Introduction to Superintendent of Documents Classification (SuDoc) System
(mjm/smc, revised 8/99)
1. Because the University of Kentucky is a Regional Depository for United States Government publications, it houses a large collection of federal government publications for the use of all citizens in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
2. The United States Government publications are classified using the Superintendent of Documents Classification system (SuDoc).
3. The SuDoc classification system is an alpha-numeric system with separating spaces and punctuation. In each part of the SuDoc classification number, letters are always filed before numbers.
4. In the SuDoc system, each part of the call number represents something different. The following example outlines each of those parts:
C 61. 34: 987
Commerce International No. designating Year of
Department Trade the type of pubn. publication
Administration
- The first part of a SuDoc number is a letter or combination of letters that indicate the primary governmental agency or department responsible for the document. For example:
HE represents the Department of Health and Human Services
J represents the Department of Justice
It is important to remember that these letters are filed alphabetically with multiple letter combinations filed as words, meaning they are interfiled with SuDoc numbers that begin with single letters (sometimes referred to as “nothing before something” rule--see attached detailed explanation). For example, Ju would file after J, but before L:
J 1.2:
Ju 1.2:
L 1.2:
- The second part of a SuDoc call number consists of a numeral that indicates the office or division within the main agency that is responsible for the document. This part is filed as a whole number and is followed by a period. For example,
HE 20.4002:SM 1 (represents a publication from the Public Health Service within the
Dept. for Health and Human Services)
- Immediately following the period will be another number representing a series designation that may describe both the type of publication and the further division of the government agency. For example:
HE 20.4002:SM 1 (represents “General Publications” published by the Food and Drug Admin.)
This element is also filed as a whole number. Unlike the Library of Congress classification
system, it is not filed as a decimal number.
For example, in the SuDoc whole number system:
HE 1.24 comes before HE 1.230, which would come before HE 1.1213
But in the Library of Congress decimal system:
HE 1.1213 comes before HE 1.230, which would come before HE 1.24
The series number is often followed by a slash and then a number or numbers. The additional
numbers with no dash come before the same number with a dash. As you can see below, the
“nothing files before something” rule or “shorter numbers file before longer numbers” applies here as
well:
L 2.120 : 2 would come before
L 2.120/2 :1 , which would come before
L 2.120/2-2: 23.
8. A colon follows the series designation, and an alpha-numeric combination that indicates the specific publication being filed follows the colon. This sequence is known as a book number. The colon divides the class stem (agency/series information) from the book number. The book number may refer to a volume number (HE 1.12:13/2), an issue number (HE 1.12:7), a year (HE 1.12:987), a Cutter number (HE 1.12:AB 13) or a combination of these. The volume number, issue number, and year are filed numerically as whole numbers.
Cutter numbers are filed alphabetically by letter, then digit by digit, like decimal numbers in the
Library of Congress classification (see example above). This is true regardless of the amount of
numbers in a Cutter number, so any Cutter number beginning with “1” comes before any Cutter
number beginning with “2”, etc. By filing digit by digit, the publications will remain in alphabetical
order by subject. This means that they will not necessarily be filed in numerical order as whole
numbers.
9. Some older call numbers will be written on pieces on two lines with the break in the call number after the colon (colon will not appear in call number at all). These should be filed no differently than the newer call numbers which are printed all on one line as in examples below.
10. Following is an example of SuDoc numbers, with and without Cutter numbers, in proper order for some executive agency publications (note especially the filing order of the first two examples).
A 1.2 : B 49
A 1.2 : B 5
A 1.2 : 37
A 1.2 : 221/1
A 1.12 : 6/2
AC 1.1 : 1980-81
D 2.36 : AU 75
D 2.36 : AU 75f
D 12.1 : L 19
D 12.1 : 42/2
D 12.1 :1953
L 2.120/2 :1
L 2.120/2-2: 23
S 1.33 : C 42
S 1.33 : C 42/987*
S 1.33 : C 42/2**
S 1.33 : C 42/2/supp
S 1.33 : C 42/2/985
S 1.33 : CA 23
S 1.33 : D 45
SI 1.12 :1955
Although the examples above have their periods and colons lined up for the sake of clarity,
do not expect to see them look this way on actual publications.
* Note that S 1.33: C 42/987 is filed before S 1.33:C 42/2. The reason for this is that the /2 refers to a second, yet different, publication from the same agency while the /987 refers to a later edition of the original document numbered S 1.33:C 42. Since the Cutter “C42” comes before the Cutter “C42/2”, any yearly updates to different Cutter numbers will be filed following the appropriate Cutter instead of numerically at the end of all of the variations of that Cutter number. These dates can be recognized since they are always triple or quadruple number combinations, while Cutter numbers have either single or double numbers following their slash.
** Occasionally, you will encounter older publications that have raised or “superscript” numbers at the end of the Cutter number instead of a slash and a number. These should be treated as meaning the same thing and interfiled where appropriate. For example, the following numbers should be interfiled on shelf even though one of them has a superscript number instead of a slash number:
EP 1.2/2:
EP 1.2
EP 1.2/4
11. For special rules regarding Congressional and Independent Agency publications, see separate instructions attached.
Congressional and Independent Agency Publications
(mjm/smc, revised 8/99)
1. The numbers for Congressional and Independent Agency publications (beginning with X, Y 1, Y 3, Y 4, Y 10, and Z) have a slightly different format. All numbers after an X, Y 10 or Z are filed numerically as whole numbers. The number after a Y 1, Y 3, or Y 4 is a Cutter number composed of letters and numbers. This number is based on an important word in the name of the committee or commission. Within the Y section, the Cutter number is shelved alphabetically and then numerically. In the Y 3 and Y 4 sections, the Cutter number is often followed by a slash and then a number or numbers. The additional numbers with no dash come before the same number with a dash. For example:
Y 3.F 31/21:10/104 would come before
Y 3.F 31/21-3:1/1988 which would come before
Y 3.F 31/22:2 AD 9
Y 4.J 89/1:98-100 would come before
Y 4.J 89/1-12:984 which would come before
Y 4.J 89/2:99-10
2. After the colon, several types of individual book numbers are used in the Y 4 section: dates, Congress numbers, volumes, abbreviations, and Cutter numbers. When used after a colon, a Cutter number is taken from an important word in the title of the document. Usually, for each class number, only one type of book number will be used, especially in the Y 3’s. However, if both letters and numbers are used for the same class number, shelve lettered publications before the numbered ones (letters before numbers rule) as you see below:
Y 4.J 89/1:AD 65
Y 4.J 89/1:104/23
Y 4.J 89/2:C 55/2
Y 4.J 89/2:98/52
After the colon in the Y 3 section, there is usually an additional number before the book number
begins. Since all of the information before the colon in the Y 3 numbers is used to identify the
independent agency, the first number or combination of numbers following the colon becomes the
series designation. As you can see in the first example below, there is often no punctuation, just a
space, to divide this series designation number from the rest of the SuDoc number, especially when
the rest of the number consists of a Cutter number:
Y 3.F31/21-3 (Federal Labor Relations Authority):5 (Laws) T21 (book number)
Y 3.F31/21-3 (Federal Labor Relations Authority):10-4 (FLRA Decisions) / 230 (book number)
3. There are some exceptions to the “letters before numbers” rule in the Y 4 section. They are the Senate
Hearings (S.hrg.), the Senate Prints (S.prt.), the Senate Publications (S.pub.), and the Ways and Means
Committee Print (WMCP). These are filed at the very end of each respective class stem (SuDoc
number up to the colon) and are referred to as “abbreviations”, not Cutter numbers.
4. Following are examples of several types of Congressional and Independent Agency SuDoc numbers in the correct order. Although these examples have their periods and colons lined up for the sake of clarity, do not expect to see them look this way on actual publications.
X 1.1 : 103-2-142
X 1.1 : 103-3-142
X 1.1 : 104-1
X 1.1/a: 144-3
X 1.1/1: 423
Y 1.1/3: 102-23
Y 1.1/3: S.pub. 103-21
Y 1.1/5: 102-23
Y 1.1/8: 105-112
Y 3.AD 6 : 1/1988
Y 3.AD 6 : 9/10
Y 3.AD 9/12 : 1/988
Y 3.AD 9/12 : 2 EC 23
Y 3.F 31/21-3: 8 P 42/2
Y 3.F 31/21-3: 10-4/230
Y 4 .AP 6/1 :B 49
Y 4 .AP 6/1 :B 49/985 *
Y 4 .AP 6/1 :B 49/2
Y 4 .AP 6/1 :98-105
Y 4 .AP 6/1 :103-68
Y 4 .AP 6/1 :S.hrg. 104-37
Y 4 .AP 6/1 :S.prt. 103-21
Y 4 .J 89/1 :Ad 65/2
Y 4 .J 89/1 :105/12
Y 4 .J 89/1 :105/13
Y 4 .J 89/1 :S.hrg. 102-49
Y 4 .J 89/1 :S.prt. 103-56
Y 4 .J 89/1 :S.prt. 103-60
Y 4 .J 89/1-12: D31
Y 4 .J 89/1-12: 984
Y 4 .J 89/2 : S23
Y 4 .J 89/2 : 99-10
Y 4 .W 36 :Ag 3
Y 4 .W 36 :C 143 **
Y 4 .W 36 :C 23
Y 4 .W 36 :93-K ***
Y 4 .W 36 :93-L
Y 4 .W 36 :93-AA
Y 4 .W 36 :S.hrg. 98-42
Y 4 .W 36 :S.prt. 98-1
Y 4 .W 36 :WMCP 97-3
Y 10.2 : F21
Z 2 .1 :1856
* Notice that Y 4.AP 6/1:B 49/985 is filed before Y 4.AP 6/1:B 49/2. Years of an original publication are still filed before a second, yet different, edition of a document issued by the same agency, as in the rest of the SuDoc collection.
** Notice that Y 4.W 36:C 143 is filed before Y 4.W 36:C 23. This is because Cutter numbers following the colon are filed as decimal numbers, i.e., digit by digit, with any Cutter number beginning with “1” coming before any Cutter number beginning with “2”, etc. Cutter numbers of differing lengths are very rare in SuDoc, but may occur occasionally.
*** Notice that Y 4.W 36:93-K is filed before Y 4.W 36:93-L and Y 4.W 36:93-AA. This is because letters appended to a Congress number are filed alphabetically first by single letters, then by double letters, then by triple letters, and so on. There are not many Congressional SuDoc numbers like these, so you may not see these often. It is also important to remember that these are different from a Cutter number.
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