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Federal Legislative History Research

You will need a sudoc number if you plan on retrieving the materials in print

Superintendent of Documents Classification System (also known as SuDoc Numbers)

The Superintendent of Documents classification system (SuDocs) was established in approximately 1900. The SuDocs classification system is an alphabetical-numerical system whereby materials are arranged according to their origin; materials are grouped together according to which department, bureau, agency or office issued the document. This means that materials are not grouped together according to subject. One difficulty with this system of arrangement is that it lies at the mercy of government reorganizations; publications of a governmental entity can and will be classed in various locations.

The Superintendent of Documents Classification system is a hierarchical system wherein material is arranged first by the parent agency and then by sub agencies. The system is quite logical and easy to use once its essentials are grasped. Each full notation reveals the issuing agency and its place in the hierarchical structure of the Federal Government. This classification scheme does not reveal the author in the sense of revealing the person or group responsible for the content of the document.

Each executive department and agency, the Judiciary, the Congress, and other major independent federal offices and/or divisions are assigned a letter in the classification scheme based upon the the name of the agency or department. For example, 'Ju' designates the Judiciary and 'L' designates Labor. Subordinate groupings are designated by a number. For example, 'JU 6' designates the United States Supreme Court while 'L 28' designates the Employees' Compensation Appeals Board.
 

Agency/Title

 

A

Agriculture

AE

National Archives and Records Administration

B

Broadcasting Board of Governors

C

Commerce Department

CC

Federal Communications Commission

CR

Civil Rights Commission

D

Defense Department

E

Energy Department

ED

Education Department

EP

Environmental protection Agency

FA

Fine Arts Commission

FCA

Farm Credit Administration

FHF

Federal Housing Financing Board

FM

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

FMC

Federal Maritime Commission

FR

Federal Reserve System Board of Governors

FT

Federal Trade Commission

FTZ

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

GA

Government Accountability Office

GP

Government Printing Office

GS

General Services Administration

HE

Health and Human Services Department

HH

Housing and Urban Development Department

HS

Homeland Security

I

Interior Department

IC

Interstate Commerce Commission

ID

US Agency for International Development

ITC

International Trade Commission

J

Justice Department

JU

Judiciary

L

Labor Department

LC

Library of Congress

LR

National Labor Relations Board

MS

Merit Systems Protection Board

NAS

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NC

National Capital Planning Commission

NCU

National Credit Union Administration

NF

National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities

NMB

National Mediation Board

NS

National Science Foundation

OP

Overseas Private Investment Corporation

P

United States Postal Service

PE

Peace Corps

PM

Personnel Management Office

PR

President of the United States

PREX

Executive Office of the President

PRVP

Vice President of the United States

RR

Railroad Retirement Board

S

State Department

SBA

Small Business Administration

SE

Securities and Exchange Commission

SI

Smithsonian Institution

SSA

Social Security Administration

T

Treasury Department

TD

Transportation Department

TDA

US Trade and Development Agency

VA

Veterans Affairs Department

X and Y

Congress