Skip to main content
An official website of the United States Government Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official Government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
  • GPO
    • U.S. Government Publishing Office
    • govinfo
    • U.S. Government Bookstore
    • Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government
GPO
  • Contact Us
  • Login
FDLP
  • Depository Tools
    • Federal Depository Library Directory
    • askGPO
    • FDLP Data Manager (FDM)
    • Claims
    • Depository Selection Information Management System (DSIMS)
    • Print Distribution Dashboard
    • Item Lister
    • List of Classes
    • Reporting Publications
    • GovInfo
    • FDLP eXchange
    • PURL Usage Reporting Tool
    • Shipping Lists
    • WEBTech Notes
    • UNION-L
    • LSCM GitHub Repositories
    • FDLP Resource Guides
    • Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government
  • Requirements & Guidance
    • Regulations
    • Guidance
    • Instructions
    • Collections & Databases
    • Promotion
    • FDLP eXchange Tips
  • Preservation
    • Preservation at GPO
    • Trusted Digital Repository Audit and Certification
  • About The FDLP
    • Superintendent of Documents
    • Depository Library Council
    • Join the FDLP
    • FDLP Academy
    • LSCM Digital Imaging Efforts
    • FDLP Training
    • Events and Conferences
    • FDLP Events Calendar
    • Projects
    • Collaborations with GPO
    • File Repository
    • Mission & History
    • Digital FDLP Implementation
    • Notable Numbers
    • The National Collection
  • Cataloging & Classification
    • GPO Cataloging Guidelines
    • Superintendent of Documents Classification Guidelines
    • Cataloging Record Distribution Program
    • Cataloging & Indexing
    • Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
    • Sources of GPO Cataloging Records
    • GPO Statement on Outdated and Offensive Language
  1. Home
  2. Overview of GPO’s Catalog Records

Overview of GPO’s Catalog Records

  • Last Updated: April 15, 2025
  • Published: January 19, 2016

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

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 government publications as well as publications retrospectively cataloged.

GPO is a member of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), which includes the BIBCO, CONSER, NACO, and SACO programs. GPO follows the requirements of these programs and other international standards (including RDA) to the extent possible, to achieve the highest practical level of detail and quality in bibliographic and authority records. The adherence to PCC and RDA standards and overall level of detail in bibliographic records varies according to GPO local practices for different types of records, such as those that were batch processed or received from cataloging partners. In a MARC record, the  indicates the level of detail that was used for cataloging, and the MARC field 040 indicates the cataloging standards followed (PCC, RDA, and/or GPO Local).

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.”

Most 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.

Most 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 also used in records for online format resources when they are in the scope of the FDLP.

Item numbers are not included in records for distributed publications in the following situations:

  • Special Selection Offers, which libraries request to receive and are not distributed based on item number selection
  • 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 updates CGP records when required to maintain the accuracy and currency of the CGP. This 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 changed or updated record may be added to your catalog as a new record in your catalog.

Deleted Bibliographic Records

Catalog records are occasionally deleted from the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications for various reasons. Examples are:

  • A duplicate CONSER authenticated serial record is removed when the duplicates are identified.
  • Monograph records are removed from the CGP when it is decided they should be cataloged together as a serial; the monograph records will remain in OCLC, however, with GPO’s holdings removed.

Lists of deleted records are in CGP Records Monthly Files in the CGP on GitHub Repository.

If you have records in your local catalog that GPO has deleted from the CGP and you concur with GPO’s decision, you can also remove the records from your catalog.

If your library is acquiring GPO catalog records from a specific resource or service, we recommend that you check into the descriptions of the records in the services to see how they are being made available. Most will include new and changed records, either in separate files or together in one file, and some will include deleted records.

Questions

For more information, see the GPO Cataloging Guidelines.

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 has information about class and item number updates or changes.

  • Overview of GPO’s Catalog Records
    • About GPO Cataloging
    • Changed or Updated Bibliographic Records
    • Deleted Bibliographic Records
    • Questions

Related Resources

  • Sources of GPO Cataloging Records
  • GPO Cataloging Guidelines
  • LSCM Metadata and Collection Services Information Portal: Cataloging Resources
  • Exploring Cataloging of Federal Government Documents at GPO (3-part webcast series)
  • Cataloging and Indexing at the U.S. Government Publishing Office (webcast)
  • Reporting uncataloged Federal publications to GPO
FDLP

Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) • 732 N Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC 20401

Privacy Policy

Connect with GPO