Research Guides: Government and Law: SuDoc Call Number

Government Documents at JMU Libraries

This library is a congressionally designated depository for U.S. Government documents. Public access to the government

documents collection is guaranteed by public law.

(Title 44 United States Code)

Explaining Call Numbers

Government documents in Carrier Library are organized using Superintendent of Documents call numbers, called SuDocs numbers for short.

The SuDocs system is arranged alphabetically, based on the agency that issued the document (A for Department of Agriculture, C for Commerce Department, etc.; see the chart below for agency classifications).

The next number in the call number string designates the subagency within the issuing agency that authored the document.

This is followed by the series and/or document title number, then a colon (only SuDocs call numbers have a colon!)

The SucDoc number before the colon is the “stem;” following the colon are numbers that identify the specific title or piece of the serial publication.

For example:

JU 13.2:IM 6

Immigration Law: A Primer, published by Federal Judicial Center, 2009.

Y 4.J 89/1:110-42

Comprehensive immigration reform : government perspectives on immigration statistics : hearing before the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, first session, June 6, 2007.

Agency classifications used at the beginning of SuDoc call numbers:

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	NA	National Academy of Sciences
D	Defense Department	NAS	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
DC	District of Columbia	NC	National Capital Planning Commission
E	Energy Department	NCU	National Credit Union Administration
ED	Education Department	NF	National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities
EP	Environmental Protection Agency	NMB	National Mediation Board
FA	Fine Arts Commission	NS	National Science Foundation
FCA	Farm Credit Administration	OP	Overseas Private Investment Corporation
FEM	Federal Emergency Management Agency	P	United States Postal Service
FHL	Federal Home Loan Bank Board	PM	Personnel Management Office
FM	FM Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service	Pr	President of the United States
FMC	Federal Maritime Commission	PrEx	Executive Office of the President
FR	Federal Reserve System Board of Governors	R	Railroad Retirement Board
FT	Federal Trade Commission	S	State Department
FTZ	Federal Trade Zone Board	SBA	Small Business Administration
GA	Federal Accounting Office	SE	Securities and Exchange Commission
CP	Government Printing Office	SI	Smithsonian Institution
GS	General Services Administration	T	Treasury Department
HE	Health and Human Services Department	TC	International Trade Commission
HH	Housing and Urban Development Department	TD	Transportation Department
HS	Homeland Security, Department of	VA	Veterans Administration
I	Interior	X and Y	Congress
IC	International Communication Agency	Y4	Congressional Committees