Finding Government Information
The library catalog contains records for the vast majority of Government Documents, in all formats, available at Bertrand Library. You can search for Government Documents just as you would for any other library material. However, even after finding a record for a government document, it may be a little tricky to find in the library or online. This webpage is meant to serve as a guide to searching for and finding government information using the library catalog.
Finding Government Information in the Library Catalog
Government Document records may be retrieved as a part of a regular search for information using the library catalog. However, there is a way to limit your search in the library catalog to retrieve only government document records. On the front page of the library catalog, click on the "Power Search" button , then select "Government Documents" from the list of items in the "Location" field (see below).
The catalog is now set to search for and retrieve records for items only in the government document collection.
Another option to limit your search for government documents is to select one of the options from the "type" field (see below)
Important Notes:
- These features work on the basis of where an item is located within the library, therefore it will exclude government internet sites from being retrieved if they do not have a corresponding physical item (and therefore a location) within the library. To search for government internet sites, you will need to search the catalog without limits or by limiting your search to "Internet" in the "location" field (which will also return non-government document items)
- The "Government Document - CD-ROM" and "Government Document - Microfiche" options do not currently work. We hope to correct this in the near future.
Classifying Government Documents: SuDoc Numbers
Government Documents are organized according to a different set of rules than most of the other collections at Bertrand Library. Accordingly, Government Documents use a different system of call numbers, called SuDoc numbers, rather than the Library of Congress call number system.
SuDoc numbers begin with a letter of the alphabet that indicates which federal agency produced the document. The major document producing agencies are listed below:
A - Agriculture Department
C - Commerce Department
D - Defense Department
E - Energy Department
ED - Education Department
EP - Environmental Protection Agency
GA - General Accounting Office
GS - General Services Administration
HE - Health and Human Services Department
HH - Housing and Urban Development
I - Interior Department
J - Justice Department
JU - Judiciary
L - Labor Department
LC - Library of Congress
LR - National Labor Relations Board
NAS - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NS - National Science Foundation
PREX - Executive Office of the President
S - State Department
SI - Smithsonian Institution
SSA - Social Security Administration
T - Treasury Department
T 22. - Internal Revenue Service (Treasury Department)
TD - Transportation Department
X, Y - Congress
Click here for more information about the SuDoc system
Locating Government Information in the Library
It isn't always obvious from looking at a government document record in the library catalog what the document's media or location may be. Documents in print, CD-ROM and microfiche are all listed as being in the "Government Document" section of the library, although they are shelved in different places within the Government Documents section.
Government Documents in print (both Federal documents and documents produced by the state of Pennsylvania) can be found on the 1st floor mezzanine.
Government Documents in CD-ROM and microfiche format can be found on the first floor (main level) of the library.
The location for most material in the library can be determined by looking in the holdings section towards the bottom of the full details of the catalog record. With a catalog record for a government document, however, you may need to examine other parts of the record in addition to the holdings section, to determine exactly where the document is located. (See example below).
In the screen above, the Location: section of the holdings information indicates that the item is located in the Government Documents collection. However, the Notes: field indicates that the item is printed in microfiche and will therefore be located in the microfiche cabinets on the first floor rather than on the shelves with the Government Documents in print on the first floor mezzanine.
Similar to the first example, the Description: field in catalog record above indicates that this item is in CD-ROM format. Another clue to the format is the notation at the end of the Gov Doc No.
If you are unable to locate the item or need help, please feel free to approach the reference desk with your questions. The person at the reference desk will be happy to assist you.
