LSU Libraries
Government Documents

In the Online Catalog

There are a number of ways to find government documents in the online catalog. If you need a government publication on a particular topic, then try an "Advanced Search" on your topic, then scroll down the screen to the "library:" option and choose "Government Documents/Microforms, Middleton". There are a few Government Documents housed in other collections which this search might not find, but most documents will be searched.

For instance:
keywords anywhere - seat belts; choose library - Government Documents/Microforms, Middleton
or
keywords anywhere - gun control; choose library - Government Documents/Microforms, Middleton

If you are looking for a specific document, then try searching for it by title. Documents often have very long names, and people usually refer to them by a shortened version or nickname. The Warren Report, for example, is actually Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. This is particularly true of regulations and laws. If your title search doesn't pull anything up, then try a search like the ones above on the subject of the document.

You can also try looking up documents by the department that issued them (this is why it's helpful to know the government and what each department and agency produces). The form for an author search for government documents in the online catalog will usually look like this:

For instance:
author - united states. bureau of labor statistics.
author - united states. environmental protection agency
author - united states. department of the army

Important!
The online catalog only has records for government documents published on or after 1976. If you need a specific document from an earlier time, then it won't be in the online catalog. Ask a librarian to help you find it, or call the reference desk.

Back            Next



Comments | LSU Libraries | Louisiana State University | Library Instruction
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Tel (225) 578-5652 | Fax (225) 578-9432
Copyright © 1998-2008 LSU Libraries
URL: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/instruction/govdocs/govdocs05.html
Last Updated: Wednesday, 06-Aug-2008 09:24:28 CDT
 		LSU Logo