U.S. Government Information

The Collections

The federal government is the world's largest publisher of statistical information, including state, local, national, and international data. The University of Delaware Library is an officially designated depository for federal government publications and has been a depository since 1907. The Library currently receives most of the publications distributed through the Federal Depository Library Program (about 73%). The documents collection is quite extensive and contains information on a variety of subjects.

The largest collection of federal government documents in the Library is the U.S. Documents collection on the Lower Level of the Morris Library, both print and microfiche. Additionally, many government documents are available in the CD-ROM collection (located in the Microforms Area), in the Map Collection, and on the Internet. Most federal government publications are now released in electronic format.

Not all documents are listed in DELCAT, the library catalog. Information for documents received since June 1994 is definitely in DELCAT; information for documents received from 1976 to 1994 is likely to be in DELCAT. Prior to 1976, information on documents was selectively added to DELCAT. Staff at the Reference Desk (first floor of the Morris Library) are available for assistance in finding government information.

The Call Numbers (SuDocs Classification)

The U.S. Documents collection is arranged by a call number system specifically designed for federal documents, called the Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) classification system. These call numbers indicate the agency which released the document. For example, a publication from the Department of Agriculture has a call number beginning with "A", such as A 1.114:92 or one from Labor has an "L", such as L 2.70: C 14.

Agencies or bureaus under Departments have the letter or letters for that department (the "parent agency") and a number unique to the sub-agency or bureau. For example, "A 13" is the Forest Service and "A 93" is the Economic Research Service, both of which are agencies under the Department of Agriculture.

Reading SuDocs Call Numbers

SuDocs call numbers are arranged alphabetically by the letters indicating the agency, then numerically by the first group of numbers, then the next group, etc. All numbers are treated as whole numbers, unlike Library of Congress call numbers. There are no decimals. For further information, ask for assistance at the Reference Desk or consult the guide SuDocs Call Numbers.

Locating Government Documents

Most of the sources listed will provide a SuDocs call number. Using this call number you can locate the document in the U.S. Doc collection (for "paper" copies) or in the U.S. Doc microfiche collection, both on the Lower Level of the Morris Library. Note: the government may send either paper copy or microfiche, so it is important to check both collections.

Most federal government publications are now released in electronic format and most are available on the Internet. Many of the guides and indexes listed below have Web addresses or links to Web publications.

Guides to Government Information / Publications

FirstGov. LOCATION: Internet (http://firstgov.gov/): The official government gateway Web site. Topics contain links to resources. Recommended links include links to the topic on any of the FirstGov partner sites, such as science.gov and www.consumer.gov.

Government Information on the Internet. Lanham, MD: Bernan Press. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref Z1223 .Z7 N67x) Latest at Reference Desk LOCATION: Morris Library (Z1223 .Z7 N67x) Earlier eds.

Guide to U.S. Government Publications. McLean, VA: Documents Index. Annual. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref Z1223 .Z7 A574) Latest at Reference Desk LOCATION: Morris Library (Z1223 .Z7 A574) Earlier eds.: A quick guide to major government series, annuals, and periodicals; does not list individual reports or monographs. Arranged in SuDocs call number order. Has indexes by agency and by title of series. Includes information about the publishing agency. Usually called " Andriot" -- the name of the original editor.

Morehead, Joe. Introduction to United States Government Information Sources. 6th ed. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1999. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref J83 .M67x 1999)

Popular Names of U.S. Government Reports. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, 1984. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref Z1233 .A199 B47 1984) Reference Desk: Lists reports that have become known by popular names, rather than by their official name; describes the report or committee and provides bibliographic information. Covers reports of Congressional committees, the President, and commissions, boards and committees of Congress and the Presidency.

Robinson, Judith Schiek. Tapping the Government Grapevine; the User-Friendly Guide to U. S. Government Information Sources. 3rd ed. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1998. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref J83 .R62 1998) Reference Desk

Sears, Jean L. and Marilyn K. Moody. Using Government Information Sources: Electronic and Print. 3d ed. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 2001. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref Z1223.Z7 S4 2001) Reference Desk

Directories & Guides to Government Agencies

Sources for information about the federal government; useful in helping to identify the responsibilities of agencies and finding contacts in agencies.

United States Government Manual. Washington, DC: Office of the Federal Register. Annual. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref JK421 .A3) Latest at Reference Desk LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc AE 2.108/2:) Earlier eds. LOCATION: Internet (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html) (via GPO Access): The official handbook about the United States government. Describes the major agencies in the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the government, as well as many quasi-official agencies and commissions. Includes organization charts of the departments and of selected agencies.

Federal Regulatory Directory. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, Inc. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref JK671 .F4) Latest at Reference Desk LOCATION: Morris Library (JK671 .F4) Earlier eds.: Provides an overview of the regulatory process and current trends in regulation. It describes the federal agencies involved in regulation, the agency's history, authority, organization, and information sources. Useful appendices include a reprinting of some major acts, such as the Freedom of Information Act, and a description of how to use the two major sources of government regulations: the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations.

Federal Staff Directory. Mount Vernon, VA: Congressional Staff Directory. Annual. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref JK723 .E9 F447) Latest at Reference Desk LOCATION: Morris Library (K723 .E9 F447) Earlier eds.

A Historical Guide to the U.S. Government. George Thomas Kurian, ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref JK9 .H57 1998) Reference Desk

Washington Information Directory. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, Inc. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref F192.3 .W37) Latest at Reference Desk LOCATION: Morris Library (F192.3 .W37) Earlier eds.

Official Congressional Directory. Washington, DC: U.S. GPO. Annual. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref JK1011 .A1) Latest at Reference Desk LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc Y 4. P93/1:1) Earlier eds. LOCATION: Internet (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/index.html) (via GPO Access): Also see Congressional Pictorial Directory and the committee and biography information in LexisNexis Congressional.

Handbooks & Fact Books

Statistical Abstract of the United States. Washington, DC: Bureau of the Census. Annual. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref HA202 .A1) Latest at Reference Desk LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (CD-ROM 215) Computer #30 LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc Census Area, first row) LOCATION: Internet (http://www.census.gov/statab/www/) LOCATION: Internet (http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/index.htm) historical volumes: The single most important source for statistics. Published annually since 1878. The Statistical Abstract includes statistics from all federal sources and from commercial publishers and professional and trade organizations. The statistical tables include notations indicating the source of the data. Note: The Statistical Abstract in CD-ROM format provides links to agency Web pages and provides tables in spreadsheet format; these tables include more data than the same table in the PDF format (either on the Web or on CD). The historical volumes are in PDF format and date back to 1878.

USA Counties. Washington, DC: Bureau of the Census. LOCATION: Internet (http://www.census.gov/statab/www/county.html): A handy source for demographic, economic, and other information for counties and for the United States.

Indexes & Databases

The Library has been adding newly received government documents to DELCAT since mid-1994. Most of the vast collection of documents are not listed. The following specialized indexes can be used to find government documents which are not in DELCAT. Ask at the Reference Desk for advice on which index is best for which type of government information. See Historical Indexes for a list of indexes/databases covering earlier publications.

Catalog of United States Government Publications (CGP). Washington, DC: U.S. GPO. LOCATION: Internet (http://catalog.gpo.gov/) 1976 to present LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref Z1223 .A18) 1956-1976 LOCATION: Morris Library - U.S. Documents (U.S. Doc GP 3.8:) Index Aisle: A catalog of government publications cataloged by the Government Printing Office. Published since 1895. Previous title: The Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications. The Web version includes hypertext links to publications available on the Internet.

MarciveWeb DOCS. LOCATION: Library Databases [restricted to UD users]: Equivalent to the CGP / Catalog of United States Government Publications, this is a catalog of government publications cataloged by the Government Printing Office. Covers 1976 to present.

LexisNexis Congressional. LOCATION: Library Databases [restricted to UD users]: Comprehensive access to United States legislative information. Contains a great deal of full-text information including bills, testimony given in Congressional hearings, and the Congressional Record. The database contains the information on congressional publications from 1789 to present. It includes indexing for House and Senate Documents and Reports (the Serial Set). House and Senate Documents and Reports published after 1990 (102nd Congress) are available full text in text format. The Bills section provides bill tracking and full-text bills from the 101st Congress (1989) to present.

Expanded Academic ASAP. LOCATION: Library Databases [restricted to UD users]: Provides bibliographic references, abstracts, or full text for articles from more than 1,800 scholarly journals and general interest periodicals (magazines), many of which are available full text. Covered subject areas include the humanities, social sciences, non-technical general sciences and current events. Covers 1980 to present. Includes about a dozen of the most useful government periodicals, such as the FDA Consumer.

LexisNexis Government Periodicals Index. Bethesda, MD: Congressional Information Service / LexisNexis. LOCATION: Library Databases [restricted to UD users]: An index to articles in government magazines and journals, covering 1988 to present. Includes links to publications available on the Internet.

LexisNexis Academic. LOCATION: Library Databases [restricted to UD users]: Particularly useful for full text of federal cases and laws and for articles in newspapers. Includes full-text coverage of a few government periodicals, such as the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (January 1983-April 2004) and Public Health Reports (January/February 1983-November/December 2004).

NTIS (National Technical Information Service) Database. LOCATION: Morris Library - Computerized service by request at Reference Desk LOCATION: Internet (http://www.ntis.gov/) 1990 to present: A catalog of government produced technical publications, distributed by NTIS (National Technical Information Service), covering 1964 to present. Includes reports produced as a part of government-sponsored contracts, even if the reports are not strictly technical in nature. Ask at the Reference Desk for a search of the fee-based system NTIS Database, DIALOG File #6. Check the information following the title in the entry, to see if a SuDocs call number is listed. If so, the report may be in the U.S. Documents Collection. If a SuDocs number is not given, there is a possibility that the report number stem can be matched with a SuDocs call number stem using the "report number search" in the CGP or MarciveWeb Docs databases. For example, the EPA series 640/4 is distributed as EP 1.23/5: . The University of Delaware Library also has a small microfiche collection of technical reports (arranged by NTIS order numbers). This collection is in the Microforms area on the Lower Level.

PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service). LOCATION: Library Databases [restricted to UD users]: Indexes and provides abstracts for books, government publications (federal, state, local, and international), and scholarly journals covering the fields of public policy, politics, demography, foreign relations, and international affairs.

U.S. Government Bookstore. LOCATION: Internet (http://bookstore.gpo.gov/): A listing of federal government information products currently offered for sale by the Superintendent of Documents Office (Government Printing Office).

WorldCat / OCLC. LOCATION: Library Databases [restricted to UD users]: WorldCat, the OCLC union catalog, contains cataloging records to more than 30 million items held at libraries around the world. It is a useful source of bibliographic information for government documents published in the 1980s to present. It is not as useful for documents published prior to the 1980s. It may not be useful for library holdings information because many libraries did not add government documents to their catalogs until recently. Note: the University of Delaware Library began comprehensive cataloging of its U.S. Documents collection in mid-1994. Prior to that, government publications were included selectively. For publications prior to the 1980s, the information on the library which input the record is very helpful. This information is only available in the OCLC interface and not in the WorldCat interface. For example, a record input by the Government Printing Office (GPO) will have more pertinent information than one input by the Library of Congress (DLC) or any other library. Ask at the Reference Desk for assistance.

LexisNexis Statistical. LOCATION: Library Databases [restricted to UD users]

The database has two important components: "Search Tables Research Edition" and "Search Abstracts." The Tables section provides the ability to search for data and view the statistical tables. Many of the tables are also available in spreadsheet format. The Abstracts section provides bibliographic access to many more statistical publications and includes hypertext links to agency Web sites. LexisNexis Statistical covers publications from the United States government (ASI), state governments and private publishers (SRI), and international intergovernmental organizations, such as the United Nations (IIS). The Library has three microfiche full-text subscriptions, one covering all documents not included in the federal depository library system (non-depository ASI), one covering the state and privately published publications in SRI, and the third covering the intergovernmental organizations in IIS. These microfiche sets are located in the Morris Library Reference Room. LexisNexis Statistical corresponds to three print indexes:

ASI: American Statistics Index (federal government; excluding depository publications)
SRI: Statistical Reference Index (state governments and commercial publishers)
IIS: Index to International Statistics (intergovernmental organizations)

Citation Guides & Style Manuals

Brief Guide to Citing Government Publications. Government Publications Department, The University of Memphis. LOCATION: Internet (http://exlibris.memphis.edu/govpubs/citeWeb.htm)

Cheney, Debora. The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Social Science and Business Research. Bethesda, MD: Congressional Information Service, 2002. LOCATION: Morris Library - Reference (Ref J9.5 .C44x 2002) Reference Desk

This page is maintained by Rebecca Knight, Reference Department.
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Version: 1/2004
Last modified: 09/27/06