The Public Documents & Patents Department creates guides to assist patrons in locating materials and using the collection. Currently available brochures include:
- Military History
- Genealogy in Public Documents
- Earthquakes and Volcanoes
- Patents, Trademarks, and Copyright
- GIS (Geographic Information System) @ PLCH
- U.S. Government Information—Selected Websites
- U.S. Government Statistics—Selected Websites
- U.S. Census—Selected Websites
The Department also stocks publications from other agencies. These include:
- publications from the Patent and Trademark Office
- federal income tax forms for current and past years
- state income tax forms for current and past years
- copyright bulletins and application forms from the Library of Congress Copyright Office
- selected publications from the Consumer Information Center
- commonly requested booklets from the Social Security Administration
All of these publications are available free of charge through the department.