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Southern Methodist University
Central University Libraries
Government Information And Map Resources Department
Getting Started With Government Documents
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Tools for Identifying and Locating Government Documents : Paper Finding Aids
Generally speaking, pre-1976 government documents are not to be found in PONI -- only after the Bicentennial was GPO legally obliged to provide machine-readable catalog records for depository library use
Paper finding aids (indexes, abstracts, card catalogs) are still necessary for the identification and location of historic government documents
- Monthly Catalog, aka MOCAT (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, GP 3.8)
List, compiled each month, of all federal publications made available by GPO -- coverage = 1895 to the present day -- currently, entries are arranged by SuDocs numbers (thus government agency) and indexed by title keyword (NOTE: GPO assigns LC Subject Headings to individual documents as well) -- has greatly evolved over the years, and older Monthly Catalogs sometimes provide better subject-based access -- most useful if you have a chronological limit for your research (1950 - 1952, or the 89th Congress, 1965 - 1966)
- Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789 - 1909 (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, GP 3.2:C 41/2)
Best and easiest to use of comprehensive resources for 18th and 19th Century government documents -- again, arrangement is by SuDocs, indexed by government agency -- supplies important contextual information and offers some indexing of Serial Set materials
- Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog, 1900 - 1971 (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, Z1223.A182)
Subjects synthesized from MOCAT indexing -- subject headings unique to this resource -- entries are cross-referenced to MOCAT volume (year), entry and / or page numbers
- Cumulative Title Index to United States Public Documents, 1789 - 1976 (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, Z1223.Z7 L47)
Entries are cross-referenced to individual SuDocs numbers
- Guide to U. S. Government Publications, aka Andriot's (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, Z1223.Z7 A547)
Intended to the comprehensive, updated annually -- contains excellent information about major series (continuing publications) issued as government documents, as well as some abstracts and agency history information -- arranged again by agency / SuDocs -- also features title and title keyword indexing
- CIS U.S. Serial Set Index, 1959 - 1969 (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, Z1223.Z9 C65)
Most comprehensive indexing available for bulk of Congressional publications (excepting hearings) -- succeeded by the CIS Index (available at Underwood Law Library)
- Government Reports Announcements (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, C 35.7; C 51.9/3; C 51.9/4), Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports [STAR] (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, Z5063 .U6344), and Energy Research Abstracts [ERDA] (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, Z5853.P83 E7b)
For science and technical information -- STAR = NASA -- ERDA = Department of Energy [DOE]
- GPO Subject Bibliographies (Fondren Library Center Government Information Reference, GP 3.22/2)
Currently, app. 160 individual guides to government documents -- uses broad subjects (e.g., "Nutrition"; "International Trade"; "Citizenship") -- entries are annotated and also contain both SuDocs and purchase information
- Documents Shelflist (Fondren Library Center Government Information Office)
Card catalog containing record of government documents receipts through mid-1980's -- most reliable indicator of whether a certain document is in SMU's collections -- arranged by SuDocs number
