Government Documents - FAQ
- Where is the Government Documents Collection Located?
- Most of the department's collection of more than 520,000 government publications are stored in the ARS. We are in the process of moving our materials from the ARS to open shelves in the Lower Level of the Learning Commons. Those items now available on the open shelves will indicate a location of Government Documents Lower Level.
- When can I access the Government Documents collection?
- You can request some documents in OSCAR. Documents that are not in OSCAR can be requested at the Information Commons Desk during normal hours.
- What are government documents?
- A government document is a publication issued, published or financed by a government agency. Such agencies can be at international, national, state, regional, county, or local levels. In addition to typical government documents such as laws, congressional hearings, and court reports, there are a variety of materials on a wide range of topics. These include such things as census data, crop reports, educational reports, environmental studies, industrial surveys, health information, marketing research, legal materials, and statistics on just about any subject imaginable.
- Which government documents are collected by the library?
- The Orradre Government Documents Department is a selective depository for both United States and California state publications. In addition, some regional and local documents are collected. International documents (such as United Nations) are cataloged and in the general collection.
- Where are the government documents themselves located?
- Most documents are currently in the ARS.
- How do I find government documents?
- Monographs received after 1/94 are listed in Oscar. For earlier titles, consult the indexes in the Documents Reference Collection, or the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications on the Web. Other more specialized indexes are available at the Information Commons Desk. Please ask Infomation Commons Desk staff if you need assistance. Document periodical titles have brief cataloging and current check-in information in OSCAR. Increasingly, government information is available on line, variously in addition to or instead of print resources in the department. Department staff will assist users in identification and access if possible and appropriate.
- How are government documents organized?
- Federal Government Documents within the Documents Department are organized and shelved by the Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) classification system which is designed to group together publications by the same government author (or agency). Within an agency or department, publications are grouped according to the subordinate organizations. The purpose of this system is to uniquely identify, logically relate, and physically arrange each publication so that all publications from a single agency or department may be found together. California Documents are organized separately under a similar system.
- Do government documents circulate?
- The majority of government document monographs do circulate to the Santa Clara University campus community for three weeks, just like books from the main stacks. Reference materials and periodicals do not circulate out of the building, but users may make photocopies.
- How do I get more help?
- Please feel free to ask department staff for assistance. Many users will need additional help in order to find and utilize Government Documents effectively.
