Government Information Department

Getting Started - Superintendent Of Documents / SuDocs Numbers

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Getting Started With Government Documents

Organization Of Government Documents : Superintendent Of Documents / SuDocs Numbers

For administrative purposes, librarians use a GPO stock number to select and track government documents -- this number can be useful if you become very expert in the use of government documents -- for more information, see the List of Classes
Key number for library patrons = The Superintendent of Documents or SuDocs numbers
Superintendent of Documents = individual responsible for administration of FDLP
SuDocs are call numbers -- alphanumeric notations that indicate where government documents can be found on library shelves
Unlike a Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress number, a SuDocs number does not explicitly indicate subject / topic -- a SuDocs number indicates "provenance", or the government entity responsible for the creation / promulgation of the publication -- "corporate authorship" -- keyed to government agency hierarchies
Examples:

PA 1 = Pan-American Union (1910 - 1951)
PA 1.46 = Pan-American Union, Agricultural Cooperation Office (1936 - 1942)
PA 1.51 = Pan-American Union, Music Division (1941 - 1949)
SuDocs numbers also contain information about the type of publication being described
Examples:

.1 = Annual Reports
.3 = Bulletins
.7 = Press Releases
.8 = Handbooks, Manuals and Guides
.12 = Posters
T 70.8:F 51/3/ = Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide, published by the Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
X and Y classes are reserved for Congressional publications, as follows:

X = Congressional Record (and preceding titles), House and Senate Journals
Y 1. = Congress, House and Senate "as a whole" (publications typically included in The Serial Set)
Y 3. = Boards, Commissions, and independent or temporary committees; governmental bodies "not specifically designated to the Executive Branch"
Y 4. = Congressional Committees (typically Congressional Hearings)
For more information, see the GPO Classification Manual, the "U.S. Government Author-Organization Index" to the Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1970, and Documents Office Classification Numbers for Cuttered Documents, 1910-1924

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