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Texas State Publications Depository Program
ref@tsl.texas.gov
or
512-463-5455
The Texas State Publications Depository Program collects, distributes, and preserves the publications of state government and promotes their use by the citizens of Texas. As the collection and distribution center for state publications, the Depository Program acts as a broker between state agencies and public institutions of higher education that produce these documents and libraries that make them available to citizens in their local areas.
The Depository Program has four basic functions related to state publications:
| Acquisition | Work with publications liaisons designated by state agencies and public institutions to facilitate publication deposits and claim publications identified as missing. |
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| Bibliographic Access | Create bibliographic records for approved submissions. |
| Distribution | Distribute submissions among designated depository libraries in Texas. |
| Announcement | List titles added within the past 30 days on the Newly Added Titles | TSLAC Texas Documents Collection catalog page. |
Legal Authority and Program Rules
The Depository Program is authorized under Texas Government Code Section 441.101 and following 
(commonly referred to as the State Depository Law) and is administered by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) under Title 13, Chapter 3 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC).
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Fall 2023 TAC Updates The commission concluded its quadrennial review of 13 TAC Chapter 3 as required by Government Code, §2001.039. While the commission found that the reasons for initially adopting the rules continue to exist, the commission did note the need for multiple amendments to update and improve the rules. The proposed amendments and new section are necessary to streamline, simplify, update, and clarify the existing rules. Amendments to §3.5, Standard Exemptions for State Publications in All Formats, and §3.6, Special Exemptions were effective August 29, 2023. The amendments to §3.1, Definitions; §3.2, Standard Requirements for State Publications in All Formats; and §3.7, State Publications Contact Person; and new §3.3, Standard Deposit and Reporting Requirements for State Publications in All Formats (along with the repeal of the previous version of §3.3) are effective November 29, 2023, as published in the Texas Register |
The Depository Law (Government Code §441.101-106) and TAC 13 §3.7 require state agencies and public institutions of higher education to designate one or more publications liaisons to the Depository Program. Publications liaisons are responsible for providing information about and sending publications to the Depository Program. Liaisons work directly with Depository Staff to resolve problems and negotiate exemptions.
This section includes essential information for publications liaisons to make determinations and submit materials for inclusion in the Depository Program.
Required Forms
- Publications List Form: required for all submissions to the Depository Program. Be sure to keep a copy of the completed form for your records.
- Organization & Publications Liaison Update Form: required to report or change the designation of a publications liaison to the Depository Program.
Requirements and Exemptions
These guides summarize Depository Program rules 13 TAC §3.2 and 13 TAC §3.5 regarding requirements and exemptions for submitting state publications:
- State Publications Flow Chart: Is It a State Publication and How Many Copies Do I Send?
- FAQs for State Agencies
- FAQs for Public Institutions of Higher Education
Electronic Submissions
The process for submitting a digital publication to the Depository Program varies depending on the format in which the publication was originally published, whether the report has been posted to your agency website, and the type of report. See the “Requirements and Exemptions” links above for submission instructions based on the original publication.
Electronic submissions must be emailed by the designated publications liaison with a completed Publications List Form to be considered an official submission from the agency or institution. Email submissions for PDF format files must be under 10 MB. Files over 10 MB may be mailed to the Depository Program on removable storage media or other approved methods.
Digital publications posted to agency or institution websites and archived by the Texas Records and Information Locator (TRAIL) service are generally not required for submission. Agencies may search TRAIL to confirm that a version of an online publication has been added to the TRAIL archive.
Information regarding electronic submissions and Depository Program technical requirements for the TRAIL service and are outlined in 13 TAC §3.3.
Publications Specifications
The following tips and guides represent best practices for designing Texas government publications, making them available through the Depository Program, and ensuring their preservation for future researchers.
To request assistance from Depository Program staff and to email forms and digital publications:
Telephone: 512-463-5455
Email: ref@tsl.texas.gov
Digital publications must be emailed by the designated publications liaison to be considered an official submission from the agency or institution. The Publications List Form is required to submit print and digital publications to the program.
To mail print materials and files on removable storage media:
| U.S. Postal Service Address | Interagency (Physical) Address |
| Texas State Publications Depository Program Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Room 109 P.O. Box 12927 Austin, TX 78711 |
Texas State Publications Depository Program Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Room 109 1201 Brazos Austin, TX 78701 |
Depository Libraries
Prior to June 2011, a large network of depository libraries received copies of the publications until the operation of the program was severely curtailed. However, many libraries have retained their collections and assist library patrons with accessing state government information. In addition to TSLAC, publications are currently distributed to active depository collections at Texas Tech University in Lubbock and the University of North Texas in Denton as designated by TAC 13 §3.8.
Indexes
Through December 2010, Texas State Publications, the monthly checklist of Texas government publishing, announced the availability of printed state publications. The monthly checklist listed documents alphabetically by publishing agency and by subject headings. The Texas State Publications Annual Indexes for the calendar year's issues of Texas State Publications for 1994-2004 are available on our website.
Locating Publications
Slides from our “Locating Texas Documents” webinar includes helpful tips for finding documents in the TSLAC library catalog, on the Texas Digital Archive , and on the Texas Records and Information Locator (TRAIL).
The Depository Program classification scheme for agency and institution publications can help with identifying materials submitted to the Depository Program and provide cross-reference classifications for documents submitted under predecessor agency or institution names.
Missing Items
We have identified items missing from our collection. If you have one of the titles on our wish list of missing documents and no longer need it, please contact us.