SUDOC CALL NUMBER
SYSTEM
SUDOC CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM
National call number system for United
States government publications
Stands for Superintendent of Documents –
the office in the Government Printing
Office that developed and assigns the call
nos.
Arranges publications by issuing agency,
not by subject
SUDOC (con.)
Call nos. begin with letters that stand for the issuing
agency, such as:
A = Agriculture Dept.
C = Commerce Dept.
EP = Environmental Protection Agency
HE = Health & Human Services Dept.
J = Justice Dept.
NAS = NASA
PREX = President’s Executive Office
TD = Transportation Dept.
Y = Congressional committees
EXAMPLES OF SUDOC
NUMBERS:
A 13.2:C 12/8
D 301.82/3:St 8
EP 1.76:6/4
HE 20.3902:K 73
L 2.3:2495
PREX 2.8:998
Y 4.J 89/2:S.HRG.107-604
Call numbers are on the covers, at the top left, for
unbound materials.
Bound volumes often have the
number on the spine.
SUDOC (CON.)
A SuDoc number is composed of two
parts:
the stem which designates the issuing
agency and publication series
the book number which identifies each
publication in the series as a unique item
A colon (:) divides the two parts of the
number.
Example: HE 20.8216:88
Stem: HE 20.8216:
Book number: 88
SUDOC (CON.)
It may help to think of the stem as
representing the “first line” of the call
number.
The book number is the “second line”
of the call number.
SUDOC (con.)
Publications are first filed
alphabetically by the initial letter(s):
A 1.75: (Agriculture Dept.)
AC 1.16: (Arms Control & Disarmament Agency)
AE 2.108: (National Archives)
C 3.2: (Commerce Dept.)
HE 1.28: (Health & Human Services Dept.)
SUDOC (CON.)
The number following the letter(s) is
shelved numerically:
C 3.
C 55.
C 61.
SUDOC (CON.)
The number following the period is a
whole number, not a decimal:
HE 20.9: nine comes before
HE 20.44: forty-four which comes before
HE 20.221: two hundred twenty-one
SUDOC (CON.)
The number following the colon (:) may
begin with a letter or a number and is
filed accordingly – alphabetically or
numerically.
HE 20.402:AD 2
HE 20.402:R 24
Or
HE 20.8216:17
HE 20.8216:86
SUDOC (con.)
Use the punctuation marks to break
SuDoc numbers into smaller sections.
Compare numbers section by section
until something is different – put in
order according to the first difference:
Correct order:
Y 4. J 89/ 1: 108/ 12
Y 4. J 89/ 2: S.Hrg. 105- 74
SUDOC (con.)
Another example. Once the first difference is
found, there is no need to consider later
sections of the number, if any.
In correct order:
Y 4.H 81/3:EL 2/9/2001
Y 4.H 81/3:EL 2/22
SUDOC (con.)
When one number you are comparing has more sections than the
other, nothing in a particular position comes before something
in that same position.
In correct order:
C 3.186: P-60/113
C 3.186/2: 989
C 3.186/7: 986
C 3.186/7-3: 970-987
C 3.186/9: 985
SUDOC (con.)
The last element of a SuDoc number is sometimes a
year – but years before 2000 were represented by the
last 3 digits of the year only
Correct order:
HE 20.402:D 34/986 (dated 1986)
HE 20.402:D 34/995 (dated 1995)
HE 20.402:D 34/2001 (dated 2001)
SUDOC (con.)
When comparing years, letters, and numbers (that is
when they fall in the same section of the call
number) the order is: (1) Years, (2) Letters, (3)
Numbers. (Another way to say that is: years before
regular numbers, letters before numbers).
Correct order:
A 1.35:993 [year]
A 1.35:R 42 [letter]
A 1.35:R 42/995 [letter/year]
A 1.35:R 42/2 [letter/number]
A 1.35:321 [number]
SUDOC (con.)
Another example of years before
numbers:
Correct order:
A 13.28:C 42
A 13.28:C 42/997
A 13.28:C 42/2
A 13.28:C 42/2/990
A 13.28:C 42/3
SUDOC (con.)
Some stems, particulary in the Y 4.’s,
use both styles of numbering, some in
combination. Look for the stem area
and then find the sub-group that
matches the style of number you are
looking for.
SUDOC (con.)
Y 4 – example of multiple style groups:
Y 4.J 89/2: C 43/8/986 (letter group first)
Y 4.J 89/2: 96-62 (numbered group next)
Y 4.J 89/2: S.hrg.103-284
(senate hearing numbered group next)
Y 4.J 89/2: S.prt.101-54
(senate print numbered group last)
SUDOC (con.)
Which call number is a SuDoc
number?
1. TD 8.2:M 46/14
2. TD 424.4 .M47 P75 2006
SUDOC (CON.)
1. TD 8.2:M 46/14
2. TD 424.4 .M47 P75 2006
No. 1 is a SuDoc call number
SuDoc numbers have a colon (:) and
sometimes slashes (/). Library of
Congress (LC) call numbers do not.
SUDOC (CON.)
Which SuDoc number comes first?
1. S 1.2:Se 2/4
2. S 1.2:Se 3
SUDOC (CON.)
1. S 1.2:Se 2 /4
2. S 1.2:Se 3
No. 1 comes first. Stop after the first
difference between the two numbers
SUDOC (CON.)
Which SuDoc number comes first?
1. HE 20.8102:D 84/3
2. HE 20.8102:D 84/990
SUDOC (CON.)
1. HE 20.8102:D 84/3
2. HE 20.8102:D 84/990
No. 2 comes first. 990 represents the
year 1990. Years come before other
numbers.
SUDOC (CON.)
Which SuDoc number comes first?
1. HE 20.12:Am 3
2. HE 20.111:53
SUDOC (CON.)
1. HE 20.12:Am 3
2. HE 20.111:53
No. 1 comes first. The number
following the period is a whole
number, not a decimal
SUDOC (CON.)
Which SuDoc number comes first?
1. J 28.15/2-3:995
2. J 28.15:2000
SUDOC (CON.)
1. J 28.15/2-3: 995
2. J 28.15: 2000
No. 2 is first. Put the part of the
number before the colon (:) in order
before the part of the number after the
colon.
LOCATION OF SOME
MAJOR U.S. SETS
Some large sets are shelved separately
and do not have call numbers
LOCATION OF SOME
MAJOR U.S. SETS
Census
Publications that make up the decennial
Census of Population & Housing or the
Economic Census are shelved in a
separate Census Collection
They are not shelved by SuDoc numbers
but by Census name and then
chronologically
LOCATION OF SOME
MAJOR U.S. SETS
Congressional Serial Set
Shelved at the beginning of the Y’s by
volume number.
Unbound House & Senate reports and
documents are shelved immediately
following the Serial Set – these are
eventually bound and become part of the
Serial Set.
LOCATION OF SOME
MAJOR U.S. SETS
Congressional Serial Set (con.)
Unbound House & Senate reports and
documents are shelved alphabetically by
series name, i.e. House Documents are
first, then House Reports, then Senate
Documents, etc.
LOCATION OF SOME
MAJOR U.S. SETS
Congressional Serial Set (con.)
Indexes & catalogs give SuDoc nos. for
unbound reports & documents ranging
from Y 1.1/3: - Y 1.1/8:
There is a chart in the shelf area to help
convert these SuDoc numbers to
report/document type.