Don't forget to check Publications Warehouse to see if the item is available online through the U.S. Geological Survey.
Tip: Use the Advanced Search option in Publications warehouse to limit your search to a specific USGS Series such as the U.S. Geological Survey professional paper.
Library locations and Government document class numbers for frequently used USGS series:
About 20% of the USGS documents that the Library has are included in the Library Catalog. If you can find the item in the Library Catalog, it will tell you where the document is and if it is checked in.
So search the Library Catalog and see if you can speed up your search.
Check Publications Warehouse to see if the item is available online through the U.S. Geological Survey.
Tip: Use the Advanced Search option in Publications warehouse to limit your search to a specific USGS Series such as the U.S. Geological Survey professional paper.
If you cannot find an item online in Publications Warehouse but do find the citation for it, then:
It's going to require a bit more work. Having your citation, including USGS Series and Report Number, will really come in handy! Those two pieces of infomation will help you build the government document call number (also called the SuDocs number) and that is how the Library usually shelves USGS documents.
Call number = USGS series government class number + Report Number
Example item:
Newton, G. D. Geohydrology of the regional aquifer system, western Snake River plain, southwestern Idaho. U.S. Geological Survey professional paper, 1408-G. U.S. Geological Survey, 1991.
Government class number for U.S. Geological Survey professional paper = I 19.16:
Report number = 1408-G
Call number = I 19.16:1408-G
Once you know the Government document class number for your item, you can check Government Documents shelves to see if the Library has it in print or the U.S. Govt. Pubs. Microforms collection to see if the Library has it in microfiche. Or even easier, ask at the Reference Desk and person there will help you find out if the Library has it.
Tip: If the USGS series in not listed on this page or you want to find something issued by another government agency such as the Bureau of Land Management, use the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications to find the SuDocs number for items published after 1975. For older publications, search the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications -- the library has it in print for 1912-1924 and 1937-1995 see Doc Dept GP 3.8 and in microfilm for 1895-1958 (filed at the end after the SuDocs microfiche).