GPub  Government Publication

Bytes

Definition

Whether the item is a government publication and establishes the jurisdictional level of the issuing body.

Guidelines

• Current status of the governmental entity. Choose a code based on the current status of the governmental entity, not on the status of the entity at the time of publication.
• Joint publications by government bodies. If an item is published jointly by government agencies at two different levels, use the code for the higher level.
• Government bodies and their subdivisions. Treat a government body and all its subdivisions as government bodies regardless of how they are entered as headings (i.e., entered under jurisdiction or not). The government body need not be a main or added entry, but it should be named as publisher in the imprint area or have caused the item to be published (usually inferred if the governmental body is responsible for the content of the item). If in doubt, treat the item as a government publication.
• American Indian tribes. Publications issued by American Indian tribes are government publications at the Federal/National level. Use code f.
• Academic publications. Treat an item published by an academic institution as a government publication if the government created or controls the institution. For example, publications of state university presses in the United States are government publications at the state level (code s). However, if a state university publication is reprinted by a commercial publisher, the reprint is not a government publication.
• Socialist countries. Since the coding of all items published in socialist countries as government publications would limit the usefulness of this element, coding should be used only for the same type of bodies that would be considered government in a non-socialist country. In coding items in this manner, when in doubt, treat the item as a government publication.
• Theses and dissertations. Theses and dissertations are not government publications.
• National Film Board of Canada. The National Film Board of Canada is not a government agency.

Codes