Indexes and Abstracts:

Catalog of Government Publications

by Heather Braum

BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

U.S. Government Printing Office. (2007). Catalog of Government Publications. Retrieved April 24, 2007, from http://catalog.gpo.gov:80/F

PURPOSE

Instead of the old print editions that were bulky and constantly out-of-date, the Catalog of Government Publications says that it “is the finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive records for historical and current publications and provides direct links to those that are available online. Users can search by authoring agency, title, subject, and general key word, or click on “Advanced Search” for more options” (U.S. Government, 2007). It was created to allow users to search a constantly updated catalog of government publications.

AUTHORITY

The catalog is hosted and updated by the Government Printing Office, whose job is to publish and organize all published government materials. The work appears to be up-to-date, as the copyright is 2007. 

SCOPE

The database is limited to government publications published by the GPO. College students, unless they were serious researchers, would not be rushing to use this catalog, as it takes some time to learn how the searching process works. Even so, it provides an invaluable resource to all researchers, as the government publishes social science studies, science research reports, environmental reports, etc. The government does not just publish “political” or "legal" information.

FORMAT

The format of the catalog is not as user friendly as some databases may be. It would take some training to get used to the different ways to search the documents available in the database. At the same time, though, by allowing users to define the search with keywords or choosing some of the more advanced search features available, the users are able to locate what they are looking for, based on their own search terms.

ARRANGEMENT

The database is not arranged in anyway. The catalog is accessed through searches. Users can choose to use the basic search, which is available on the main portal of the Catalog’s webpage, or click on Advanced Search to access more search options. By choosing the advanced search option, the user can also choose the expert search option, browse the catalog by entering a starting word or two, or look at new titles. Specific collections within the catalog can also be searched. An index or sitemap would be helpful for browsing this database.

ENTRIES

When search terms are entered, records are located, and a record is selected, the information available includes the title of the work, the publisher information (the agencies responsible), the SuDoc number, the item number, a description of he item, the subjects of the item, and a search capability to locate the nearest federal depository that holds the item. The record also provides a link to the website where the document is located, if it is available electronically.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Special features for the catalog include the different levels of searches available to the users.

USE

This catalog/index can be used to locate obscure government documents, quickly find a document and what federal depository it can be found in that closest to you. It can be used to determine if a needed document is online. It basically can be used just like a normal library catalog, that indexes its library materials.

CRITIQUE

This resource is a great opportunity to locate needed governmental documents and determine where they can be found. The biggest problem with it is that some training in searching for government documents may need to be developed to help students learn to quickly use it. Without that training, students or normal patrons would never use the resource because it is not a catalog/index that one can sit down at and easily find what you are looking for on the first search query.

REFERENCES

U.S. Government Printing Office. (2007). Catalog of Government Publications. Retrieved April 24, 2007, from http://catalog.gpo.gov:80/F