Locate GovDocs at UMD

GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

Locating Federal Government Documents in the UMD Library

Government Documents are available several places in the Library.

Online - these publications are identified as Internet Resource GovDoc in the Library Catalog and can be linked to by viewing the record for the item.

Paper - these publications are identified as GovDoc in the Library Catalog and can be found in the GovDocs section on the Second Floor

Microfiche - these publications are identified as GovDoc - Microfiche in the Library Catalog and can be found in the Microforms area on the Third Floor

CD-ROMs - these publications are identified as GovDoc - CD-ROM in the Library Catalog and are located in the Multimedia area on the First Floor.

DVD - these publications are identified as GovDoc - DVD in the Library Catalog and are located in the Multimedia area on the First Floor.

How to Find Government Publications Using SuDoc Numbers

Government Documents in paper, microfiche, and CD-ROM formats are identified by SuDoc numbers. These numbers are widely used in Government Documents Libraries and are frequently given as part of bibliographic citations.

Example: ED 1.302:R 22/4/998

They function like Library of Congress call numbers used for books in the UMD Library except for three distinctions:

1. The letters at the beginning of each number correspond with a particular department or agency. For example: ED = Education Department; HE = Health and Human Services Department, C = Commerce Department.

2. The SuDocs numbering system is not based on decimals. The numbers and letters that appear after the period must be read as whole numbers rather than decimals.

The following table illustrates the difference

SuDoc	LC Order
D 1.1:	D 1.1
D 1.3:	D 1.12
D 1.12:	D 1.122
D 1.33:	D 1.3
D 1.122:	D 1.33

3. The SuDoc numbering system involves colons (:), slashes (/) and dashes (-)

Examples:

EP 1.23/2-2

HE 20.3002:R 24

HE 20.3967:14/3

I 19./2:ST 8/3

I 19.42/4:96-4265

I 28.15:11-95

I 29.3/4:15/01

J 29.17:997

J 34.8:J 98

LC 1.6/4:M 58/7

PR 42.8:2001001091

Y 4.IN 2/11:S.HRG.106-217

Some numbers can be quite long. The practice in the UMD Library is to shelve the numbers systematically based on the following: after each notation (colon, slash, dash, period) letters always come before numbers.

NAS 1.2: R 11 would be shelved before NAS 1.2: 613

Y 4.IN 1/11:S.HRG.106-217 would be shelved before Y 4.IN: 1/11:104-78

EP 1.23:600/R-98-23 would be shelved before EP 1.23:600/998-103

Some SuDoc numbers include the date of the publication. For the twentieth century three numbers were used, for example 996 for 1996. Beginning in 2000 all four numbers are used. The year designations are treated like other numbers.

A 1.35: R 42/995

J 1.2:L 52/3/2001

For more assistance, consult a Reference Librarian at the Reference Desk on the second floor or contact the Government Documents Librarian below.

Jodi L Carlson, Government Documents Librarian
UMD Library L274
218.726.7880
jlcarlso@d.umn.edu

Return to UMD Library Government Documents Home Page

Last Modified: August 2006