GOVERNMENT INFORMATION – Introduction and Background

1. GOVERNMENT INFORMATION –Introduction and Background Patricia Kenly June 2005

2. HISTORY - GPO • 1861 – GPO established. Before that, gov’t. printing was done by private co’s. • 1895 – Congress added sale & distribution to GPO responsibilities. 420 depository libraries. • Until 1922 – depositories received ALL publications. • 1962 - 594 depositories

3. FDLP • 1962 – depository libraries program (FDLP) started. • Doubled the number of depositories permitted per Congressional district. • Until 1962, depositories had to retain documents selected forever (unless supserseded). • Each state has at least one “Regional” – receives 100% of what is distributed . Keeps material permanently. UGA is the one for Georgia. • 2005 - Almost 1,300 depository libraries (note: many are public libraries, who select a small number of documents).

4. FDLP • Libraries receive materials “on deposit” – FREE , and make them available to the public. Libraries do NOT own the materials. • Materials are print or fiche or electronic. • FDLP – partnership with GPO; libraries work closely with the Regional.

5. Government Printing Office (GPO) • Superintendent of Documents is also the Managing Director of Information Dissemination – Judith Russell. She has an MLS. • Reports to Public Printer (appointed by the President) • GPO is the “Federal government’s primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing and preserving published information in all its forms”. • GPO also prints passports.

6. SuDocs • “SuDocs” – common abbrev. for the person (the Superintendent) as well as the cataloging numbering scheme. • GPO assigns a “SuDocs” number to all material. • It’s based on the agency name (D for Defense,… Note: Georgia Tech uses Library of Congress call number for Maps

8. SuDocs numbers • Include punctuation marks (esp. “:” and “/”) • A period is NOT a decimal point. • Each space or punctuation acts as a separator. • Example: I 29.6.4 : B 86/986 “I” – Interior Dept. “29” – National Park Service “6” – National Parks Information Circulars “4” – National Rivers Information Circulars “/986” – the year (1900’s are 3 digits)

9. SHELVING LOCATIONS • Most are on the 3d floor • Some finding aids in Reference or Ready Ref. • Last row of Ref. – Monthly Catalog • Fiche and film – 2d floor • books/indexes associated with fiche or film (most, but not all, CIS Indexes)

10. DEPOSITORY MATERIALS • Not all of what’s issued by gov’t. is distributed to libraries – they’re “fugitive” documents. • Also, there can be noncompliance by agencies. Access problems worsen when agency websites only retain selected titles.

11. NTIS • NTIS – a library database (1964 onward) – as well as - a federal agency (though required to be self-sustaining). The agency indexes and sells government technical reports (the US gov’t doesn’t do a lot of this research; rather, universities and other organizations do a lot – “sponsored research”). Of the 2 million records, very few are depository. Tech subscribes to the full-text fiche collection.

12. IDENTIFICATION OF DEPOSITORY MATERIALS • 1976 – GPO began cataloging through OCLC. • Most libraries have NOT cataloged older material; hence, they’re not in library catalogs nor WorldCat. • Monthly Catalog of US Government Publications – official source. (GP3.8: - at the end of Reference stacks). SuDocs numbers included in bibliographic records.

13. LOCATING A DOCUMENT • Tech catalog! • WorldCat • NTIS • www.gpoaccess.gov • Andriot book (Ready Ref. Z1223.Z7 A545) • Monthly Catalog * Consult your desk colleague * * Make referral to gov. docs. librarian *

14. Newly cataloged digital doc.; not yet on GPO website PURL – not the actual URL; but this will always link to the URL of the doc.

15. Monthly Catalog, June 2003 The “  “ indicates depository title (UGA would have it). Tech catalog – no entry. Yet, we have access – type the PURL for the GPO web address and it links to the NASA web site and document.

16. full-text on the Web; PURL in Monthly Catalog linked to this – not found in www.gpoaccess.gov

17. HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS • CIS U.S. Serial Set Index (1789-1976) Ref. Z1223.Z9 C65 • Cumulative Subject Index to the Public Affairs Information Service Bulletins, 1915-1974 (recently transferred to gen. coll. – H96.P351)

18. THE NEW GPO • Heavily involved in electronic dissemination of documents – digital format. • Material on its website (www.gpoaccess.gov) is permanent and much content recently added (years of publications as well). 286,000 titles available. • To establish “dark archive” electronically. • Is moving out of old HQ to save money.

19. Online “Monthly Catalog” being replaced. New product, rollout this week, will have coverage from 1976.

20. FINDING AIDS for INTERNET • Government Information on the Internet (Ready Ref. Za5075.G68 2000) • University of Michigan Documents Center (www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/)

21. Web site; brief summary of Bureau’s scope Source: Government Information on the Internet SuDocs numbers for key Bureau sources

23. FINDING AIDS Andriot book – Guide to U.S. Government Publications (Ready Ref – Z1223.Z7 A574) • Introduction to United States Government Information Sources (gen.coll. J83.M67 1996)  Tapping the Government Grapevine (gen.coll. J83.R633 1993) Using Government Information Sources (Ref. J83.S43x 2001)

24. TO BE CONTINUED -- • Census (August dept. meeting) • Statistics • Congressional research