Federal Depository Library Research Articles

Preservation of Federal Government Publications in Multiple Formats Proposal

The GODORT Preservation Working Group urges the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) to promote a national conversation about the value of preserving historic Government publications in multiple formats in order to serve a diverse public and to publicize the need for Government publications librarians to help the public access those publications. GODORT should urge ALA to ask the US Congress to appropriate funds for preservation of Federal Depository Library Program government publications. This money should be used for direct support of depository libraries who want to preserve their paper and digital government publications.

Public Goods and Public Interests: Scholarly Communication and Government Documents in Research Libraries

Federal mandates requiring that publicly funded research be made openly accessible recast scholarly information as public information and provide an impetus to join the efforts of scholarly communication and government information programs in United States research libraries. Most major research libraries are long-standing participants in the Federal Library Depository Program and offer scholarly communication services. But there is little acknowledgment in the professional literature of the overlapping goals and complementary histories of government information and scholarly communication efforts. This article explores this gap in the literature, in light of the shared emphasis between scholarly communication and government information on providing access not only to campus users but also to the larger public.

National Government Information Library Network

AbstractIndividuals need access to government information to become informed and engaged participants with governments. E-government, however, has led governments to move information about their activities, services, and resources to government websites, which limits access for millions of individuals who lack sufficient Internet and technology skills. These individuals often rely on public libraries for Internet access and help; however, public libraries do not receive sufficient support or resources from federal, state, or local governments to adequately provide these services. This article examines federal and state government library networks to understand the structure of and relationships between the networks and how the networks are positioned to help public libraries facilitate government information access for those who need it. This article also provides recommendations on how federal, state, and local governments can strengthen these networks and improve support for public libraries in the prov...

Blueprint for Success: A Federal Medical Librarian Checklist

In late fall of 2013, three highly experienced knowledge management professionals from the US Department of Veterans Affairs established a checklist for federal medical librarians. A metric was created to assist federal medical librarians with refreshing their competencies, skills, and abilities, and to align their knowledge management aptitude with their organization’s strategic objectives for optimal return on investment. The authors selected 10 categories of functional areas and identified appropriate resources for each category. Based upon the input from the federal library community regarding the value of the categories and resources, the Checklist was updated to include resources deemed by the authors as authoritative and worthy for inclusion. In November 2014, the updated Checklist was e-mailed back to the same federal library community. It is our pleasure to share the Checklist (attached) with federal medical librarians, as well as others in the profession, in the hope that newcomers and experienced librarians can benefit from our experiences.

Federal Library Closures and the Harper Government’s “Monoculture of the Mind”

The library and scientific professions were taken by surprise by the Harper government in late 2013 when it shuttered seven out of eleven Fisheries and Oceans Canada libraries, consigning much of these collections to dumpsters. Official explanations that the closures were undertaken to save taxpayers' dollars and that collections would be digitized were poorly-received, particularly when a memo marked "secret" obtained by Postmedia emerged in December indicating that the only articulated collections activity was "culling". Critics and activists have been quick to conclude that the library closures are a part of a wider and longer-term strategy to suppress Canadian science. This article goes further, suggesting that the government's actions in suppressing scientific and indigenous worldviews indicate no worldview of its own, only a handful of narrowly-defined "values" that will be incommensurate with the challenges facing Canada.

The Annual Meeting of the Directors of the Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia

On the Annual Meeting of the Directors of the Federal and Central Regional Libraries of Russia «Innovative Models of Development and the Quality of Library Services provided to the Citizens of Russia», held at the National Library of Russia (NLR) on 22-23 October, 2013.

The Digitized Newspaper Collections as the National Heritage of the Russian Federation

Current issues of digitization of newspapers' collections are in the focus of this topic. There is discussed sharing of responsibilities on digitization of newspapers, selection of criteria and digitization priorities. Particularly, the determination of the scanning method (in the library or outsourced) and the solutions for the best representation of newspapers: as artifacts or as information set, are of great importance. There is provided the detailed analysis of the activities of federal and regional libraries, newspapers publishers and commercial information centers, dealing with digitization of the national printed newspapers. The emphasis was made to the problems of practical protection of copyright and intellectual property in digitization of the periodicals and in the usage of these materials by institutions, including libraries.

Partners in Collaborative Cataloging: The U.S. Government Printing Office and the University of Montana

Collaboration is a necessity in the current library environment where time, money, and resources are limited. This is particularly noticeable for institutions housing federal government documents. In addition to keeping up with the influx of current publications, federal depository libraries must address historical documents for which bibliographic records are not readily available. This report discusses how the United States Government Printing Office and the University of Montana Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library are working together to increase access to pre-1976 United States Forest Service publications and gray literature within the same subject area.

What's Up with Docs?!?: The Peculiarities of Cataloging Federal Government Serial Publications

Federal government documents serials possess special features that make them particularly difficult to catalog and manage—from government documents-specific machine-readable cataloging fields and coding to Supervisor of Documents numbers and distinctive enumeration. As electronic documents, they present another set of complex cataloging challenges involving the Government Printing Office's (GPO) single-record approach in the early days of providing access online. This article brings three discrete perspectives to a discussion of these challenges. One perspective is that of a cataloger working at GPO's Library Services & Content Management (LSCM) division who provides a voice from the source. Another perspective is that of a local cataloger who must make government documents’ records conform to the guidelines of the local library's online catalog. The last perspective is that of a Regional Federal Depository Library Coordinator who is responsible for providing access to government information for patrons in a library located at a Carnegie Classified Research I university.

Improving an outreach service by analyzing the relationship of health information disparities to socioeconomic indicators using geographic information systems

INTRODUCTIONThe use of geographic information systems (GIS) withUS Census data provides libraries with the power tocombine, analyze, and present information in newways. GIS is a valuable tool capable of ‘‘capturing,storing, analyzing, and displaying geographicallyreferenced information’’ [1]. GIS software combinesmaps with layers of associated data to provide avisual picture that allows greater understanding andanalysis than static figures and tables. Although thesoftware was expensive in the past, GIS has becomeincreasingly more affordable for libraries since it hasbecome available in web-based applications, includ-ing open source options [2].Libraries began incorporating US Census data withGIS when the 1990 census materials were given tothe US federal depository libraries as Topological-ly Integrated Geographic Encoding and Reference(TIGER) files [3]. TIGER files are a set of geographicbase files that contain features of the United Statesdown to the street level and census boundaries forcensus statistical areas. TIGER files are designed foruse with GIS software and include geographic codesthat can be linked with demographic and socioeco-nomic data from American Fact Finder (AFF) and theAmerican Community Survey (ACS) [4, 5]. All TIGER,AFF, and ACS files and data are free to the public.Combined with US Census data, GIS is particularlyuseful for libraries in the area of service planning. Forexample, the Public Library Geographic Databasehas compiled US Census demographics on all 16,000public libraries in order to assist decision makers inlibrary planning [6]. Other examples of the use of GISand US Census data include analyzing service mapsfor proposed branches [7], mapping service areas [8],analyzing demographics of populations surroundingthe library [9, 10], analyzing market segmentation[11], and establishing a public library consumer healthcollection [12].In 2011, the Preston Medical Library, in Knoxville,Tennessee, conducted research using GIS and USCensus data. Our goal was to analyze demographicand socioeconomic patterns in order to improvehealth literacy information outreach through our freetelephone-based Consumer and Patient Health Infor-mation Service (CAPHIS). The library’s free tele-phone-based CAPHIS has been in place for overtwo decades, and call data are maintained in an SQLdatabase. The library staff responds to calls to theCAPHIS by mailing packets of health information atthe appropriate literacy level to the caller. The Pres-ton Medical Library provides a useful alternative forthose individuals who do not have Internet access ormay need additional assistance because of limitedhealth literacy and socioeconomic disparities.Several studies have examined the relationship ofsocioeconomic factors and limited health literacy toincreased health costs, chronic disease, and morbidity[13–16]. Health information through libraries is valu-able and can affect consumer health care decisions.Consumers who use libraries for health informationreport positive health actions such as lifestyle changesand compliance with physician instructions [17, 18].However, consumers with low health literacy andcompounding socioeconomic factors are often notaware of the services provided by libraries. Outreachis conducted by libraries to address these disparitiesand provide information services to those surround-ing communities most in need.RESEARCH BACKGROUNDIn 2003, an SQL database was created that containsinformation regarding consumer calls to CAPHIS.Data on calls from 1998 to the present include thecaller’s name, address, and health information re-quest. Although the names and addresses are kept inseparate tables for privacy, the zip codes of theaddresses can be used to establish geographic localitythat can be plotted on a state map and calculated toestablish a rate and area of calls by zip code. Therequested health topics, which are in keyword forminitially, are subsequently indexed by library staffusing the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM’s)Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) in order to becross-referenced with existing information regardingprevalence of diseases in the state that is madeavailable by the Tennessee Department of Health [19].

Fundamentals of Government Information: Mining, Finding Evaluating, and Using Government Resources

Eric J. Forte and his team have written a very useful guide on the use of federal government information resources for providing library information services. The text aims to fill the void in the coverage of government information production, publication, and access that took place during the twenty-first century. During the first decade of the new century, a paradigm shift from the print world to online occurred in rapid fashion. As the Federal Depository Library program shifted from print to online, government documents librarians around the country retired or were reassigned, and print collections were de-accessioned. New research skills and tools are needed to answer reference questions and support the research needs of public, academic, and special libraries. Classic sources on government documents went into revision to keep pace with these rapid changes. A review of the preface is helpful for gaining an overview. Written by librarians for librarians, the book aims to provide: Models and techniques for discovery of government information Insight into the popular and research value of government publications, and Experience acquiring new skills in a simple, sequential manner, reinforced by exercises (p. xv) This text endeavors to present government information as another genre of literature and literature that can be used and enjoyed every day. The goal of the three main authors and four contributing authors is to make it possible for readers to do exactly that, by sharing their years of expertise in government information in well-structured and sometimes witty narrative. Black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout. The text contains two main sections with a total of fifteen chapters. Part I, “Overview of Key Government Information Resources,” addresses the main sources of government information. Chapter 1, “Introduction to People's Information,” sets the stage with background on and history of government information, including an overview of the Federal Depository Library program. Chapter 2, “How to Think Like a Government Documents Librarian,” is a must read, filled with tips and strategies for conducting reference interviews and doing research. In this chapter, key historical textbooks on government documents are discussed, approaches to Internet search engines are explained, and documenting sources using standard citation styles is covered. Chapter 3, “Congress”; Chapter 4 Regulations”; Chapter 5, “Law”; and Chapter 6, “The President” present concise discussions of these important sources. Part II, “Government Information in Focus,” contains chapters on the executive branch; statistics; health; education; scientific and technical information; environment and energy; business, economic, and consumer information; census; and historical and archival information. Health sciences librarians will be particularly interested in chapters on the census, statistics, and health information. This book does more than provide an introductory mini-course on the knowledge and skills necessary to provide information services. It also includes excellent information that can be incorporated into bibliographic instruction sessions. Many librarians did not have the benefit of government information course work in library school or opportunities for continuing education in this area, but this book serves as a crash course and will be useful for ready reference. It should also be considered for courses in the library science curriculum, and chapters could be useful in academic courses that cover public policy and the legislative process. The book is indexed, and each chapter lists bibliographic citations, websites, and other sources for more information. Chapter 9, “Health Information,” is authored by Ann Glusker, AHIP, the medical librarian at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, Washington. Glusker's contribution is recommended for newly minted health sciences librarians and others who need a quick overview of the history of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), what health related information is available, and where to find it. An overview of PubMed, Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), and NLM classification highlights the basics. Glusker also shares helpful strategies on locating information on the state, tribal, and local levels and gives her forecast of where government health information is going in the future. The authors claim to have written the first government information text to be conceived, written, and published in the new century, and their approach is fresh and interesting, making it accessible for all types of libraries and librarians.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Managing Government Document Collections in a Digital World

An Oregon State University Libraries (OSUL) study group's review of its current policies, practices, and costs provides an illustrative case study of the challenges in managing government documents during this period of transition from print to digital. In its exploration of more aggressive approaches to greatly increasing access to electronic collections and reducing the size of the print footprint, OSUL learned that the current requirements of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) hamper such efforts. This case study provides background on prior internal studies, OSUL's participation in a shared housing agreement, statistics on size and current usage of its government documents, and the costs to receive, process, and provide access to its document collection. It concludes with the recommendations for OSUL to be as proactive as it can be under the current FDLP rules and regulations while bringing projected costs to manage government documents more in line with higher priorities.

Government publications and primary resources for historical research: a selective bibliography

Purpose – ‐‐ The purpose of this paper is to identify, describe and locate primary resources using government publications and non‐government publications.Design/methodology/approach ‐‐ This paper examines primary resources for historical research particularly in federal government publications distributed through the Federal Depository Library Program.Findings ‐‐ The paper finds that government publications provide a rich source of primary research materials for post‐secondary research in disciplines such as history, geography, ethnography, education and agriculture.Originality/value ‐‐ Searching for primary historical resources in small‐ to medium‐sized academic libraries can often yield a limited field of resources. Federal government publications distributed through the Government Printing Office are freely available via selective and regional Federal Depository Libraries. This work seeks to identify tools appropriate for higher education primary historical research.

Response to “Government information in the digital age: The once and future Federal Depository Library Program”

Response to “Government information in the digital age: The once and future Federal Depository Library Program”

Letter in response to “Implications of harmonizing the future of the federal depository library program within e-government principles and policies” (Government Information Quarterly, 27:1)

Letter in response to “Implications of harmonizing the future of the federal depository library program within e-government principles and policies” (Government Information Quarterly, 27:1)

Accurate Answers to Reference Queries May Be Provided Less Frequently Than Expected

A review of:
 Hernon, P., & McClure, C. (1986). Unobtrusive reference testing: The 55 percent rule. Library Journal, 111(7), 37-41.
 
 
 Objective – To determine the number of government documents reference questions that are answered correctly by professional library staff.
 
 Design – The authors utilized unobtrusive reference testing: reference queries posed to library personnel who were unaware they were being evaluated. As opposed to other designs that require the researcher’s presence in the setting, unobtrusive testing utilizes proxies to administer test questions to the subjects, reducing the possibility of reporter bias.
 
 Setting – Twenty-six public and academic libraries participating in the U.S. Government Printing Office Depository Program located in the Western, Southern, and Midwestern United States. The Federal Depository Program consisted of 1400 libraries at the time of the study. One public and one academic library were chosen for each city.
 
 Subjects – Reference and government documents librarians. These two staff types were selected in order to compare the accuracy of each group’s responses to the queries.
 
 Methods – A set of 15 predetermined factual and bibliographic questions were developed by the authors and administered to library staff respondents by proxies. Government documents were selected as the foundation for the test questions. In selecting federal depository libraries for their sample the authors could ensure all queries may hypothetically be answered using U.S. Government Printing Office documents, as all of the libraries would hold the resources in question.
 
 Graduate students enrolled in the University of Arizona and University of Oklahoma library science programs were trained by the authors to serve as proxies. The proxies posed as library users and administered the set of queries at each selected library. Reference librarians and government documents librarians were tested separately, receiving seven and eight questions respectively at each library visited. Over a four-month period a total of 390 questions were posed and their answers recorded.
 
 Main Results – The respondents correctly answered 241 of 390 queries (62 percent). Government documents librarians accurately answered 65 percent of questions, while reference librarians successfully responded to 59 percent. Hernon and McClure derived the “55 percent rule” for reference accuracy from these results and previous unobtrusive studies conducted by both the authors and other researchers. This body of research estimates the rate of accurate answers of factual and bibliographic questions to be between 50 and 62 percent.
 Data regarding the “interview and search process” (I&S), defined as the activities between the time a query was posed and when a resolution was provided, also yielded intriguing findings. Regardless of the question asked, the average I&S duration was three to five minutes. Two-thirds of the accurate answers were supplied within three minutes, and 89 percent within five minutes of the initiation of I&S. The duration of I&S did not vary significantly by library type or librarian type.
 
 Reasons for the provision of inaccurate answers included providing the wrong data (64 percent of instances), responding with “don’t know” and ending the interaction (20 percent), or claiming the library did not own a source that would answer the query (15 percent). Other findings included the fact that respondents infrequently offered referrals, which took place in 17 percent of all interactions, and that the three geographic regions studied had an even distribution of correct answers.
 
 Conclusions - Based on their research results as well as those of similar unobtrusive studies, the authors propose two rules regarding reference assistance that apply to public and academic libraries. First, reference librarians correctly answer approximately 55 percent of factual and bibliographic queries received (the 55 percent reference rule). Second, librarians spend no more than five minutes on most factual and bibliographic questions (the five-minute answer rule).
 
 Ultimately, Hernon and McClure recommend reevaluating the centrality of reference services to library operations. If trained professionals are unable to answer more than 60 percent of factual questions correctly, should reference services continue to receive such considerable staffing and funding? Or, alternatively, should libraries increase efforts to improve the accuracy of answers? The authors close by challenging the profession to address the need for strategic assessment of reference effectiveness.

All-Russian Meeting of Russian Federal and Central Regional Libraries Directors

On the All-Russian Meeting of Russian Federal and Central Regional Libraries Directors held on October 20-27, 2010.

Catching On

In July, Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella announced that he would retire from his position at the end of the current baseball season. Although the season didn't end until October and spring training doesn't start until February of next year, there was immediate buzz and much speculation about who would be the next skipper of the storied franchise. It is never too early to start looking for a good manager. Before settling on interim manager Mike Quade to take the full-time job, many names were suggested to be the team's next leader. Two of the top candidates were Bob Brenly, who led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a World Series title in 2001, and Joe Girardi, who took the Yankees to a World Series championship last year Brenly is currently a well-respected analyst for the Cubs' on-air broadcasting team, while Girardi played with the Cubs from 1989-92 and again from 2000-2002. But apart from their obvious managerial success, it's not their connections to the Cubs that have their names among the frontrunners--it's the fact that when they were active players, they both were catchers. Catchers are viewed as the lynchpins of the baseball diamond. From their unique vantage point behind the plate, they are able to size up everything that happens on the field: where everyone on the team is positioned, what's going on in each of the dugouts, where the umpires are situated, what the baseline coaches are up to, and whether there's activity in the bullpens. They also call the games, signaling the pitcher what pitches to throw to whom. Based on how the game plays out, they adjust, readjust, and recommend adjustments. An astute catcher will suggest fine-tuning that allows the other specialized position players to perform like a well-oiled machine. They can keep an eye on the fans as well. They see and do it all. Catchers themselves are specialists, too; their position is considered the most difficult and grueling to play Often they are converted to play other positions. Because of their inherent versatility and their required relationship with everyone else on the team, it's no surprise that there's a preponderance of catchers-turned-managers in Major League Baseball (MLB). In the first eighty years of the twentieth century, 21.6 percent of MLB managers once were catchers. (1) Three of the five new managers hired in 2008 had previously played that position. Of the four teams left standing in the 2009 postseason, three were managed by former catchers. Forty percent of current MLB managers were career catchers. As Nalbantian and Guzzo note, it can't be by accident that such a disproportionate number of MLB managers were catchers. There appears to be something in that job that provides broader perspective by linking the individual more fully to the organization. (2) What does this have to do with libraries? As in baseball, libraries are always looking for good managers. The broad skill set and range of experience needed by administrators are often cultivated by holding a variety of positions at a number of different institutions, most often on a track that primarily focuses on either public services, technical services, collections, or sometimes IT work, the separate areas of operation that inform many libraries. But, also like baseball, there might be a single area of library expertise that lets practitioners see and do it all. A catcher's would prepare a librarian to take on the challenges of managing at the senior level before actually reaching it. Such a background would transcend divisions and offer potential for a different kind of leadership. Numerous libraries of all types and sizes--currently, nearly 1250--participate in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), a network coordinated by the United States Government Printing Office (GPO). (3) Depository libraries select and receive a range of content in an array of subject areas in both hard and electronic formats at no cost in exchange for making the information freely available to library users, including the general public. …

The Historical Development of the Bulgarian Collection at the Library of Congress, 1894 to the Present

This article describes the development of the Bulgarian collection at the Library of Congress from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century to the present. It covers international exchanges, approval plans, special purchases, and federal library transfers. In addition to the chronological narrative, there are separate sections for the newspaper, rare book, and émigré collections. The article relates the growth of the Bulgarian collection to overall trends within the Library of Congress and discusses the contributions of key individuals.

Challenges and Opportunities for Federal Depository Libraries in the Digital Age

Challenges and Opportunities for Federal Depository Libraries in the Digital Age