Federal Depository Library Research Articles

Specific aspects of the Russian federal and scientific libraries' support of the libraries in the RF new entities

The author focuses on the book charity drives to support the libraries in Donetsk and Lugansk republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, and examines the contribution of state and non-government organizations. The experience of the Great Patriotic War (WWII) in restoration of the libraries in cleared areas and the possibilities to use this experience today, is explored. The need for coordination center for developing collections in the new territories is substantiated. The challenges of these libraries’ entering the RF digital space are discussed. The author analyzes the role of federal libraries in professional retraining of the librarians in the new regions, and the content of the programs offered by leading library and information centers for the librarians in Donetsk and Lugansk republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. The author argues that the substantive side of the libraries in the new RF areas has to be reformatted in recognition of the hostile Ukrainian policy that the above libraries had to communicate for several decades.

The Recently Found Map of the World (Kunyutu 坤輿圖): A Philological Survey (Part II)

Abstract This is Part II following on from the first presentation of the Chinese Map of the World or Kunyutu 坤輿圖 published in vol. 75 of this journal. The large wall map in silk, found in a federal library in Berne, Switzerland, is anonymous and purports to represent the geopolitical situation during the period 1700–1730. After a short general, geographical overview containing cartographic remarks and findings, this article will focus on the translation of all 112 text blocks on the map, which are found in Appendix II. These text blocks contain information on the customs and products of a given place, as well as describing other curiosities associated with it. I compared these texts with other maps and textual sources, in particular with The Complete World Map (Kunyu quantu 坤輿全圖) and The Explanations of the World Map (Kunyutu shuo 坤輿圖說) by Verbiest in 1674. A Venn diagram reveals which source was used most frequently. I detected some geographical assumptions the creator of the Bernese map has drawn from previous sources or copied from earlier maps. These offer valuable pointers to the source language and enable the identification of specific misunderstandings, original creations and uncertainties or signs of ignorance. My translation of the text blocks helps to pinpoint certain anachronisms and inaccuracies, although the map essentially reflects the political situation in the years 1700–1730. These various pieces of evidence suggest that the map was in fact made much later by a copyist and is not only a cartographic composite of earlier maps, but also a fusion based on Northern and Southern Mandarin sources. I presume that the translations, drawn from French sources into Southern Mandarin – the language of the late Ming officials (guanhua 官話) – as well as a variety of Southern Chinese dialects, suggest the underlying influence of a Jesuit tradition.

The review of scientific research conducted by libraries: What comes next?

The author reviews the two editions (2021, 2023) of the multi-authored monograph “Scientific research in libraries: Subject scope, organization, presentation of findings” [in Russian]. The monograph is prepared by three national libraries – the Russian State Library, the National Library of Russia and the Presidential Library named after B. N. Yeltsin. The first edition has already won a high a ppraisal in the professional scientific media. The author of the review shares the assessment, moreover, he emphasizes that the monograph testifies to the ability of the national libraries to collaborate without duplication, each relying on its background and historical traditions. At the same time, scientific gaps have now become more visible. It is important to involve scientific research conducted by other federal libraries, regardless their departmental subordination, as well as by the higher educational institutions training library professionals. The author points out the absence of the unified scientific policy of research studies, equally important for the library science, bibliography and book science, and the entire branch of book and library science. In particular, it is vitally important to define the relations between the concepts of “library science” and “general library science”; to articulate the concepts of “private library science”, “special library science”, and “electronic library science”; to identify the place of library science, bibliography and book studies in the system of sciences and thus to contribute to the state recognition of the value of our scientific disciplines; to bring the national standards in the field of library activity in line with the Federal Law “On Librarianship”; to specify the actual purpose of library work, to elaborate the criteria for library document value; to develop the theory and methodology for identifying information needs, etc.The publication of the monograph is an extraordinary event in our scientific community that expects such comprehensive publications for the future.

“The Twilight Zone”: Congressionally Chartered Organizations

Governments worldwide have established a variety of corporations, instrumentalities, quasi-official agencies, quangos, and other “hybrid” entities. This paper explores congressionally chartered organizations (CCOs) in the United States. First, it seeks to explain why CCOs exist and why Congress establishes them. Next, it reviews the cases of some specific organizations to illustrate the complexities of these anomalous entities. It concludes with a discussion of how CCO publications are treated in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and how laws that promote public access may not be applicable to CCOs.

News from the Field

PALNI celebrates 30th anniversary ACRL, ARL share community response to White House memorandum on public-access to research IMLS now accepting applications for Native American, Native Hawaiian Library Services grants supporting core library programs Task force recommends digital Federal Depository Library Program New from ACRL—Teaching Critical Reading Skills: Strategies for Academic Librarians OverDrive releases 2022 digital book circulation data and highlights Gale launches new ChiltonLibrary platform New born-digital chapter focusing on Islamic history hosted by Project MUSE

From the Chair

In what is a new tradition, GODORT hosted a series of meetings the week of January 10 ahead of the ALA LibLearnX conference, ALA’s new concept for the Midwinter Meeting. Hosting committee and interest group meetings outside of ALA’s formal conference provides opportunities for members and prospective members to attend without the added burden of registration fees or travel expenses (when we travel again). This year 108 registered for our series of Midwinter meetings. Twenty-eight of our registrants indicated they are not GODORT members with a few noting they are new to government information and many more stating an affiliation with federal libraries. It was good to have so many people join us for our meetings and I hope our newcomers become regular attendees and participants, virtually and in-person.

Contributing to HathiTrust on a Smaller Scale

In 2021, the Oklahoma State University Library contributed titles from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in their regional depository library collection to the HathiTrust Digital Library. A coordinated effort, this allowed the university library to expand the mission and outreach of the Federal Depository Library Program and also disseminate information and further education as part of the responsibility of a land-grant institution. Contributing Bureau of Indian Affairs materials enhanced the OSU Library’s role as a preservation partner with the Federal Depository Library Program, supported the state with the importance of Native American tribes in Oklahoma, and complemented the goals of the HathiTrust Federal Documents Collection Framework as a key agency to complete as to a comprehensive collection.

Scientific-Research Potential of the National Librarianship and Book Industry

2021 was declared the Year of Science and Technology by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 812 of December 25, 2020. The main purpose of its holding is the development of science and technology in our country. Support and improvement of the effectiveness of scientific research are directly related to libraries — scientific-research institutions. Within the framework of the Year of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation resumed the All-Russian competition of scientific works in the area of library science, bibliography and book studies, which took place in 1978—2014. The competition has established itself as one of the most effective methods of evaluating and encouraging the results of research work in librarianship. In 2021, it was organized and conducted by the National Library of Russia and the Russian State Library. On November 18, 2021, within the framework of the Annual Meeting of the Heads of federal and central regional libraries of Russia, the solemn awarding of the winners took place.In 2021, the jury of the competition considered 105 works (42 — in library science, 17 — in bibliography, 22 — in book studies, 24 works related to other categories). 150 authors from 41 subjects of the Russian Federation presented their works.The article presents in tabular form the winners in six nominations (“Best scientific work in the field of library science”; “Best scientific work in the field of bibliography science”; “Best scientific work in the field of book studies”; “Best scientific multimedia project”; “Best scientific work of regional libraries”; “Best scientific work of young specialist under the age of 35”). The article also presents the winners in additional nominations established by national libraries.The competition has shown significant scientific-research potential; and the materials presented are of great importance not only for the development of libraries and the branch as a whole, but also largely serve to solve social and humanitarian problems set out in the “Fundamentals of State Cultural Policy”, established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 808 of December 24, 2014.It is advisable to consider the holding of the All-Russian competition of scientific papers in library science, bibliography and book studies in conjunction with other major scientific events in the library field that took place in 2021: publication of the collective monograph “Scientific research in libraries: topics, organization, presentation of results” and the International scientific and Practical Conference “Library science in the XXI century: content, organization, digitalization and scientometrics”. These events contributed to the support and development of science in librarianship in the framework of implementation of the “Strategy for the Development of Librarianship in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030”.

Federal Library Utilization of LibGuides to Disseminate COVID-19 Information

Objective – In winter 2019-2020, the world saw the emergence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). More than a year later, the pandemic continues with the U.S. death toll surpassing 550,000. Over the last decade, librarians have increased their roles in infectious disease outbreak response. However, no existing literature exists on use of the widely-used library content management platform, LibGuides, to respond to infectious disease outbreaks. This research explores how Federal Libraries use LibGuides to distribute COVID-19 information throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Methods – Survey questions were created and peer-reviewed by colleagues. Survey questions first screened for participant eligibility and collected broad demographic information to assist in identifying duplicate responses from individual libraries, then examined the creation, curation, and maintenance of COVID-19 LibGuides. The survey was hosted in Max.gov, a Federal Government data collection and analysis tool. Invitations to participate in the survey were sent via email to colleagues and listservs and posted to personal social media accounts. The survey was made publicly available for three weeks. Collected data were exported into Excel to clean, quantify, and visualize results. Long form answers were manually reviewed and tagged thematically. Results – Of the 78 eligible respondents, 42% (n = 33) reported that their library uses LibGuides to disseminate COVID-19 information; 45% of these respondents said they spent 10+ hours creating their COVID-19 LibGuide, and 60% of respondents spent <1 hour a week on maintenance and updates. Most LibGuides were created in early spring 2020 as the U.S. first saw an uptick in COVID-19 cases. For marketing purposes, respondents reported using web/internal announcements (75%) and email (50%) most frequently. All respondents reported inclusion of U.S. Government resources in their COVID-19 LibGuides, and a majority also included guidelines, international websites, and databases to inform their user communities. Conclusion – Some Federal Libraries use LibGuides as a tool to share critical information, including as a tool for emergency response. Results show libraries tend to start from scratch and share the same resources, duplicating efforts. To improve efficiency in LibGuide curation and use of library staff time, one solution to consider is the creation of a LibGuides template that any Federal Library can use to quickly set up and adapt an emergency response LibGuide specifically for their users. Additionally, findings show that libraries are uncertain of archiving and preservation plans for their guides post-pandemic, suggesting a need for recommended best practices.

Technological transformation of United States government documents librarianship

The United States Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is a government mandated program that distributes government information to the populace through designated “depository” libraries. From the 1970s until today, due to advancing technology, government documents librarianship has undergone several transformative changes. Beginning with distribution of government information on microfilm through the appearance of electronic information in the 1980s exponentially increased the amount of information available to users, information that often came with a large learning curve to use. The proliferation of government information transformed government documents librarianship from a self-contained, stand-alone, bibliographically focused entity to a more forward-facing, user-centric focus.The depository community is largely led by academic institutions, which account for 72% of depositories. They have lobbied the FDLP for increased access, better training, improvements in delivery, and assurances that electronic information would be found, captured, and preserved. In addition, their efforts have ensured digitization of the historic print depository collection is largely complete. However, until federal statutory legislation changes, significant amounts of born-digital government information is being lost to time.

Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) Academic Library Websites A webometric analysis of academic libraries participating in the FDLP

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the website content of academic libraries participating as selective depositories in the FDLP to examine legal compliance and accessibility to electronic government information.

News from the Field

Giant Bible of Mainz digitized by the Library of Congress Nominations sought for ACRL Board of Directors Project MUSE adds University of Toronto Press books MIT Press joins OpenAthens Federation New from ACRL—Academic Librarian Faculty Status NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy report now available Indiana State Library named 2022 Federal Depository Library of the Year

In the Year of Science — About Library Science

The article is devoted to the first in the domestic history International research and practical conference “Library Science in the 21st century: content, organization, digitalization and scientometrics”, organized by the Russian State Library, the National Library of Russia and the Russian Library Association. The conference was held on October 19—20, 2021 in Moscow — in the Year of Science and Technology and in the first year of implementation of the Strategy for development of librarianship in the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030, where one of the main priorities is scientific and methodological support of libraries. The aim of the conference is to update the topics and identify the factors that stimulate the study of the library sphere, discussion of issues of organization and evaluation of performance of library science, the exchange of experience in organizing scientific activities. The event was held in face-to-face and remote format; more than 180 directors and experts of federal, central regional and university libraries, cultural institutes, as well as other institutions of science, education and culture attended it from 14 regions of the Russian Federation and from foreign countries. During the online broadcast of the meetings, there were recorded over one and a half thousand connections. The program included more than 50 reports, focused on theoretical problems of science studies and practical issues of organization of scientific activity. Summing up, the conference participants noted the importance of library science and proposed a set of specific measures, the implementation of which should help strengthen the regulatory framework for scientific activities in libraries, increase personnel staff; stimulate scientific creativity and research initiative; promote the spread of new scientific knowledge. The conference has important scientific and practical value. It demonstrated the current state of library science, allowed to identify and comprehensively discuss the most acute problems of its development and to outline steps to eliminate them. The conference materials contain a rich empirical base for further study of library science itself.

Designing and Marketing a LibGuide for Presidential Papers

When I joined the faculty at the Fred J. Taylor Library at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) in July 2019, I became the coordinator of our institution’s Federal Depository Library Program and Arkansas Documents repositories. As I began inspecting our collections, I discovered that documents were dispersed throughout the library. Though the library has a designated Government Documents Collection cataloged under the SuDoc classification scheme, numerous documents were cataloged under the Library of Congress classification as well. Compounding this issue, documents classified under LC were distributed across various collections. The distribution of government documents across multiple collections is not unique to UAM, and is a common problem among FDLP depositories. Having government documents classified under different schemes and shelved in multiple collections can lead to discrepancies in cataloging, particularly as personnel change over time. Finding multiple split-cataloged series in our collections convinced me that, with rare exception, documents should be consolidated into a revamped Government Documents Collection.

Federal libraries in virtual space: Current state and prospects

Abstract: The findings of monitoring virtual space of federal libraries: their websites and social media, are interpreted. The author analyzes search optimization indicators, i. e. website quality factor, website adaptiveness for mobile systems, as well as behavior indicators, e.g. average visit time, number of viewed pages per visit, etc. The comparison of these findings with prior research evidences on increasing quality of information resources under investigation. The efficiencyоf the federal libraries’ activity in VKontakte (VK), one of the most popular mass media and digital platforms, was analyzed with Socstat.ru web-analytics. The federal libraries’ VK communities are characterized by: number of subscribers, total number of posts, number of posts for a time period, average post length, and the average number of posts per day. Federal library user activity factors areal so analyzed; number of responses, average number of responses, average community engagement, and average post engagement. The author insists on the necessity of monitoring of library presence in the digital environment through web-analytics for libraries efficient integration into the single cultural information space.

Teaching the History and Organization of Libraries: The Coronavirus Pandemic as an Opportunity to Study Public Library Reopenings

Teaching the History and Organization of Libraries: The Coronavirus Pandemic as an Opportunity to Study Public Library Reopenings

The recently found Map of the World (Kunyutu 坤輿圖): a philological survey

Abstract This paper is a first presentation of a Chinese Map of the World or Kunyutu 坤輿圖 discovered in a Federal library in Berne in 2017. It focusses on the rendering of the 7000 characters contained within the map. The translation of the complete 112 text blocks on the map will be provided in a second paper, whilst Indices I and II of this paper render the 1025 toponyms. The text blocks contain information on the customs and products of a given place, as well as describing other curiosities associated with it. These texts are compared with other maps and texts, in particular with The Complete World Map (Kunyu quantu 坤輿全圖) and The Explanations to the World Map (Kunyutu shuo 坤輿圖說) of 1674 by Verbiest. The re-translation of the text blocks helps to identify certain anachronisms and inaccuracies although the map purports to reflect the political situation in the years 1700–1729. This reveals the extent to which the text blocks draw on previous sources. Moreover, the rendering of the toponyms detects some inconsistencies in orthography and these interferences offer valuable pointers to the source and target languages. These various pieces of evidence suggest that the map was made much later by a copyist and is not only a cartographic composite of earlier maps, but also a fusion of Northern and Southern Mandarin. The translations presumably from French, Portuguese and Spanish sources in Southern Mandarin – the language of the officials (guanhua 官話) of the late Ming – as well as a variety of Southern Chinese dialects point to the underlying influence of a Jesuit tradition.

Application of the corporate cataloguing technology for the retroconversion of card catalogues

The corporate cataloguing technology has been widely used in Russian libraries to make bibliographic records (BR) of the electronic catalogue (EC). When selecting the proper sources of BR borrowings, many libraries have managed to reduce time and labor expenditures involved in making EC records. The paper provides examples of the most successful Russian corporate library information systems of the federal and regional level.At the same time, most libraries have not solved the problem of reflecting information about the entire library stock in EC, which negatively affects the quality of EC services for users. The experience of federal libraries in solving it is considered. The main described methods of retrospective conversion of card catalogues are: manual keyboard entry, scanning of catalogue cards, recognition of scanned cards, BR making, and records borrowing from authoritative sources.The purpose of this article is to study the effectiveness of using corporate cataloguing technology to perform retrospective conversion of card catalogues. To achieve this goal, the search for bibliographic records of documents published before 1991, and reflected in ECs of the Russian State Library (RSL) and the Russian National Library (RNL), in the LIBNET Corporate Cataloguing System (CCS), in the ARBICON resources and in the IRBIS-corporation was conducted in SPSTL SB RAS EC.Based on the search result, it has been determined that the most acceptable sources of records borrowing are the electronic catalogues of RSL, RSL and the LIBNET CCS. The advantages and disadvantages of using ready-to-use BRs from the aforementioned sources have been defined. It has been fixed that when choosing the source for borrowing while conducting catalogues retro-conversion, it is necessary to take into account the collection specifics, records compliance with the requirements of a concrete library, compatibility of automated library-information systems, readiness to pay for borrowing services, EC availability, and convenience of search.

Georgia Depository Libraries: Expanding Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the Government Publishing Office (GPO) provides materials published by government agencies to designated libraries in the United States and its territories. In return, these libraries offer free, public access to the materials in their depository collections. The state of Georgia has 23 federal depository libraries—one Regional and 22 Selectives. All but two of these libraries are affiliated with academic institutions, and the majority are part of the University System of Georgia (USG).

Weeding Digital Government Information Resources: Considerations and Strategies

Weeding is a systematic approach to the removal of resources from a library’s collection. In the weeding process, materials are identified for withdrawal in order to maintain a collection that is accurate, updated, well-used, meets the needs of the users, and is in line with the library’s mission. When weeding tangible resources that are part of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), a depository library must ensure that its weeding policy follows the Legal Requirements & Program Regulations of the Federal Depository Library Program and any separate guidelines set by the Regional Depository. However, there are no specific rules or guidelines to follow when weeding digital FDLP resources. This means that individual libraries have more leeway to craft digital weeding procedures that best serve their institution, patrons, and the community at large. In this article, we will discuss initial considerations when developing a process for weeding digital depository materials, we will examine different methods for analyzing a digital collection’s size and usage, and we will review methods for maintenance and weeding of digital resources.