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Government Documents
Basic Information on
U. S. Government Publications
What is a U.S. government publication?
A government publication is printed or produced by or for a United States governmental body. These publications are often referred to as “documents.” Many but not all government publications are produced by the Government Printing Office (GPO) located in Washington, D.C. GPO is the world’s largest publisher, approximately 9,000 titles are available for sale at any given time. Government publications come in a wide variety of formats including brochures, posters, periodicals, books, microfilm, microfiche, CDROM, DVD, floppy discs, and various electronic formats.
Why does the Central Library have government publications?
Since 1978, OCPL has been a selective depository for federal government publications. As one of over 1,300 depository libraries nationwide, the Central Library receives selected documents free of charge on a continuing basis.
How do I find a government publication at the Central Library?
The third floor of the Central Library houses the majority of the U.S. Government documents collection. Depending upon the nature of the item, government publications can be found in separate locations on the floor, including Reference, Compact Reference, Periodicals, Pamphlet File, and Microfiche Cabinets. Access to Central’s government documents collection is available through the Library’s Online Catalog. GPO publishes the Monthly Catalog (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cgp/index.html ), which indexes many government publications. Patrons can consult this on the Internet or in paper found on the Government Documents Index Table.
How are the government publications arranged?
Most are classified in the Dewey Decimal System and shelved with other nondocument items. Microfiche and some CD-ROMs and DVDs use the Superintendent of Documents (or SuDocs) classification system. Unlike the Dewey Decimal classification system, the SuDocs system is not based upon the subject of a work but rather on the agency, which is responsible for its creation. As a result, the SuDocs classification number begins with a letter or letters to designate the agency issuing the document. For example, “A” designates the Department of Agriculture as the issuing agency for the item with the SuDocs number “A1.77:86.”
Can I check out government publications?
Many items in Central’s government documents collection circulate and can be checked out on the Browse Level. Proper identification is required to check out library materials.
Reference items can be used only in the library but may be photocopied. In most cases these are found in the Ready Reference section while older editions are stored in Compact Reference. Also many of these sources can be found at the U.S. Government Printing Office site (http://www.access.gpo.gov/ ).
Information Available in Government Publications
Departments and Agencies of the U.S. Government
The U.S. Government Manual (R 353 UNI or http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html ), published annually, summarizes the authorization and responsibilities of each agency or department and includes organizational charts and names of principal officers. A current edition is kept in the Ready Reference section. Older editions back to 1962 can be found in Compact Reference.
Census Materials
The United States government takes a census of population at ten-year intervals, dating back to 1790. In addition to holding these decennial census volumes, the Central Library has a fairly complete collection of United States census materials including volumes dealing with housing, business, transportation, government, and agriculture. Most of these statistical titles are housed in a separate area labeled “Census” in Reference. Starting with the 2000 Census of Population and Housing (http://factfinder.census.gov/ ) these materials will be arranged in Dewey and shelved with other classed materials in Reference. Central also has the Summary Tape Files (STF’s), detailed 1990 census data that is accessible on CD-ROMs as well as DVDs for the 2000 Census. Individual records from the Census can be found in the Local History Department on Level 5. These are publicly available starting 72 years after the census they were collected for. During the Spring of 2002 we received the Individual records for the 1930’s census.
Congress
Members of Congress are identified in the Official Congressional Directory (R 328.73 UNI or http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/index.html ) for each session since 1922. Copies of the latest edition are located in Ready Reference. The Directory includes brief biographies, addresses, committee assignments, and locations of consular offices. Older editions back to 1922 can be found in Compact Reference. The Congressional Record (periodicals) provides a transcript of proceedings during House and Senate floor sessions. Indexes are available at two-week intervals but do not cumulate for two or three years after adjournment. Much of the work of Congress is done in committees. The Library does not receive these in print due to their voluminous size but they can be found online at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/congbibs/
Crime
The primary sources for statistical information concerning crime are Crime in the United States; formerly known as the Uniform Crime Report (R 345.73 CRI or http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm) and the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics (R 364.973 SOU or http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook /). Many U.S. Department of Justice publications can be found at the Syracuse Supreme Court Law Library.
Education
The Central Library selects a large volume of material from the various agencies within the Education Department. Two key sources for educational statistics are: Condition of Education (R 370.973 CON or http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/ ) and Digest of Education Statistics (R 370.973 DIG or http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/majorpub.asp). The Federal Student Financial Aid Handbook (R 378.309 STU) provides information on federally funded programs, which assist students who can demonstrate financial need, as does the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (http://www.cfda.gov/) located on the grants table.
Foreign Relations
The loose-leaf series of Background Notes (R 909.09 BAC or http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn /), produced by the Department of State, provides factual overviews of the government, economy, politics, history, and people of foreign countries. Another helpful source is the Country Studies/Area Handbook series (in various areas of the circulating collection or http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html) issued by the Department of the Army. Also a large series, Foreign Relations of the United States is located in Compact Reference. (Selected volumes are available online at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus /). Prepared by the U.S. State Department, it is the official documentary history of significant diplomatic activity, and major foreign policy decisions including alternative views, which were not adopted. The World Factbook (R 910.5 WOR or http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/) prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency is similar to Background Notes with maps.
Health
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr /), a weekly periodical issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contains short, statistics-filled articles on current disease-related problems. Health, United States in Ready Reference (R 362.109 HEA) is an annual report on the health status of the United States. Older editions back to 1978 can be found in Compact Reference. Current and previous editions are available online at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm. Vital Statistics of the United States (R 312.097 VIT) located in Ready Reference gives fatality, mortality, marriage, and divorce statistics. Older editions from 1937 to the present are located in Compact Reference. The premier medical treatment and research database, MEDLINE can be found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi .
Immigration
Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (R 325.73 STA or http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/publications/ ) contains statistics relating to U.S. immigrants. Major areas covered include: immigrants admitted for legal permanent residence and original country of origin, refugees approved and admitted and state and selected MSA of residence, asylee cases, nonimmigrant admissions (i.e. tourists, students, etc.), aliens naturalized and deportable aliens located and removed.
Labor
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (R 331.7 OCC or http://www.bls.gov/oco/) also many circulating copies is produced annually by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. It includes descriptions of all jobs including employment outlook, educational requirements, potential earnings and more.
Laws and Supreme Court Decisions
Copies of recently enacted laws, commonly known as Slip Laws, are available in Compact Reference (R 349 UNI). Laws from each session of Congress from 1976 to the present are bound chronologically in the U. S. Statutes at Large (R 349 UNI). The U.S. Code (R 348.732 UNI) arranges by subject all general and permanent laws in force. The
U.S. Code is revised every six years and supplemented each year. An important aid for locating laws is Shepard’s Acts and Cases by Popular Names kept in Ready Reference (R 345 SHE). The official decisions of the Supreme Court are reported in the United States Reports (R 348.734 UNI). The Library’s holdings of the United States Reports begin with volume 429 (1976) and continue to the present. For earlier decisions consult the Supreme Court Reporter (R 347.732 SUP), a commercially produced listing of decisions. Also consult the Supreme Court’s website http://www.supremecourtus.gov/ .
Military Histories
The Army Historical Series, Contributions to Naval History Series, Marine Corps Squadron Histories Series, and Air Force Academy Series are located in various areas of the circulating section of the Library. These series and other books are intended for the military education of U.S. officers—to provide them with an awareness of the nation’s military past in order to assist with their leadership development.
Patent and Trademark Information
The Central Library owns substantial patent information. The library has the Index of Patents (R 608.773 IND) from 1872 to the present and Index of Trademarks (R 602.75 IND) from 1975 to the present, both in Compact Reference. The Official Gazette for both patents and trademarks are available in paper on the government documents index table and on microfilm back to 1872 to the present. Recent issues can be found online at http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/og/ . Also see the Library’s handout, “Conducting a Patent Search at the Central Library.” Patent researchers should also visit the U.S. Patent Depository Library located at the Monroe County Central Library in Rochester, NY. See http://www.uspto.gov/ .
Presidents of the United States
Public Papers of the Presidents (R 353.035 UNI or http://www.gpo.gov/nara/pubpaps/srchpaps.html) are available in paper copy starting with Eisenhower in Compact Reference. The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, formerly issued as a serial, includes addresses, announcements, appointments, and other communications by the President. It is now available at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html from 1993 to the present. This information is also cumulated into Public Papers of the Presidents. The President proposes the Annual Budget of the United States each year. The most recent is kept in Ready Reference (R 352.497 UNI or http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget /). Older editions, dating from 1975, are located in Compact Reference.
Regulations
Federal agencies establish rules and regulations in order to implement the intent of legislation. These rules and regulations, published in the daily Federal Register (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html) shelved in the periodicals section have the force of law. Federal Register indexing is available through annual indexes which are located also n the periodical. The annual indexes cover 1971 to the present. For a subject arrangement of all presently effective rules and regulations, see the Code of Federal Regulations (Government Documents Index Table or http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.htm l). The Library keeps only the most recent edition.
Statistics
The Statistical Abstract of the United States (R 317.3 STA or http://www.census.gov/statab/www/) is a handy one-volume source of statistics gathered primarily by various U.S. Government agencies. The most current edition is kept in Ready Reference with older editions (a complete run back to 1981 and with selected editions back to 1901) in Compact Reference. Some circulating copies of older editions of Statistical Abstract can be found in the collection.
Reference Assistance for Government Documents
The Level 3 Information Desk is staffed whenever the Library is open. Librarians trained in using the Government Documents collection work at this desk. For information on library hours, call (315) 435-1902. For information about the Central Library’s Government Documents collection, call the Telephone Reference Department at (315) 435-1900.
As a selective federal depository library, the Central Library receives approximately thirty percent of the publications distributed by the Federal Depository Library Program by the Government Printing Office. Please ask for assistance when unable to find specific items. Items not owned by the Library may be requested through interlibrary loan.
Last updated: June 3, 2009