Federal Government Documents

Always begin your search for government documents by using the online catalog. Although we began adding records to the database in 1990 through the GOVDOC service, the documents staff has been steadily adding records for older documents to the catalog by targeting heavily used areas of the collection and adding cataloging for other items on a case by case basis.

To locate documents acquired by Randall Library before 1990 that have not yet been added to the online catalog, the first and most important step is to identify the SuDoc number of the document you are looking for. This is a call number assigned to each document distributed through the FDLP. SuDoc numbers, like the call numbers assigned to books by the Library of Congress, tend to be universal. This means that all libraries having a particular document will most likely shelve the document under the same SuDoc number. The theory is that if you can identify the SuDoc number for any given document, you can then look in the documents collection on the shelf (or in the microfiche drawers) at that location to see if the document exists in our collection. The documents staff also maintains a shelf list of documents acquired by Randall Library through the FDLP since 1965. The documents with card entries in the shelf list have not been added to the database but the presence of a card does indicate that the library has received the document.

An important fact to remember when working with the SuDoc Classification Scheme is that it is department and agency driven and not subject driven like the Library of Congress Classification Scheme. Every time a new president takes office, sweeping legislation is passed in Congress, or a national crisis happens (such as 9/11), there is potential for an extensive rearrangement of departments, agencies and bureaus throughout all branches (particularly the Executive Branch) of the federal government. These changes usually result in changes to the SuDoc Classification Scheme. The history of the Fish and Wildlife Service is a good example. "The Fish and Wildlife Service (I 49:) was established in 1940 within the Department of the Interior by the consolidation of the Bureau of Fisheries (I 45:) and the Bureau of Biological Survey (I 47:). Pursuant to the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, The United States Fish and Wildlife Service was established by the Secretary of the Interior to replace the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1956. (Andriot)"

Orange colored cardboard tabs are located throughout the federal documents collection to alert patrons to SuDoc number changes. Other colored tabs are also used throughout the collection to indicate other changes as well. Yellow tabs indicate that a title has ceased publication. Blue tabs indicate a title change (usually for serial publications). Green tabs indicate a format change (usually from paper to microfiche).

Although most federal documents are located in the Documents Collection on the second floor, some documents have been added to the Reference, General, Index or Special Collections. Statistical Abstract of the United States is an example of an annual title with the most current edition shelved in the Ready Reference Collection at HA202 .A3. Previous editions are shelved in the Documents Collection at C 3.134:. Several documents titles follow this model so be sure to read the bibliographic record carefully. However, documents such as the Area Handbook Series are permanently shelved throughout the Ds in the General Collection.