Superintendent of Documents Classification System

What is the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) Classification System?

United States Government publications are classified by the Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) Classification System. This system was developed in the library of the Government Printing Office between 1895 and 1903. Like other classification schemes, the SuDoc system has expanded as the size and scope of the federal government has expanded.

The SuDoc system groups publications by government author. Government authors are federal departments, bureaus or agencies of the United States. Since the SuDocs system reflects the organizational structure of the federal government, government reorganization creates changes in the call number system. Thus, some series of publications can be located in several different places within a collection.

Examples of Reading SuDocs

Basic Reading

From the following illustration the searcher can know that this publication is a serial-specific issue 83-87 of the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

• The first letter/letters of a SuDoc number represents a government department or agency (parent organization).
  • TD for Transportation Department
• The letters are followed by a number representing the agency as a whole, or a subordinate office. This figure is followed by a period.
  • TD4. for Federal Aviation Administration
• After the period, there is a number designating the series or category grouping of publications followed by a colon.
  • TD4.10/4: for FAA Airworthiness Directive Listing
• The numbers after the colon represent individual publications in the series.
  • TD4.10/4: 83-87 for issues 83-87

Advanced Reading

There are various sub member designations that give added information. Among these:

• Series Designations:
  • TD4.408 for an FAA manual
• Geographic Designations:
  • TD.408/22 for an FAA Michigan manual
• Book Numbers:
  • TD4.10:52 for an FAA monograph
• Volume Numbers:
  • TD4.10/4: 83/PT1
• Dates:
  • TD4.10: 980 (1980)
• Subject Cutter Numbers:
  • C 42 for Chemistry

Find Documents on the Shelf

Here are some rules you can follow when looking for document call numbers on the shelf:

• The arrangement is alphabetical letter by letter.
• The number between the period and the colon is a whole number, not a decimal.
• After the colon, new lines in the number are shown by slash marks (/).

Current SuDocs in Use (Note: These symbols are subject to change.)

A	Agriculture Department	J	Justice Department
AC	Arms Control and Disarmament Agency	JU	Judiciary (Courts of the United States)
C	Commerce Department	L	Labor Department
CC	Federal Communications Commission	LC	Library of Congress
CR	Civil Rights Commission	LR	National Labor Relations Board
CSA	Community Services Administration
CZ	Panama Canal Company and Canal Zone Government	NA	National Academy of Sciences
		NAS	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
D	Defense Department	NC	National Capital Planning Commission
DC	District of Columbia	NCU	National Credit Union Administration
		NF NMB	National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities National Mediation Board
E	Energy Department	NS	National Science Foundation
ED	Education Department
EP	Environmental Protection Agency	OP	Overseas Private Investment Corporation
FA	Fine Arts Commission	P	United States Postal Service
FCA	Farm Credit Administration	PM	Personnel Management Office
FEM	Federal Emergency Management Agency	Pr	President of the United States
FHL	Federal Home Loan Bank Board	PrEx	Executive Office of the President
FM	Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
FMC	Federal Maritime Commission	R	Railroad Retirement Board
FR	Federal Reserve System Board of Governors
FT	Federal Trade Commission	S	State Department
FTZ	Federal Trade Zone Board	SBA	Small Business Administration
		SE	Securities and Exchange Commission
GA	Federal Accounting Office	SI	Smithsonian Institution
GP	Government Printing Office
GS	General Services Administration	T	Treasury Department
		TC	International Trade Commission
HE	Health and Human Services Department	TD	Transportation Department
HH	Housing and Urban Development Department
		VA	Veterans Administration
I	Interior Department
IC	International Communication Agency	X and Y	Congress