GPO catalog records are those created for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and Cataloging and Indexing Program (C&I), programs of the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO). This article provides a high-level overview of the characteristics of these records.
About GPO Cataloging
GPO cataloging data consists of MARC records for materials published by all three branches of the Federal Government. Publication types include:
- Books (print and online versions)
- Serials
- Maps
- Websites
- E-books
- Microfiche
- Audiovisual materials
These materials are cataloged by GPO staff.
See the FDLP Notable Numbers web page for data about the number and types of records recently cataloged.
The catalog records are viewable in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP), which is the authoritative source for all GPO bibliographic records. The records describe new Federal agency publications as well as older material being cataloged for the first time for the FDLP and C&I.
GPO is following national and international standards (including RDA) as well as GPO local practices.
GPO is a member of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), which includes the BIBCO, CONSER, NACO, and SACO programs. GPO follows the standards of these international programs to the extent possible, to achieve the highest level of detail and quality in bibliographic and authority records. Due to the large quantity of bibliographic records added to the CGP, not all can be PCC authenticated. The level of detail in bibliographic records varies according to policies for different types of records, such as those that were batch processed or received from cataloging partners. In a MARC record, the encoding level field indicates the level of detail that was used for cataloging.
GPO currently uses the separate record approach to cataloging, which means that there will be a separate catalog record created for each format of a publication, with 776 MARC fields linking them.
GPO previously cataloged multiple formats of a publication, such as print, online, and microfiche versions, on the same record. This is the single-record approach, used for cataloging until October 1, 2008.
Bibliographic records cataloged by GPO include the OCLC symbol “GPO” in the 040 MARC field, while authority records contain “DGPO.”
The majority of records include an OCLC record number. Older records and records from specific GPO projects, such as the Iowa Poster Project, may not have OCLC numbers.
Records describing online materials contain PURLs, which are stable URLs. These link to electronic content on GPO’s GovInfo, GPO servers, agency websites, and official FDLP partner sites or servers.
GPO does not link to unofficial versions of online resources.
The majority of records are for English-language materials, but GPO also catalogs non-English materials published by Federal agencies.
GPO often catalogs publications as part of projects, which may result in high volumes of records for similar publications in short periods of time. See the LSCM Library Technical Services Information Portal: Cataloging/Metadata Initiatives for more information about current projects.
GPO catalog records for publications distributed to depository libraries typically contain an item number in MARC Field 074. Item numbers are not included in records for distributed publications in the following situations:
- Tangible publications distributed prior to the implementation of the item number system, circa 1940.
- Digital reproductions of publications distributed prior to the implementation of the item number system.
- Digital reproductions of publications that were not previously distributed, if the SuDocs assigned predates the item number system.
- Digital reproductions of publications that were not previously distributed, if from inactive or defunct issuing agencies.
Some cataloging project records do not include item numbers, such as the those in the U.S. Congressional Serial Set project and the Congressional bills and resolutions in GovInfo project. Some GPO cataloging projects include some records with item numbers and some without. Project examples include Pilot Project 1 and The Federal Reserve Archival System for Economic Research (FRASER).
Records without an item number will typically have a MARC 500 note indicating FDLP distribution status or an explanation for the lack of an item number.
Changed or Updated Bibliographic Records
GPO strives to maintain the accuracy and currency of the CGP. Database maintenance involves changes and updates to records for multiple reasons, including but not limited to:
- Revisions to item numbers and SuDocs classification numbers
- Updating or addition of PURLs
- Revisions to subject headings
- Cessation of serials
- Serial title changes
- Addition of linking entry fields for:
- Other formats (print, online, microfiche)
- Different editions (language versions)
- Preceding, succeeding, and related serials
You can use a changed or updated record to overlay an existing record in your library’s catalog if one exists. This process is almost always facilitated by a match on an OCLC number. When the changed record is loaded, it will match to any existing record by the OCLC number and overlay it with the new or updated information. When adding changed records to your catalog, identify any measures or parameters in the catalog system for the protection of various MARC fields.
If your library doesn’t have the earlier record in the system to overlay, the newer record may be added to the catalog.
Questions
If you have questions, please submit an askGPO inquiry.
- For questions about GPO cataloging, select the tile "Federal Depository Library" and the Category "Cataloging/Metadata (Policy and Records)".
- For questions more specifically about SuDocs or other classification numbers or item numbers, select the tile "Federal Depository Library" and the Category "Classification and Item Numbers".
You can also check WebTech Notes, which can provide you with information about class and item number updates or changes.