This master's thesis presents the results of a survey designed to study the control of state documents by state document authorities. A questionnaire was developed and sent to the institutions in each state which are responsible for the official collection of their state's documents, in an effort to determine the degree of adherence to guidelines adopted for the control of state documents and the variety of methods used to control state publications. Forty-two (84%) of the 50 states surveyed responded. These data were used to test three hypotheses: (1) states which collect documents from other states house them separately from documents of their own state; (2) states which collect ephemera do not classify them; and (3) most states use established classification schemes to control their state's publications. Discussion of data pertaining directly to the hypotheses comprises the main body of the paper and other parts of the survey are used to supplement the findings. It was concluded that the future of automation may hold the answer to many current problems associated with the control of state documents. Copies of the questionnaire and documents pertinent to the survey are appended. (34 notes, 44 references) (CGD)