USAFA Library Guides: Government Documents: Home

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.

Federal Depository Library Program

"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

Government Information at the Library
Finding Documents on the Shelf

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

Government Documents

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

Documents on Display

The United States Statutes at Large is the collection of all laws enacted by the Congress, organized by the date the law was passed. Volume One of the Statues at Large includes the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the amendments to the Constitution.

Online sources for the Statutes at Large (open access, no password needed, just Internet connection!) --

Library of Congress from: 1789-1951

GovInfo.gov: 1951-2013

The Articles of Confederation was the first Constitution of the United States which was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777. Our current Constitution, outlining a stronger federal government was written and signed 234 years ago, on September 17, 1787.

See the Library’s Constitution of the United States guide to find additional reliable resources about the Constitution.

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►►►Previously highlighted documents

Gov't Publishing News

• U.S. Constitution, 234 years old

Search GovInfo.gov