How to Locate Government Documents in Trexler Library

Trexler Library has been a U.S. Government Documents Depository since 1939. Currently, the library receives approximately 30% of all materials published by the Federal Government.

Step 1: Identifying Documents

All government documents in Trexler Library have been cataloged and are searchable in the Library's Catalog .

Type of Search Comments Example
KEYWORD This is the most general kind of search. Try to use words that are unique, if possible, or search using several words. smoking and health and law
TITLE This search tries to match the title exactly. Statistical Abstract of the United States
AUTHOR Search for a person's last name or the name of a government agency. Central Intelligence Agency
SUBJECT This searches for the Library of Congress Subject Heading. Education, Primary--United States


If your search brings up a results list that is too long to look through, click on the "Limit This Search" button in the top right corner of the screen. Limit to "Where the item is located" and select "Government Documents" from the pop-down list.

Step 2: Reading the Cataloging Record

From your search results list, click on a title that interests you to find out more about that item. The cataloging record will contain the author, title, and publication information for the item. In the center of the record, you will find a box containing the location of the item, the call number, and information about its check-out status. Below that box, you will find additional details describing the item physically as well as subject headings that describe its content.

To locate the item, you will want to make note of:
  1. title of the item (or at least the first few words)
  2. location
  3. call number
  4. Congress and session numbers (when locating Congressional documents)

An increasing number of government documents are available on the internet. If the web address (in blue) appears above the call number box in the cataloging record, you can click on this address to access an electronic copy of the document that interests you.

Step 3: Locating a Government Document

Government documents are kept in several places throughout Trexler Library. Use the following chart to determine where in the library to look for the item based on the location listed in the cataloging record.

Record says Format Location in the library
Govt Docs paper A through Z Documents section (Level A near elevator)
Govt Docs online only Access available through hyperlink(s) in the catalog record
Docs CD-ROM computer program CD-ROM Carousels near Reference Desk (Level A)
Docs Microform microfiche Documents Microforms Area (Level A)
Docs Map Case paper Gov. Docs. maps alcove (Level A near Atlas cases in Reference area)

Once you have determined the proper place in the library to look for your item, you need to figure out how materials there are organized. Government Documents use the Superintendant of Documents (SuDocs) classification scheme. The main organizing principle behind this system is the government agency that collects or produces the information. The letter or letters at the beginning of the call number stand for that agency. They are organized alphabetically on the shelves or in the microfiche drawers.

Within each letter, materials are organized numerically. Each space or piece of punctuation in the call number, no matter what kind it is, acts as a separator, so treat each number or letter as a separate shelving element.

  Example: C 3.2:D 26/11

Find the main letter category, "C," then within that group, locate the second element, "3," in numerical order, and so on. There are no decimals or fractions in the SuDocs system--only whole numbers and letters. Build the call number one shelving element at a time. You should be moving to your right along the shelves or from front to back in the microfiche drawers as you add each additional element.

Step 4: Finding Information on the Web

If you have not been able to identify the materials that you are looking for through the Library's catalog, there may be government information online that interests you. Some government documents are published in both paper and electronic versions. Others are released only on the web.

If you are not sure where to find the information that you want, it might be helpful to start at a "gateway site" that will guide you in the right direction. GPO Access is the official government information gateway site. It provides categories for many types or sources of government in formation, a list of "quick links" to specific publications that are well known, and several links to newly released items or government news.