HOW TO READ SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUM

HOW TO READ SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS (SUDOC)
AND OREGON DOCUMENT (ORDOCS) CALL NUMBERS
If you are looking for government documents, it is helpful to know how they are
categorized and shelved using the Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs)
classification scheme. This is a guide to the basic organizing principles of SuDocs
classification.
»Who first, then What
Unlike other classification systems (such as the Library of Congress Classification System, used
at OIT Library for book cataloging), the SuDocs system is not based on subject. Instead, it is
based on which government agency published the document. SuDoc call numbers are divided by
a colon: to the left is information about who wrote it, and to the right, what it is.
SuDocs call numbers are divided by a colon in the middle and are different from Library of Congress numbers
Who?
The letters and numbers on the left side of a
SuDocs call number group government
publications by issuing agency or organization.
Each call number begins with capital letter(s),
based on the name of the originating government
department or agency. The only exception is the
U.S. Congress, which uses the letters X and Y.
See the other side of this page for a complete list of all the government agencies and their
corresponding codes. The numbers that follow these letters represent subordinate offices,
bureaus or sub-agencies of particular departments. For example, the letter A stands for
Department of Agriculture, and all publications issued by the US Forest Service (USFS), which
is within this department, will be given a call number beginning with A13. The numbers after the
period represent the series this document belongs to.
What?
The letters and numbers to the right of the
colon are the Book Number—or, the what.
The form of the book number varies
depending on whether the item is a serial, a
handbook, an annual report, or some other
type of publication. The book number for
each item is unique. It identifies publications
in various ways.
Who is on the Left
A 13.88:PNW-GTR-772
A = Department of Agriculture
13 = US Forest Service
88 = series number
What is on the Right
A 13.88:PNW-GTR-772
This book number indicates that the document
was published by the Pacific Northwest
Research Station (PNW) and is a General
Technical Report (GTR).
C 21.14:R 86/ 998More about Book Numb