depository library

noun

1. a library designated by law to receive without charge all or a selection of the official publications of a government.

Word History and Origins

Origin of depository library¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

This card is used for the catalogues of the Library of Congress and for the catalogues of depository libraries throughout the country, but is not furnished in exchange by the Smithsonian Institution to foreign institutions.

From Project Gutenberg

Since that time all the Government documents which continue the old sheep-bound set have been sent to depository libraries bound in cloth made according to these specifications.

From Project Gutenberg

It is generally admitted that some libraries ought to have all the publications that are made for distribution, and therefore a system of depository libraries is maintained by the government.

From Project Gutenberg

To whom issued The depository libraries receive the sheep set by law from the superintendent of documents.

From Project Gutenberg

In 1907 the Congressional Printing Investigation Commission asked librarians of depository libraries to suggest, without considering cost, suitable binding materials for Government Documents.

From Project Gutenberg