SuDocs call numbers are used to shelve government documents.  The term SuDocs is short for "Superintendent of Documents," the title of the person in charge of overseeing the distribution of government documents.  

Parts of a SuDocs call number: NAS 1.83:2000-11-205-MSFC

• NAS: indicates the agency responsible, in this case NASA
• 1: indicates the issuing bureau within the agency
• 83: indicates the type of document
• Colon: breaks the number up
• 2000-11-205-MSFC: unique number given to each document

Tips to finding documents on the shelves

1. SuDocs is not a decimal system.  The number after the point is a whole number

2. If the call number is the same up to a certain point, then varies, the order is: Years, letters, numbers

Until the year 2000, the first number (the 1) was dropped from years, so those years only have three digits.  Beginning with the year 2000, the years have four digits.

3. If the call number stem (the numbers before the colon)  has numbers slashed (/)onto the base number, the base number comes first, followed by the slashed numbers in order.  The same rule applies to numbers dashed (-) onto other numbers or letters.

Please visit the website of the Michigan State University Library for more explanations and a fun (yes, fun!) quiz on reading SuDocs numbers.  

If you have any other questions, please stop by the Government Documents Office (Andruss Library 235) or call 389-4228 for assistance. You may also contact me for help.

Last updated: February 15, 2005