Government Publications...
Our own Federal Government is the world's largest publisher.
Using this information to your advantage will aid you in procuring the documents
that are relevant to your search. The Government Printing Office, or GPO, is the
focal point for printing, binding, and information dissemination for the entire
Federal community. Congressional documents, census forms, Federal regulations
and reports, IRS tax forms, and U.S. passports–all are produced by or through
GPO.
The GPO site is very good about updating materials. In fact, they have a
page entitled the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications which allows
you to easily search for publications and updates. The best part about the GPO
site search engine is that it allows you to search in any number of ways. For
example, note how you can search by title, publication date, keyword, or SuDoc
number.
You will encounter SuDoc numbers whenever you are working with government
publications. Knowing how to find documents via this number will put you ahead
of the pack. Why? Because the publication may be in our library but not be
listed in the online catalog. Federal Government publications in a collection
are arranged by the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification number.
Note how the SuDoc number below is broken up first by the issuing agency, then
by the subordinate bureau within the issuing agency. Next is the number
designating the title, which is followed by the year of publication. The example
below is from a tutorial found online here. The main thing to keep
in mind is that your reference librarians are always ready to help you when you
cannot find a document.
