Federal Government Documents

Some of Biddle’s federal documents are housed in Tanenbaum Hall in Biddle Law Library, while others are housed in the William Draper Lewis Collection in Silverman Hall (also known as the “Lewis Collection”). Those housed in Silverman Hall are in closed stacks and have to be retrieved by library staff. If you need a document shelved in the Lewis Collection, go to the Circulation Desk to request that the book be retrieved for you.

If you know the SuDoc number:

1. Do a Government Documents Number search on Catalog Search.
2. Note the location of the item. If the item is located in Biddle, record the Biddle call number (different from the SuDoc number) and retrieve the item from the shelf. If the item is in the Lewis Collection, go to the Circulation Desk and ask to have the item retrieved by staff. Use the Su Doc number as the “call number.”

If you know the title of the document:

1. Do a title search in Catalog Search. Note the location of the item.
2. If the item is located in Biddle, record the call number and retrieve the item from the shelf. If the item is in the Lewis Collection, go to the Circulation Desk and request that it be retrieved by staff.

If the title is not cataloged in either Catalog Search or the old card catalog:

Ask a Reference Librarian for assistance. The Reference Librarian will determine whether or not Biddle is likely to have the document you need by consulting the latest List of Classes of United States Government Publications Available for Selection by Depository Libraries, located in Ready Reference, SuDoc #: [SuDocs GP 3.24].

If you do not know the title or the SuDoc number:

If you have only an author, subject or keyword of a document, you can try searching Catalog Search or the card catalog. However, it will be easier to find if you have the title or SuDoc number. There are several indexes, listed here, that might help you determine exactly which document you are looking for.