United States Government Publications Research Articles

The Documents Expediting Project, 1946–2004

The Documents Expediting Project (DocEx), an acquisition and distribution service for federal documents that operated out of the Library of Congress (LC) from 1946 to 2004, was an important source of non-depository items, second copies, and fugitive documents. In addition to distributing documents to subscribing libraries and other organizations, DocEx supplied documents to the Superintendent of Documents for inclusion in the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications (MoCat). DocEx stands as a model of cooperation between libraries, library associations, LC, federal agencies, the Superintendent of Documents, and vendors to facilitate the acquisition and distribution of millions of documents that would otherwise have disappeared.

John H. Hickcox’s confession: An addendum

Letter to the Editor John H. Hickcox’s Confession: An Addendum In 2004, we wrote an article for the Journal of Government Information reporting the arrest of John Howard Hickcox, creator of United States Government Publications: A Monthly Catalogue (also called Hickcox’s Monthly Catalogue) and Assistant Librarian at the Library of Congress, for stealing letters and money sent to the Librarian of Congress, Ainsworth R. Spofford. Since the charges against Hickcox were later dropped, and Spofford, his employer, was quoted in a newspaper account as saying that he believed that Hickcox was innocent, we speculated that he was not guilty (Stimson & Nobunaga, 2004). However, the recent discovery of a letter written in 1882, just over a month after Hickcox’s arrest, has led us to believe otherwise (Bramhall, 1882). Hickcox was probably better known as a prominent numismatist than he was as a government publications specialist. Hickcox was made an honorary member of the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society (ANAS) in 1859 (Hickcox, 1859). When Hickcox was arrested on January 19, 1882, it was front page news in newspapers across the United States. It appears that the ANAS learned of the arrest and asked their Corresponding Member in Washington, William L. Bramhall, to investigate and report back to the society. Bramhall’s letter to William Poillon, Secretary of the ANAS, dated February 24, 1882, (with the notation “JR [sic] Hickcox’s scrape” later written on the outside), says:

The arrest and vindication of John H. Hickcox

In January 1882, John H. Hickcox, a central government documents figure in his time, and the creator of United States Government Publications: A Monthly Catalogue or Hickcox' s Monthly Catalogue was arrested in Washington, DC, for taking letters addressed to the Librarian of Congress. Although the charges were eventually dismissed, 1882 is the last year that Hickcox worked for the Library of Congress. In an effort to add to the history of the key players in government documents publishing, this paper explores this strange incident and also documents other details of Hickcox's life and his catalog, which were discovered during the course of this investigation.

The Journal of Government Information: An exploratory analysis to determine if trends and changes in the government printing industry are reflected in JGI

This paper primarily addresses the question as to whether the Journal of Government Information ( JGI) can be used as a vehicle to track the historical trends and changes within the government publishing industry over a 25-year period. Secondarily, it seeks to explore if government publishing lags behind or precedes coverage in the popular press on topics it covers. A quantitative analysis of coverage in JGI's Notable Documents issues, the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications, and the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature is included along with qualitative findings gathered from the journal's editorial content. A clear picture of the emerging trends in content, format, and dissemination methods can be seen in this historical account but further comparison with the industry would be required to determine how complete a picture it provides. There is evidence to support the contention that JGI represents the coverage of certain topics in a proportional manner. There is also evidence to support that the popular press either leads or is on par with the government publishing industry in some areas.

Life and times of John H. Hickcox: Government publications history revisited

Until the late nineteenth century, the printing and distribution of federal government documents was not well regulated. In 1885, John H. Hickcox, Sr. began privately publishing United States Government Publications: a Monthly Catalogue, also known as Hickcox's Monthly Catalogue, which alerted the public to the availability of recent publications, a function that the government was not then performing. Hickcox's catalog immediately preceded establishment of the government-published Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications, of which he subsequently was appointed the first compiler. This paper presents information on Hickcox from primary materials and other secondary sources in order to create an awareness of Hickcox and his Catalogue, which have previously been ignored by historians of government information. In addition, some earlier accounts of Hickcox's activities are clarified and corrected.

The U.S. monthly catalog and the publications reference file as collection development tools

The 1991 Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications was examined using a random sample of 668 publications in order to determine what percentage of materials produced at the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) were available through the depository library system, and how many of those were offered through the Sales Division via the Publications Reference File (PRF). It was found that 98 percent of publications (655 titles) in the Monthly Catalog were depository items. The remaining two percent (13 titles) are discussed as an indicator of what was not available through the depository system. It was also found that only nine percent of the publications (62 titles) in the Monthly Catalog were listed as available through the Sales Division. Of that nine percent, only 60 percent (37 titles), were listed in the PRF after one year. The nature of these publications and their average prices are examined. Also discussed are the publications dropped from the PRF. A total of 293 publications were identified as available through either GPO or agency distribution, representing 44 percent of the original sample.

Creating a U.S. Government documents database for an online system: The Tri-College project

Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore College Libraries have prepared a tri-college database for an integrated online system. The common database includes records for all cataloged library holdings and records extracted from the GPO tapes for United States government publications selected since July 1976. The documents librarians planned and carried out a retrospective cataloging project with Brodart Automation. This article describes the preparation of item selection profiles; special programs to eliminate duplicate records and build item records; and the procedures followed to inventory and barcode publications in the stacks, to link barcodes and add holdings information to item records online, and to correct the college files by adding and deleting records online using Brodart's Interactive Access System.

The monthly catalog of United States government publications: One title, many versions

This article reports on a study that reviewed the types of electronic media in which census products intended for depository library distribution appear. Paper copy distribution for census publications remains important. In fact, the depository librarians interviewed regard paper copy and CD-ROM as the primary distributions formats. Electronic bulletin boards, in the future, may assume third place among the primary distribution formats. The article also identifies key issues related to increasing access to electronic information via the depository library program and reviews some scenarios for the provision of government information products to library clientele. The study suggests that libraries are including more electronic services and are providing for remote access to library collections and services. However, a number of key issues require attention if future electronic census products are to have increased access through the depository library program.

Separate vs. integrated: The disappearing debate over the organization of United States Government publications in depository libraries

This article reviews the debate over organization of government documents in libraries. Since Michael Waldo summarized the history of the debate (through 1975), dramatic changes have occurred due to the availability of GPO cataloging. New theories, studies, and experiments have appeared, and the formerly opposed viewpoints appear to be reconciled

United States government publications catalogs

United States government publications catalogs

The Arapaho Indians: a research guide and bibliography

Preface The Arapaho: A Historical and Ethnographic Sketch Topically Indexed Bibliography of Sources Concerning the Arapaho Indians Guide to Sources Concerning the Arapaho Indians Introduction to the Bibliography Bibliography Topical Index to the Bibliography The Arapaho Indians in the Public Documents of the United States Guide to American Indian Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1889 by Steven L. Johnson CIS U.S. Serial Set Index CIS U.S. Congressional Committee Hearings Index United States Government Publications United States Statutes at Large Archives and Museums Possessing Significant Collections Pertaining to the Arapaho Indians Archives with Significant Collections of Materials Concerning the Arapaho Materials Pertaining to the Arapaho in the Holdings of the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art Museums with Significant Collections of Arapaho Material Culture

Easy access to information in United States government publications

Easy access to information in United States government publications

Subject guide to major United States government publications

Subject guide to major United States government publications

United States Federal Government Documents on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

As the disease of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) continues to affect more persons, the literature on AIDS proliferates. While most of the AIDS literature is written for a general or a medical audience, the information on AIDS found in United States government publications illustrates the political dimensions of the disease. Issues contained in these documents include subjects such as the lack of serious funding for AIDS research and congressional testimony by persons with AIDS. Reports of scientific advances through executive agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control are also found in these documents.

Chapter 6: United States Government Publications

Chapter 6: United States Government Publications

United States government publications in international law and commercial practice with references to parallel publications of the private sector

In light of the proliferation of subject bibliographies in the field of government documents librarianship and the ever-increasing amount of international commercial activity in the world at large, it is interesting that there have not been any attempts to compose a bibliography of United States government documents relating to international law and commercial activity. This paper provides a summary listing of the important government documents in this field. The standard “primary sources,” defined as those having the force of law, are reviewed, followed by a complete discussion of secondary sources in the fields of foreign affairs, agriculture, customs, import/export regulations and opportunities, maritime, and labor.

Comparison of services for the monthly catalog of United States government publications

Abstract The following chart offers a detailed comparison of five services that offer valueadded enhancements to the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications . The fourteen points of comparison provide a preliminary assessment of these services. This information, combined with the evaluation from libraries subscribing to one or more of these services or from a preview of these services, should assist libraries in deciding which, if any, service to take.

Loading the GPO tapes—what does it really mean?

Since 1976 the Government Printing Office has been creating machine readable bibliographic records for United States federal documents through the OCLC cataloging subsystem. The Library of Congress makes these records available to the public through its Cataloging Distribution Service (CDS). Over the years libraries have had difficulty in mounting the GPO Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications tapes onto local computer systems partly because of the differences in OCLC/MARC and USMARC and because of the lack of complete technical documentation to accompany the tapes. This article outlines some of the differences in OCLC/MARC and USMARC as reflected in the GPO Monthly Catalog tapes. Also summarized is the processing done to the tapes from the time they are received by GPO until they are distributed by LC/CDS. Finally, the necessity for complete technical documentation is stressed and current activities by the GPO to provide such documentation is reviewed.

Government publications in the private collections of nineteenth century America: A century-long source for federal document holdings in libraries

Private libraries having considerable holdings of United States government publications existed from the first decades of the new government, and continued to be formed throughout the nineteenth century. The dearth of federal government material in the “public” libraries of the country partially contributed to the formation of these private collections. In addition, members of Congress and other government officials who were routinely supplied with government publications sometimes retained these for their own collections; from these and other private collections, donations frequently went to libraries. The government's distribution of government publications to libraries provided by far the greater amount of such material which the libraries received. But the private collections also benefited libraries by serving as supplemental sources of such material and as sources for those libraries not participating in the government's distribution programs. In several cases, the donation of a private collection gave a library comprehensive holdings of federal government publications. The private collections began to have less importance for the nation's libraries as the nineteenth century ended, largely a result of the expanded distribution begun with the 1895 Printing Act.

Clio's blindspot: Historians' underutilization of United States government publications in historical research

This paper provides a general introduction to utilizing government materials in historical research. The wealth of primary and secondary materials available in governmental documentary material will be noted and a few examples of problems with government sources will be highlighted. Finally, the paper will explore impediments to historians' use of government publications, including the access tools which have traditionally been available to them, and give some suggestions as to how historians can be encouraged to more frequently and profitably use government materials in their research.