Click here to return to the GPO Access home page.

Home | Legal Information | Help | Site Search
A-Z Resource List | Locate a Depository Library | Online Bookstore | Other GPO Services

Ordering Information
Searching & Browsing
Sales Product Catalog | Searching the SPC| Results List
Browse a Topic | New Titles By Topic | Special Collections
Back to Ordering Information

Sales Product Catalog (SPC)

The Sales Product Catalog (SPC) allows users to search for and order Government information products currently available from the Superintendent of Documents. Users can also find forthcoming material, as well as titles that have been recently superseded or have gone out of print. Available media include printed items, CD-ROMs, diskettes, microfiche, videotapes, and more. The SPC is updated daily.

There are two ways to search the SPC:

  • The simple search interface is the more general search, and the interface appears on the main page of the bookstore as well as the left-hand column within the bookstore's browseable applications. Search terms for a simple search can be a subject or phrase, author, editor, organization, title, series, stock number, date/year, or format (such as CD-ROM, diskette, microfiche, poster, videotape, etc.).

  • Fielded searches allow the user to make a search more specific by limiting the results to pre-selected elements, such as stock number, title, author, and key phrase.

Click here to view a list of searching examples.

Searching the SPC

Boolean Operators: Boolean operators are connector words that help to narrow your search. There are four Boolean operators: ADJ, AND, OR, and NOT. The default Boolean operator is OR.

ADJ Retrieves records that include the two words within 20 characters of each other.
AND Retrieves records that contain all of the terms specified in the search.
OR Retrieves records that contain at least one of the terms entered.
NOT Will exclude any records that contain the word or phrase following it.

Note: Boolean operators MUST be capitalized when using the SPC.

Quotation Marks: When searching the SPC, phrases should be enclosed in quotation marks. If two words entered are put in quotations, it will produce the same result as a search of the same two terms with the ADJ operator.

Truncation: Word roots may be searched by keying the word root, followed by an asterisk (*). This is called "truncation". This will retrieve all records that include the word stem. For example, a search reading "legislat*" will retrieve legislation, legislature, legislative, etc.

Results List

Each search result will display a list of titles that are listed based on relevancy. The default maximum responses for the SPC is 40. A query report always appears as the final document with a score of one in your search results list and tells you how your search was conducted.

For more information on a title, click on the text link to view that product's record.  To see a sample record that includes definitions for each field, click here.  Only titles with an "Add to Cart" icon are available for purchase.

For more information on query reports, relevancy ranking, maximum responses, and general searching instructions, consult the General Searching page on GPO Access.

Browse a Topic

The U.S. Government Online Bookstore categorizes the more than 12,000 different books, periodicals, posters, pamphlets, and subscription services for sale into approximately 150 broad areas of interest, from accounting and auditing to worker's compensation. Choose a category from the pull-down menu on the U.S. Government Online Bookstore homepage to view a list of products. Add an item to your shopping cart by choosing the "Add to Cart"icon.

New Titles By Topic E-mail Alert Service

This free service allows you to receive convenient and timely e-mail updates of selected new publications available for sale from the Superintendent of Documents. Sign up for any or all of the notification lists covering some of our most popular subject areas and receive updates on new titles as soon as they are available for purchase.

Special Collections

A number of special collections have been compiled for various types of publications available for purchase. These include CD-ROMs, subscriptions, and regulatory publications. Add an item to your shopping cart by choosing the "Add to Cart" icon.

Back to Ordering Information


A service of the U.S. Government Printing Office.

Last updated: July 29, 2004
Page Name: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/support/searching.html