Florida Public Documents KWIC Index Guide

The distribution of the first edition of a Keyword-in Context Index to Florida Public Documents in the August 1969 Florida documents depository shipment created interest in the classification scheme used for state documents in the Florida Atlantic University Libraries. The scheme was developed in 1966 as an attempt to create a quick, economical, and practical alternative to the systems then in use in other libraries.

The classification code grew out of the knowledge that the agency-based scheme of the U.S. Superintendent of Documents had been used successfully in libraries for a number of years. Florida governmental agencies and their publications were examined in the light of such a possibility. This resulted in a four element classification code:

• A two or three letter code for each Florida agency
• A numerical design type of publication
• A "cutter" type designation for each individual publication or series
• A designation for each individual publication within a series or for new editions of monographic publications

Individual Publication Schedule

The classification code is completed according to the following schedule. Depending upon the "Type of Publication" number:

• Follow with a three year digit code for the final year in the report .(i.e. annual report of the Education Department for 1968-69 academic year would be EDU 1: 969).
• Follow with "cutter numbers" from the "Simplified Cutter Numbers for Florida Documents" for first distinctive or important word in the title. New editions are noted by adding virgule or slash(/) and three digit year code for year of later edition.
• Follow with "cutter number" for important or distinctive word in the series title, followed by a slash and volume/issue number or in unnumbered, year/month/date in number code. (i.e. May 25, 1969 become 969/5/25).

Type of Publication Designation

The second element of the classification is a number from the chart below which most nearly describes the type of document being classified:

• 1 Annual report ; 1b for biennial report. (annual serials)
• 2 General publication (monographs); 2b for directories.
• 3 Serials, series, periodicals. ( number or dated)
• 4 Folders, circulars, descriptive materials (posters)
• 5 Laws administered by the agency.
• 6 Rules and regulations of the agency.
• 7 News releases, statistical releases, newsletters, etc.
• 8 Handbooks, guides, maps, manuals.
• 9 Proceeding minutes, transactions, reprints, journals (legislature)

The "type of Publication" designation uses a punctuation mark to separate it from the next element of the code. Originally, the mark was a colon ( : ), but for machine coding purposes, it was necessary to substitute the period ( . ). 

Simplified Cutter Table for Florida Documents

The cutter number is formed by taking the first letter of the work to be cuttered followed by numbers for the next two letters (independent of each other) according to the following:

• A-------B, 1
• C ------D, 2
• E ------G, 3
• H ------K, 4
• L ------O, 5
• P ------R, 6
• S ------T, 7
• U -----W, 8
• X ------Z, 9

Example: Birds= B 46; Tax=T 19

Conflicts in cutter numbers, arising from two different publications from the same agency on the same subject, are resolved by adding a slash and a number for succeeding publications or by cuttering one number away from the original.

The Agency Code

Each agency within the Florida government structure is assigned a unique two or three letter code--usually an acronym for the department name. Divisions fall underneath with another letter-occurrence of a division depending upon its publishing activity.

Table 1

 Table 2

  Table 3

 Red color: Original agencies codes