George Mason University Libraries was designated a European Union Documents Depository in the early 1990s and accordingly provides access to European Union documents for faculty, students and residents of the Washington Metropolitan Area. The Arlington Campus Library acts as a depository for official documents of the European Union (EU), whereby it automatically receives, free of charge, one copy of most EU periodical and monograph publications. These are available in numerous formats, including paper, microfiche as well as electronically on CD-ROM and via the Internet.
This non-circulating collection is available to patrons during the library's open hours, free of charge, and without any conditions. The official publications contain information ranging from policy developments in all sectors of EU activity to statistics on trade, demographics, agriculture, transport, energy and economic indicators. Of particular significance is the Official Journal of the European Communities, the equivalent of the U.S. Federal Register. Depository collections also contain the legislative proposals and communications of the Commission in their original "COM" document form, as well as reports and debates of the European Parliament, opinions of the Economic and Social Committee and decisions of the Court of Justice.
The library also offers reference tools and services to facilitate access to EU documents. The non-EU collection housed the Arlington Campus Library focuses on international relations and international commerce, which complements the EU documents. Both EU and non-EU materials are listed in the university catalog, making them equally accessible. Arlington Campus Libraries also provides full electronic access to GMU and EU electronic sources.