Government Information
Quick Start for U.S. Documents
As a federal depository library, we have a rich collection of federal
government information. Recent publications are listed in the library's
catalog, but for earlier information you may need to use other finding
tools.
Shelving arrangements
Almost all federal government publications in our library are shelved
by the Superintendent of Documents classification
system, known as the SuDoc system. SuDoc classification organizes
materials by issuing agency, not by topic the way regular library books
are shelved. That means that you cannot expect to find all publications
on the same topic shelved next to each other. For example, publications
on global warming could come from Congress, NOAA, the Office of the President,
the Department of the Interior or the Environmental Protection Agency—and
thus be shelved under very different SuDoc numbers in very different locations.
You must use indexes or the library's catalog to find documents by topic.
Locating a specific item:
The process of finding a U.S. government document
works like this:
Your citation --> Getting a sudoc classification number --> Checking
the shelf.
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Pre-1976
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1976 - 1999
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1999 - Present
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We recommend asking a librarian for help to locate items before 1999.
Date is pre-1976:
- Use Cumulative
Title Index to U.S. Public ... or Monthly
Catalog to determine a
sudoc number.
- Check the documents shelves
to see if we have a print copy.
- If the item's not there, ask a librarian for help because
we may have it in another format.
Date is between 1976 and 1999:
- Search the GPO Access, WorldCat,
or the NCSU
Libraries Catalog to
get the sudoc number. We may still own the
item even if you don't find it in the NCSU Libraries catalog.
- Check the documents shelves to see if we have a print copy.
- If the item's not there, ask a librarian for help because we may
have it in another format.
Looking for information on a topic:
Many online and print indexes identify federal documents by topic.
Most of the print indexes are in Reference - U.S. Depository Collection
in D. H. Hill, 2nd floor, Stacks. Browsing in that area, you will
discover some useful indexes. The indexes below may be helpful,
but there are many more listed on our Indexes &
Databases web page. Once you have identified appropriate resources,
use the instructions above to see if the item is available at NCSU Libraries
or ask for help.
- Library
catalog: You can search by topic keyword and limit
your search to federal government documents.
- Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog of U. S. Government
Publications, 1900 - 1971. Compiled by William W. Buchanan
and Edna M. Kanely.
Z 1223 .A183 Reference - U.S. Depository Collection, D. H. Hill,
2nd floor, Stacks
- CIS Indexes: This set of books indexes some
of the print collection, as well as some retrospective microfiche collections.
There are several sets focusing on different types of information, from
Congressional Hearings to Executive Branch documents. You will
find them all in Reference - U. S. Depository Collection, D. H. Hill,
2nd floor. The call numbers begin with "KF" or "Z."
Contact
Get in-person assistance at the Reference Desk in D. H. Hill Library.
- Telephone: (919) 515-2935
- Email: Ask a Librarian
- Virtual Reference: Ask
a Librarian Live
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