The Department of the Interior was created in 1849 and originally included the General Land Office, the Office of Indian Affairs, the Pension Office, and the Patent Office. Because it covered such a wide variety of functions, it has been known as "the department of everything else." In subsequent laws, a number of sub-agencies have been created. The Office of Education and the Census Bureau were once part of Interior.
Government Documents holds an extensive collection of Interior publications, including the following series:
Annual report of the Secretary of the Interior (I 1.1:)
Decisions of the United States Department of the Interior (I 1.69:)
Research & development progress report (I 1.88:)
Environmental impact statements (I 1.98:)
Most pre-1900 Interior documents, including the Annual report of the Secretary of the Interior, are available in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set (UHM login required).
Additional documents covering 1910-1932 are available in the Executive Branch Documents microfiche set. Please contact a government documents librarian if you have questions about our holdings.
We also have a variety of general publications, pamphlets, and other Interior materials.
Our library is part of the Federal Depository Library Program, a network of 1,200 libraries throughout the U.S. and its territories that provide government information. You may be able to access many of the resources discussed in this guide by visiting a depository library near you. Click here for a directory of libraries.