GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

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GOVERNMENT INFORMATION Introduction and
Background

• Patricia Kenly
• June 2005

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HISTORY - GPO

• 1861 GPO established. Before that, govt.
  printing was done by private cos.
• 1895 Congress added sale distribution to GPO
  responsibilities. 420 depository libraries.
• Until 1922 depositories received ALL
  publications.
• 1962 - 594 depositories

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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).

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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.

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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 governments primary
  centralized resource for gathering, cataloging,
  producing, providing and preserving published
  information in all its forms.
• GPO also prints passports.

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SuDocs

• SuDocs common abbrev. for the person (the
  Superintendent) as well as the cataloging
  numbering scheme.
• GPO assigns a SuDocs number to all material.
• Its based on the agency name (D for Defense,
• Note Georgia Tech uses Library of Congress call
  number for Maps

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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 (1900s are 3 digits)

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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)

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DEPOSITORY MATERIALS

• Not all of whats issued by govt. is distributed
  to libraries theyre fugitive documents.
• Also, there can be noncompliance by agencies.
  Access problems worsen when agency websites only
  retain selected titles.

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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 govt doesnt 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.

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IDENTIFICATION OF DEPOSITORY MATERIALS

• 1976 GPO began cataloging through OCLC.
• Most libraries have NOT cataloged older material
  hence, theyre 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.

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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

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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.
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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.

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

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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.

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Online Monthly Catalog being replaced. New
product, rollout this week, will have coverage
from 1976.
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FINDING AIDS for INTERNET

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

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Web site brief summary of Bureaus scope
Source Government Information on the Internet
SuDocs numbers for key Bureau sources
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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)

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TO BE CONTINUED --

• Census (August dept. meeting)
• Statistics
• Congressional research