This study, which was carried out with the support of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and Unesco between February 1981 and June 1982, is believed to be the first of its kind in the field of official publications collections. The report is based on a detailed analysis of the 199 replies received to 563 questionnaires distributed worldwide to various types of libraries, e.g., parliamentary, public, university, administrative, and national libraries. Developing countries are well represented by number in the analyses, and less well, but adequately, in the volume of replies. The results indicate that official publications collections tend to be concentrated in national, academic, and institutional libraries. The conclusions suggest ways in which availability and use of official publications collections might be improved, above all by action to make deposit arrangements more coherent and effective on an international scale. Analyses of the overall data are appended, as well as breakdowns by geographical area and type of library. (DMC)