GVSU became a federal depository library until 1963, so most of our holdings are under fifty years old. We do have some older documents, however, and if you do find a document you are interested in obtaining after using the following sources, you will want to check in the online catalog first to see if GVSU owns it. 

If the document is not found in the online catalog, the next step is to check in the Lexis Nexis U.S. Serial Set Digital Collection, because the document you are looking for may have been published in the Serial Set, American State Papers, or New American State Papers. The Digital Collection has the full text of these titles.  

Below you will find resources for finding historical documents in general, and then resources for finding documents in the Serial Set, American State Papers, or New American State Papers.

• Coverage:  1774-1881
• Editor:  Poore, Benjamin
• Location:  MAIN U.S. Government Documents--Reference
• Call #:  Z1223 .A 1885
• Description:  A chronological list of publications published from 1774 to 1881.  Entries include the title, author and date of each document.  SuDoc numbers are not provided so you will need to consult the Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1909 to find a SuDoc number, or check the online catalog to see if GVSU owns the item.

Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1909: Congressional to Close of Sixtieth Congress, Departmental to End of Calendar Year 1909.

• Coverage: 1789-1909
• Editor: Andriot, John
• Location:  MAIN U.S. Government Documents--Reference
• Call #:  GP 3.2: C 41/2
• Description: The general source of pre-20th century SuDoc numbers, this index lists publications of the U.S. Federal Government printed between 1789 and 1909.  Entries include issuing agency, SuDoc number, title, and publication date.  This index is organized by issuing agency and SuDoc number, and does not contain title or subject indexes, so you need to have a general idea of what agency issued the document you are looking for. 

CIS U.S. Serial Set Index, 1789-1969.

• Coverage:  1789-1969
• Location:  Seidman
• Call #:  Y 1.1/2: Index
• Description:  The Serial Set Index provides access, primarily by subject, to the over 14,000 volumes which appeared in the Serial Set from 1789 to 1969, as well as the documents in the American State Papers.  The documents in the New American State Papers can be accessed by using this index along with the New American State Papers Correlation List (Seidman  KF12 .U5 1975).
• You will likely find it easier to find information about specific subjects in the Serial Set by searching the Lexis Nexis U.S. Serial Set Digital Collection (only available to GVSU faculty, staff, and students).  
  

Guide to U.S. Government Publications

• Coverage:  1789-Present
• Location:  MAIN U.S. Government Documents--Reference
• Call #:  Z1223.Z7 A572
• Description:  This work covers serials from 1789 to the present and is a good source for tracking publications over time.  Entries include titles, SuDoc number stems, and ISSN for agency series.  This is NOT the source you want to consult if you are looking for an individual title or report. 

Comprehensive Index to the Publications of the United States Government, 1881-1893.

• Coverage:  1881-1893
• Editor:  Ames, John
• Location:  MAIN U.S. Government Documents--Reference
• Call #:  Z1223 .A 1905
• Description:  This work covers publications printed between 1881-1893.  It is arranged by subject, but does include an author index at the end of the second volume.  Entries include title, subject, author, issuing agency, date issued, and number of pages.  SuDoc numbers are not provided so you will need to consult the Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1909 to find a SuDoc number, or check the online catalog to see if GVSU owns the item. 

Monthly catalog of U.S. Government Publications

• Coverage:  1933-Present
• Location:  MAIN U.S. Government Documents--Reference 
• Call Number:  GP 3.8:[year]
• Description:  This print index covers a broad range of U.S. government documents published from 1933 to the present.  It is preceded by the Catalogue of the public documents of the. . . Congress and of all departments of the government of the government of the United States for the period from. . .which covers the years 1893-1933.  The print version of this index is generally used when looking for pre-1976 documents.
• Online Versions of the Monthly Catalog
  
  • GPO Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
    • This publicly accessible database provides coverage from 1994 to the present and is updated daily.  Links to documents available online are provided.

• Location:  Seidman
• Call #:  Y 1.1/2:
• Description:  "The Serial Set contains the House and Senate Documents and the House and Senate Reports.  The reports are usually from congressional committees dealing with proposed legislation and issues under investigation.  The documents include all other papers ordered printed by the House or Senate.  Documents cover a wide variety of topics and may include reports of executive departments and independent organizations, reports of special investigations made for Congress, and annual reports of non-governmental organizations.  During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries, executive-branch materials were also published in the Serial Set." 

As a result of a selective housing agreement with the Grand Rapids Public Library, GVSU has an extensive collection of Serial Set volumes beginning with volume one and continuing on through today, but the collection is not complete.  Check the online catalog to see the exact volumes GVSU owns and whether they are available in paper or on microfiche.  The Library of Congress has digitized over one hundred Serial Set volumes and made them available online, including approximately two-dozen of the library's missing volumes. 

American State Papers.

• Location:  Seidman
• Call #:  J33 .U5
• Call #:  Z 3.2:2/
• Description:  Containing documents produced between 1789 and 1838, the American State Papers fills in the gap from the first session of Congress until 1817 when the first volume of the Serial Set was printed.  Documents are broken into ten "classes" or categories and represent the activities of the Executive Departments and Congress during the early years of the Republic.  While GVSU owns the American State Papers, they are in Microprint format, which can be difficult to work with.  The Library of Congress has digitized the entire collection and made it available in a format that is much more accessible. 
  

New American State Papers.

• Location:  Seidman
• Call #:  Multiple Call Numbers, check the Library Catalog
  
• Description:  Divided into eleven sections by topic, the New American State Papers are drawn from the original American State Papers, the Serial Set, and the legislative records of the National Archives.  Coverage is from 1789 to 1860.  Each section of the New American State Papers has its own call number and is classified according to that section's topic.  To see a list of the different sections, perform an Advanced Keyword search in the Library Catalog for 'New American State Papers.'