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  1. Home
  2. Superintendent of Documents Classification Guidelines
  3. U.S. Participation in International Organizations

U.S. Participation in International Organizations

  • Last Updated: July 25, 2023
  • Published: November 12, 2021

The U.S. Government participates in international organizations. Numerous publications of these organizations are published simultaneously by the United States and other countries. The U.S. portions of these organizations may also publish separate publications. 

  • Bilateral organizations are those in which the U. S. Government participates with either Mexico or Canada.
  • Multilateral organizations are those governed by more than one nation, country, or government to work together for a common goal. Examples include the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN).

Refer to the sections of the U.S. Government Manual on Bilateral and International Organizations for descriptions of the organizations with which the United States participates. 

Separately published publications of these international organizations are classed under the U.S. Department of State, since participation in these organizations is in the realm of foreign relations.

Example:

S 3.25: Joint annual report (International Boundary Commission)

The International Boundary Commission is a bilateral organization between the United States and Canada.

Partnerships between a U.S. Government agency and an international organization are classified under the U.S. issuing body.

Example:

I 19.174:146 The water cycle for kids

Issued by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. (FAO)

If United States membership in an international organization is implemented through an act of Congress, the organization’s publications are classed in the Y 3. class. See Congressional and Legislative Branch Publications, ‘Y 3. - Boards, Commissions, and Independent or Temporary Committees’ for instruction on classification in the Y 3. class.

Example:

Y 3.EN 8:2 G 76 North American Grasslands Alliance (Commission for Environmental Cooperation)

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation is a multilateral organization with Canada, Mexico and the United States as members.

Only publications of the U.S. delegations or commissions are assigned SuDocs classification numbers. Publications issued by the international organization as a whole are not considered U.S. Government publications; they are not within scope of the FDLP and are not assigned SuDocs numbers.

Classification Guidelines

  • Introduction to the Classification Guidelines
  • The Classification System: A Brief History
  • Structure of the Classification Number
    • Sorting in SuDocs Order
      • Example of a SuDocs Sort
  • Class Stems
    • Letter Author Symbols
    • New Agency Classes
    • Joint Publications from Different Agencies
    • Publications Prepared by One Agency for Another
    • Serials with Changing Publishers
    • Joint Publications Issued in Series
    • Subordinate Offices
      • First and Second Levels
      • Assignment of Classes 
      • Third and Fourth Levels
      • Joint Publications from Different Subagencies
      • Name Changes and Reorganizations
  • Category Classes
    • Most Frequently Used Category Classes
      • .1 - Annual reports
      • .2 - General publications
      • .8 - Handbooks, manuals, and guides
      • .11 - Maps and Charts
      • .12 - Posters
    • Less Frequent Category Classes
      • .3 - Bulletins
      • .4 - Circulars
      • .5 - Laws
      • .6 - Regulations, rules, and instructions
      • .7 - Press releases
      • .9 - Bibliographies and Lists of Publications
      • .10 - Directories
      • .13 - Forms
      • .14 - Addresses
  • Cutter Numbers
    • Cutter Table and Its Use
      • Filing Order for Cutter Numbers
      • Slash Numbers
      • Selecting Cutter Words
      • Words to Avoid when Cuttering
      • Sets With a Collective Title
      • Foreign Language Editions
      • Numbers in Titles
      • Cuttering Acronyms and Initialisms
    • Cuttering: Geographic Topics  
      • Cuttering Related Documents Covering the Same Subject but Different Geographic Area
      • General Subjects and Geographic Terms
      • Cuttering Geographic Terms Using Personal Names
      • Maps
      • Cuttering Multi-Part Geographic Names
      • State Cutter Numbers
    • State Cutter Numbers
  • Additions to Book Numbers
    • Dates
      • Year Format
      • Dates for Revised Editions
      • Punctuation in Dates or Date Ranges
    • Volume, Part, Chapter, and Section Numbers
      • Volume Number and Date: Which Comes First?
    • Words and Abbreviations
      • Foreign-language Publications
    • Multiple Word Phrases in a Suffix
    • Multiple Versions of a Publication
      • Corrected Copies of Numbered Volumes
    • Standard Abbreviations and Words
    • State Abbreviations
  • Classes by Publication Type
    • Corrections
    • Errata
    • Preliminary, Initial, Draft, and Final Reports
    • Reprints
    • Preprints and Separates
    • Summaries and Executive Summaries
    • Electronic Products
    • Sets with Multiple Publication Types
  • Monographic Series
    • Identifying a Monographic Series
    • Assigning New Series Classes
      • Series Related to Existing Classes by Subject
    • Structure of the Series Class
    • Departmental Series vs. Bureau Series
    • Series Book Numbers
      • Series Numbering
      • Unusual Series Numbering
      • Series Numbering and Revised Editions
      • Numbering System Changes
      • Two Series on One Publication
      • Series Number versus Agency Control Number
    • Letters and Phrases Appearing on Publications
    • Volumes, Parts, or Sections
    • Publications Which Are Not Series or Serials
      • Multipart Monographs versus Series
      • Other Situations
  • Continuing Resources
    • Identifying a Continuing Resource
    • Serials
    • Integrating Resources
    • Assigning New Continuing Resource Classes
      • Works Related to Category Classes
      • Works Related to Existing Classes by Subject
      • New Classes to Reflect Changes for Existing Serials
      • Serials within Series: Separate Class Approach
      • Serials with a Constant Series Number
    • Cuttering a Serial or, When Not to Establish a New Class Stem for a Serial
      • Serials within Series: Cuttering Approach
      • Publications of Short Duration
      • Other cases for Cuttering
    • Serials Designation
      • Number 1 for First Month Appears Annually
      • Date incorporated in Series Number
      • Volume and Number
    • Date
      • Annual (and Less Frequent) Publications  
      • Semiannual Publications
      • Publications Issued Three or More Times a Year
      • Variations in Publication Cycles
      • Release Date vs. Coverage Date
    • Special Issues of Serials
      • Supplements
      • Indexes
    • Frequently Revised Monographs Cataloged as Serials
  • Presidential Publications
    • Presidential Committees and Commissions
    • Presidential Commissions vs Presidential Initiatives
    • Permanent Agencies Reporting to the President
    • Vice President of the United States
  • Congressional and Legislative Branch Publications
    • Y 4. - Congressional Committee Publications
      • Constructing the Committee Designation
      • Reorganized Committees and Name Changes
      • Joint Hearings
      • Publications Prepared by One Committee for the Use of Another
      • Individual Book Numbers
    • Y 1.-: - Congress as a Whole, House and Senate as a Whole
      • Individual Book Numbers
      • House and Senate Documents and Reports
      • Y 1.1/2: - U. S. Congressional Serial Set
      • Y 1.2/5: - United States Code
    • Boards, Commissions, and Independent or Temporary Committees Established by Congress
      • Boards, Commissions, and Committees Established within the Executive Branch
      • Y 3. Boards and Commissions Outside the Executive Branch
    • Y 4.2: and Y 4.3: - Select and Special Committees (As Appointed)
    • Y 7.1: - Memorial Addresses
    • Y 9. - Speeches
    • Y 10: and Y 11: - Subordinate Offices
    • X 1.1: - Congressional Record
    • XJH: and XJS: - House and Senate Journals
    • Y and X General Issues
      • Serial Publications
      • Star Prints
      • Erratum/Errata
  • U.S. Participation in International Organizations
  • Cartographic Resources
    • Category Classes for Maps and Charts
    • General Rules
    • U.S. Geological Survey Maps
      • Coordinates
      • Map Reference Numbers
      • Northwest Quadrant 
      • Northeast Quadrant
      • Southwest Quadrant
      • Southeast Quadrant
      • Edition Date
    • Bureau of Land Management Maps
    • U.S. Forest Service Maps
      • Revision Dates
    • National Ocean Service Nautical Charts
    • Map Types
  • Classification Guidelines for Digital Reproductions
    •  Classification by Type of Digital Reproduction
  • Superintendent of Documents Classification Guidelines for Specific Publications and Classes
    • A 13.28: - Forest Service OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) Maps
    • AE 2.106/3: - Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
    • I 53.11: - Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series
    • S 1.1: - Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS)
    • SI 8. - National Gallery of Art
    • Y 1.1/3: - The Constitution of the United States of America: analysis and interpretation: annotations of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to ...
    • Classing Publications in ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) Database
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Please submit your questions about the Superintendent of Documents Classification Guidelines via askGPO by choosing the “Federal Depository Library Program” tile and selecting the category “Cataloging/Metadata (Policy and Records).

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