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Government Documents

Library resource guide for U.S. Federal Government Documents

What are Government Documents?

Government Documents are official publications produced by U.S. Government agencies (materials such as guides, statistical data, books, congressional documents/reports, etc.), in any format (print, electronic, websites, microform). The Government Publishing Office (GPO) distributes these materials to designated libraries, Federal Depository Libraries, throughout the United States and its territories (*Colorado Federal Depository Libraries*).

Federal Depository Library Program

FDLP "The United States Government is the largest publisher in the world. Every day the U.S. Government issues congressional bills, laws, regulations, presidential documents, studies, and more on a variety of topics. The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was established by Congress to ensure that the American public has access to its Government's information. The FDLP is administered by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO)." 
Source: https://www.fdlp.gov/fdlp-basics

Government Documents at McDermott Library

McDermott Library has been a designated selective depository library since 1956.  Most of the collection has been received through the Federal Depository Library Program.  Publications not owned by the library may be borrowed from other depository libraries through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
 
• Our collection is organized using the Superintendent of Documents Classification Scheme (SuDocs)
• Location of documents:
          4th floor, compact shelving (print) 
          3rd floor, (microfiche)
• Documents received since 1992 are included in the library's online catalog
• Most government information received today is in electronic form
• Government departments and agencies provide much of their information on the Internet
 
Reference service for the depository library collection is always available to the faculty, staff, and cadets of the Air Force Academy, from the library's service desk, phone, or e-mail. Reference service is also available to the general public via telephone or e-mail.
The SuDoc system groups publications by government author, which are U.S. federal departments, bureaus or agencies.
The first letter/letters of a SuDoc number represents a government department or agency (parent organization).
For example, the SuDoc number:    D 301.82/7:
D = Department of Defense
The letters are followed by a number representing the agency or a subordinate office. 
301 = Department of the Air Force (agency in the DoD)
This number is followed by a period which is not read as a decimal point. The numbers following the period represent the type of document.
82/7 = Air Force History and Museums Program Publications
SuDoc classes are arranged alphabetically based on the leading letter(s). The number between the period and colon is a whole number. 
D 301.8: would be filed before D 301.13:
Michigan State University's SuDocs Basics provides further explanation and additional examples of the SuDocs system with an interactive quiz. Also, visit University of Minnesota's SuDoc Tutorial video.
Contact the Library Services Desk if you need assistance in locating a document on the shelf, 333-4406/4664.

Branches of U.S. Government

image 3 branches of U.S. Government

Government Documents

Contact:
719-333-4406/4774
libinfo@afacademy.af.edu

Documents on Display

American Presidency

President Carter official portraitRemembering President Carter
Featured Content from the 
United States Government Publishing Office (GPO)

image: Jimmy Carter's presidential portrait, 1978

Highlighted in GPO's Featured Content:
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: James E. Carter, Jr.

Also highlighted in GPO's Featured Content:

Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter sing with Martin Luther King, Sr., Coretta Scott King, Andrew Young and other civil rights leaderJimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter sing with Martin Luther King, Sr., Coretta Scott King, Andrew Young and other civil rights leader during a visit to Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia

image source: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183007

Jimmy Carter, Remarks Accepting the Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize. January 14, 1979 (Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia)

Transcript of President Carter's remarks available from:
American Presidency Project hosted by the University of California Santa Barbara
HeinOnline - pages 27-33 (access available to USAFA campus)

American Presidency Resources

The Public Papers of the Presidents, which is compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). GovInfo contains the Public Papers for Presidents Herbert Hoover (1929) through Barack H. Obama (2016).

Note: The Public Papers of the Presidents were discontinued with the end of the Obama Administration. Official writings, addresses, and remarks for future presidents may be found in the Compilation of Presidential Documents collection.
Tips on Searching the Compilation of Presidential Documents:
https://www.govinfo.gov/help/cpd#searching

American Presidency Project, hosted by the University of California Santa Barbara, contains presidential papers, messages, speeches, and related materials from Presidents Washington through Biden.

HeinOnline U.S. Presidential Library database (USAFA campus users) -- Explore HeinOnline's topic libguide to learn more about this database