Lyman break galaxies at redshift z ∼ 3:: Survey description and full data set

We present the basic data for a large ground-based spectroscopic survey for z similar to 3 Lyman break galaxies (LBGs), photometrically selected using rest-UV colors from very deep images in 17 high Galactic latitude fields. The total survey covers an area of 0.38 deg(2) and includes 2347 photometrically selected candidate LBGs to an apparent R-AB magnitude limit of 25.5. Approximately half of these objects have been observed spectroscopically using the Keck telescopes, yielding 940 redshifts with (z) = 2.96 +/- 0.29. We discuss the images, photometry, target selection, and spectroscopic program in some detail and present catalogs of the photometric and spectroscopic data, made available in electronic form. We discuss the general utility of conducting nearly volume-limited redshift surveys in prescribed redshift intervals using judicious application of photometric preselection.