Subject and Course Guides: Government Information: About the FDLP

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 Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is administered by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO).

Since 1813, select U.S. Government documents have been made available throughout the United States and its territories to designated libraries. These designated libraries are called Federal depository libraries.

As members of the FDLP, depository libraries play a prominent role in providing Federal Government information to the public. FDLP libraries collaborate on a local and national level to provide informed access to both historical and current Federal Government resources distributed through the FDLP and deposited in libraries across the country.

Anyone can visit Federal depository libraries and use the Federal depository collections which are filled with information on careers, business opportunities, consumer information, health and nutrition, legal and regulatory information, demographics, and numerous other subjects.

The authority for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and the legal obligations of designated Federal depository libraries are found in 44 United States Code §§1901‐1916.

SuDoc Classification

While most of the library's collection is classified by Library of Congress (LC) call numbers, government documents have their own classification system, SuDoc (Superintendent of Documents).

The letters at the beginning of the SuDoc determine how they are shelved and classified. Here's an example:

SuDoc breakdown

A Agriculture Department	J 1.14 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
AE National Archives & Records (NARA)	L Labor Department
B 1 Broadcasting Board of Governors	L 2 Bureau of Labor Statistics
C Commerce Department	L 35 Occupational Safety & Health Admin.
C 3 Census Bureau	LC Library of Congress
C 55 Nat’l Oceanic & Atmospheric (NOAA)	LR National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
CC Federal Communications Comm. (FCC)	MS Merit Systems Protection Board
CR Civil Rights Commission	NAS Nat’l Aeronautics & Space (NASA)
D Defense Department	NCU Nat’l Credit Union Administration
D 103 Engineers Corp (Army)	NF Nat’l Foundation - Arts & Humanities
E Energy Department	NMB National Mediation Board
ED Education Department	PREX Executive Office of the President
EP Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)	PREX 3 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
FEM Federal Emergency Mgmt. (FEMA)	PRVP Vice President of the United States
FHF Federal Housing Financing Board	S State Department
FMC Federal Maritime Commission	SBA Small Business Administration
FT Federal Trade Commission (FTC)	SE Securities & Exchange Comm. (SEC)
GA General Accountability Office (GAO)	SI Smithsonian Institute
GP Government Printing Office (GPO)	T Treasury Department
GS General Services Administration (GSA)	T 22 Internal Revenue Service
HE Health & Human Services Department	T 70 Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATFB)
HE 20.3000 Nat'l Institutes of Health (NIH)	TD Transportation Department
HE 20.6200 Nat’l Center for Health Statistics	VA Veterans Affairs Department
HE 20.7000 Centers for Disease Control & Prevention	X Congressional Record, House & Senate Journal
HH Housing & Urban Development Dept.	Y 1 House and Senate as a whole
HS Department of Homeland Security	Y 1.1/3 Senate Documents
I Interior Department	Y 1.1/4 Senate Treaty Documents
I 19 Geological Survey	Y 1.1/7 House Documents
IC Interstate Commerce Comm. (ICC)	Y 1.1/8 House Reports
IT Interstate Trade Comm. (ITC)	Y 3 Commissions & Boards
J Justice Department	Y 4 Congressional Committees