Finding Government Information

I. U.S. Government

The Online Catalog is the place to begin a search for government publications held by the library. As with other library materials, the catalog shows specific formats and locations for government publications.

Documents with Library of Congress classification are located in the general collection on the stacks floors or in Reference.

Documents with Superintendant of Documents classification (SuDocs) numbers are located in the library's Storage collection. The SuDocs classification system arranges publications by government agency rather than by subject. Click here for a detailed explanation of the Superintendent of Documents Classification System.

Microfiche, CDs, DVDs and pamphlets (20 pages or under) are kept in the Documents Annex in Room 120 on the first floor of the Hodges Library.

Some government documents published before July 1976 may not be included in the online catalog. The shelf list card file in Documents Annex should be checked to verify specific holdings for uncataloged documents held in the Storage collection. It may also be necessary to check print indexes or databases to locate the correct citation.

All print government materials, regardless of location, may be borrowed for regular loan periods. Reference materials, microfiche, datafiles and pamphlets do not circulate.

Generally, Department of Agriculture publications are located in the Agriculture-Veterinary Medicine Library. Maps and other cartographic materials are located in Map Services . Staff at these locations will assist in identifying government materials in their collections.

General Indexes

• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) U.S. GPO July 1976 -

This search and retrieval service to U.S. government publications includes bibliographic citations for materials from 1976 to present. The CGP provides links to online documents from within the database and includes a “check for holdings” feature.


LexisNexis Government Periodicals Index, 1988- A UT Libraries database

• Search for articles appearing in periodicals published by departments and agencies of the U.S. government from 1988. Check the online catalog for specific periodical holdings.

• Index to U.S. Government Periodicals 1970-1987
  Hodges Stacks Z1223.Z7I5

Printed index that provides subject access to articles in U.S. government periodicals back to 1970. Check the online catalog for periodical holdings and locations.

Historical Searches

• The American Memory Project

A gateway to rich primary sourcematerials relating to the history and culture of the United States. Provides full text documents and images from collections of the Library of Congress.

• A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation

A searchable and browseable collection of U.S. congressional documents and debates, 1774-1875.

• The Avalon Project at Yale Law School

Contains the full text of numerous documents in law, history and diplomacy arranged by century.

• Declassified Documents Reference System A UT Libraries database

An archive of selected, previously classified documents from presidential libraries, the CIA, the F.B.I. and a host of other U.S. federal agencies. Primary source documents include correspondence, memoranda, policy statements, intelligence reports and technical studies. Full-text on microfiche (1974-2003) available in the Documents Annex, room 120.

• National Security Archive (limited Web version)

  A non-profit organization that collects declassified documents made available through the Freedom of Information Act.

  Additional print indexes listed below in alphabetical order are available in the Reference room.

• A Descriptive Catalog of the Government Publications of the United States., 1774-1881.
  Poore, Benjamin P. Z1223.A1885d. 2 vols.


• Catalog of the Public Documents of Congress and of all Departments of the Government of the United States
  1893-1938. Document Catalogue. Z1223.A13


• Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1970.
  (Lester) Z1223.Z7L45. 5 vols.


• Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1909. Z1223.A113

Search the Checklist online at the University of North Texas or at Evergreen State College

• Comprehensive Index to the Publications of the United States Government, 1881-1893.
  Ames, J.G. Z1223.A 1881-93. 2 vols.
  
  
• Cumulative Title Index to United States Public Documents, 1789-1976.
  (Lester) Z1223.Z7L47. 16vols.

A good index for finding SuDocs numbers.

• Cumulative Subject Index to the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications, 1900-1971.
  (Buchanan) Z1223.A18. 15 vols.


• Public Documents of the First Fourteen Congresses, 1789-1817.
  (Greely) Z1223.A1900a


• Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications 1895- Z1223.A8 Storage

The major index to all U.S. government agency publications is arranged by agency and indexed by subject, keyword, title, and author. Historical indexes are available back to 1774.

• Early American Imprints, Evans 1639-1800. A UT Libraries database

This collection may be helpful in tracking down early documents not covered by the above indexes. It contains U.S. documents and other materials published in the United States before 1800.

• Archive of Americana 1639-1876 A UT Libraries database

A digital collection containing Early American Imprints, series I and II, Shaw-Shoemaker 1800-1819

The LexisNexis Statistical UT Libraries database references digital and microfiche versions of historical and current government publications with statistical tables.

Subject Specific Indexes

• LexisNexis Statistical, 1973- A UT Libraries database

Detailed subject, title, and category index to statistics in U.S. government publications. Links are provided to full-text documents on the Web, or, text may be obtained in the ASI microfiche collection (Room 120) or by searching the catalog for government publications in print.

• Additional statistical resources on the web are on the Documents Web page, government statistics section.
  
• LexisNexis Congressional, 1789- A UT Libraries database

Detailed subject index to hearings,reports, and all other congressional publications. Current full-text, retrospective publications are available in microfiche. See also Library Guide #110 - Reference Sources for Legislative Information

• NTIS Electronic Catalog, 1964-

Indexes federal agency publications and government sponsored research reports, particularly in the sciences and engineering fields. Most records do NOT include abstracts.

Access other technical report collections from major government agencies from the technical reports guide.

II. State Governments

State agency publications are often the only source of information about the state government’s role in a particular area. Documents from State of Tennessee agencies may be available on agency web pages. The library acquires most publications through the Tennessee State depository library program. These are cataloged and shelved with other library materials in the general collection. Iitems such as newsletters, pamphlets, departmental manuals, and Department of Education curriculum guides are arranged by agency in vertical file cabinets in the Documents Annex in Room 120. It is best to begin with the online catalog when searching for state documents. Look by author/agency, title, or subject.

See also Library Guide - Tennessee Legislative Materials

The statistical portions of many state government publications are available on microfiche, and indexed in:

• LexisNexis Statistical, 1973- A UT Libraries database

An index to statistical tables in publications from private publishers, non-profit organizations, and state agencies. State documents with statistics are included in this index. Most publications indexed are available in microfiche, print or online formats.

III. Local Documents

The UTK Libraries has a limited collection of local documents, with publications from the City of Knoxville, Knox County, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, and the East Tennessee Economic Development Agency. Documents received from local agencies are cataloged and shelved with the general library collection. Publications of local planning agencies issued by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development are kept in pamphlet boxes in the Documents Annex. These include land use plans, subdivision regulations, zoning ordinances and traffic studies. These and other local municipal documents may also be available at the Municipal Technical Advisory Service. Many cities now include their budgets and other major documents on their Web pages, check Subject Guides – Countries, States, Cities, Maps

• Index to Current Urban Documents. 1972-2000
  Z7164.D.L8I45 Documents/Microforms

Indexes documents published by U.S. cities and counties, by subject and geographic area. The library holds the urban documents microfiche collection for four Tennessee cities: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville.

IV. International Organizations

United Nations publications are the largest collection of international documents collected by the UT Libraries. The Hodges Library holds a microfiche collection of UN official documents (1995-2008). Materials received cover a wide range of topics including economic and social development, disarmament, science and technology, education, area studies, and international trade. Official records and proceedings received in print through 1994 for the principal organs are shelved on the 4th floor:

• General Assembly: JX 1977.A41
• Economic and Social Council: HC 59.A193
• Security Council: JX 1977.A515
• Trusteeship Council: JX 4021.U3851
• Disarmament Commission: JX 1974.U412
• Trade and Development Board: HF 1410.U58
• United Nations Official Records 1995-present,

Arranged by the UN document number, these are located in the UN documents microfiche collection in the Documents Annex, room 120, JX1977.A2.

United Nations documents are indexed in:

• Access UN, 1998- A UT Libraries database

This index to United Nations documents and publications provides the full-text of resolutions, decisions and provisional verbatim records from plenary meetings.

• United Nations Documents Index (UNDI, UNDEX, UNDOC).1950-1996
  Z6482.U453 Print Index. Stacks

Subject and country index to general publications and official documents.

In addition, documents are received from specialized UN agencies such as the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), UNESCO, World Health Organization (WHO), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Materials from other intergovernmental organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), are also included in the library’s collection.

• SourceOECD A UT Libraries database

Provides additional access to full-text OECD periodical publications.

See international governmental organizations (Government Documents Round Table ) for additional information found on the Web.

All international agency materials received by the UT Libraries can be found in the online catalog by author/agency, title, and subject. Most are major studies, reports, statistical handbooks and yearbooks, treaties, official records, and proceedings. Many of the statistical publications of these organizations are listed in the:

• LexisNexis Statistical, 1973- A UT Libraries database

Provides a detailed index and abstracts to statistics in the publications of major international organizations. Access to publications is provided online, or is available in IIS microfiche collection in the Documents Annex, room 120, or check the online catalog for paper copy.

There is no print comprehensive bibliographic source to the publications of international organizations, although the larger organizations produce their own publication lists, bibliographies, and indexes such as the following:

• UNESCO List of Documents and Publications. 1972-
  Z6483.U5A353. 3rd Floor

Indexes all UNESCO publications.

V. Foreign Governments

Documents and official publications from very few other countries are received. Special emphasis is placed on legislative and statistical materials, and current economic and political topics. These can be found by checking the online catalog under the name of the country, title, or subject. In addition, check the web pages of foreign national governments (Northwestern University) for available full-text, or check the Library of Congress cooperative acquisitions program for publications acquired from foreign countries to help to identify titles.

VI. Citing Government Publications

• A Brief Guide to Citing Government Publications (University of Memphis)


• Citing Government Information Sources Using MLA Style (University of Nevada, Reno)


• Style Manuals


• Cheney, Debora. The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources: A Manual for Social Science & Business Research.
  Bethesda, MD: Congressional Information Service, 2002.
  Reference J9.5.G37