This report, written for a National Archives Staff training program, presents the results of a survey which sought information about the administration of the government documents sections of the National Library of Canada, the National Archives of the United States, and 12 selected American state archives and state libraries. The survey gathered information about the nature and size of the government document collections (including their weeding and collection development policies), staffing, types of reference services offered, photocopying policies, and preservation methods. Historical information about the first Congressional acts and resolutions that provided for the printing and distribution of government documents is also given. The following materials are appended: (1) Reference Request forms from the Center for Legislative Archives and the National Archives of the United States; (2) Reference Contact Sheet from the National Library of Canada; (3) the survey instrument; and (4) survey data tables comparing the percentages of accretions, reference response times, and types of finding aids for government publications among the libraries and archives surveyed. (14 references) (MAB)