the U.S.-Mexico Border

Depository Libraries

United States Federal Depository Libraries provide a critical historical repository of culture and social change. Through funding from the Southwest and Border Cultures Institute (New Mexico State University, Department of Arts and Sciences), three depositories in the border region were visited and their government documents collections analyzed for strengths related to border issues.

Four Federal Depositories in the Border Region (Other Depositories in the border region may be located through the Government Printing Office, Federal Depository Library Locator.)

New Mexico State University

  • Depository since 1907
  • Collection strengths
    • Long runs of many Agricultural series
    • Water-supply papers
    • Elephant Butte
    • Partial Serial Set
  • Contact person: Cindy Pierard, Department Head, Reference and Research Services
  • Depository Web Site: http://lib.nmsu.edu/resources/govdocs/govdocmain.html

University of Texas, El Paso

  • Depository since 1966
  • Collection strengths
    • Water Issues
    • Mexico documents
    • Border Business Indicators
    • Local federal agency documents
    • Rio Grande Compact Commission
    • Fort Bliss Water Boards
    • Salt Wars
  • Contact person: Roberta Arney, Government Documents Librarian
  • Depository Web Site: http://libraryweb.utep.edu/docs/govdocs.cfm
  • Main types of border questions received: Census, Juarez International Border Crossing Bridge Traffic, Economics, Fort Bliss Reports, Specific Border agency information, international researchers from Juarez, Environment

University of Arizona

  • Depository since 1907
  • Collection strengths
    • Pre-1900 documents from the Territorial Government, specifically regarding the Department of the Interior and Congress
    • Reports of the Governor of Arizona made to the Secretary of the Interior for the years 1880-1911
    • Full paper Serial Set (historic publications of Congress)
    • Reports of the Reclamation Service, 1902-1932
    • Historical maps
    • Annual report of the Interior, 1852-1963
    • Annual report of the Governor of New Mexico, 1883-1897
    • Borderland Collection (part of Special Collections)
  • Contact person: Atifa Rawan
  • Depository Web Site: http://www.library.arizona.edu/about/libraries/govdocs/
  • Main types of border questions received: Statistics, agriculture

University of California - San Diego

  • Depository since 1963
  • Collection strengths
    • California/Federal joint committee works
    • Agricultural issues related to migrant workers
  • Contact person: Megan Dreger
  • Depository Web Site: http://govinfo.ucsd.edu/index.html
  • Main types of border questions received: statistics, census, Congressional materials,



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Send comments and questions to: webref@lib.nmsu.edu