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	Ben's Guide to U.S. Government

Survey to Identify Essential Titles for Public Use in Paper or Other Tangible Format

Archived Instructions for March 4 - March 18, 2005

The purpose of this survey is to identify items that should be added to the list of Essential Titles for Public Use in Paper Format ( http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/estitles.html), either for all Federal depository libraries or for specific types of depository libraries. The objective is to more effectively meet current user needs for tangible Government information products available to them at depository libraries. With this data, the Government Printing Office (GPO) will be able to determine the resources that will be necessary to provide these materials to depository libraries in print or other tangible format.

BACKGROUND

The dissemination of information products through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) includes a variety of tangible formats, including paper, microfiche and CD-ROM/DVD. As directed by Congress, the primary method of making publications available to the FDLP is in online format. There are, however, specific titles that are to remain available for selection in paper or other tangible format, so long as they are published in tangible format by the originating agency. These titles contain critical information about the activities of the U.S. Government or are important reference publications for libraries and the public. In establishing the list of Essential Titles, GPO and the depository library community agreed that maintaining the availability of these titles for selection in tangible format was essential to the mission of the FDLP.

The current list of Essential Titles was developed by GPO in consultation with the Federal Depository library community and issued in 2000. This initial list omitted Congressional Hearings, Committee Prints, House and Senate Documents, and House and Senate Reports. GPO has added the item numbers for these Congressional titles to the list. With these item numbers added, the expanded list of Essential Titles now includes approximately 25% of FY 2004 print titles distributed to the FDLP and utilizes 40% of the estimated FY 2004 printing dollars.

THE SURVEY

GPO is seeking recommendations from the Federal depository library community to assist in updating the current list of Essential Titles and tailoring the list to more accurately reflect the selection preferences of different types of depository libraries. Your response to this survey will assist GPO in its efforts to identify additional item numbers that should remain available to your type of library in tangible format, whether or not they are Essential Titles for other types of depository libraries.

During and following the survey, anyone can review the cumulative submissions by going to http://www.gpoaccess.gov/essential/statistics.html . Once the survey is complete, GPO will analyze the data, including the estimated cost for recommended item numbers, and share that information with the depository library community. The results and GPO’s analysis will also be discussed at the Depository Library Council meeting in Albuquerque , NM , in April 2005 (http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/events/spring_council.html).

GPO is not re-evaluating the item numbers already on the Essential Titles list. All of these items will remain on the list, so there is no need to recommend them. Congressional Hearings, Committee Prints, House and Senate Documents, and House and Senate Reports have been added to the Essential Titles list. Congressional commission publications are included in the survey where appropriate. If you recommend an item number that is already on the expanded list of Essential Titles, you will receive an error message, reminding you that this item number is already part of the list of Essential Titles.

GPO will continue to follow SOD 71, Dissemination/Distribution Policy for the Federal Depository Library Program, ( http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/sod71.html ). This will ensure that maps and other items for which there is no useful electronic format continue to be distributed in tangible form, even when they are not on the list of Essential Titles. Furthermore, GPO will continue offering microfiche as an alternative format for items currently available for dual distribution in both print and microfiche.

Every depository library needs to respond to the survey so that GPO will have meaningful data. GPO cannot assist you in meeting your users’ requirements for tangible Government information products if you do not participate. As many of you will remember, GPO surveyed the community for suggestions for Essential Titles in September 2003. Unfortunately, the results of that survey were inconclusive due to low response rates and recommendations of non-standardized titles or overly broad categories. We appreciate the efforts of those who responded to that survey, and we hope you will contribute your recommendations to this renewed effort.

SURVEY MECHANICS

To help focus this survey, GPO began with an analysis of the item numbers most frequently selected by each type of depository library. We then removed item numbers for materials that are already on the Essential Titles list (including the ones for the Congressional titles that have been added). We also removed item numbers for a few broad category classes that would not be meaningful for the survey (such as miscellaneous publications), as well as item numbers that are already disseminated online only. We sorted each remaining list based on the selection rate for all tangible formats of each title, so a title that is available in both print and microfiche will be ranked by the combined total item selections.

When you log on to the survey, you will be directed automatically to a list of at least 100 of the most popular tangible selections for your type of library and you will be able to rank your recommendations from among those item numbers. You will also be able to recommend up to three additional items that are not already represented on the list of most popular selections for your type of library. You can view the list of item numbers for other types of libraries, but you will only be able to rank items on the list for your type of library.

Using the list for your type of library, please identify up to 10 item numbers you would like to recommend for consideration as Essential Titles for Public Use in Paper or Other Tangible Format for your library. You can select items from the list provided or write in additional items. Your “write-in” recommendations will require a valid item number, which can be obtained from the List of Classes ( http://www.access.gpo.gov/gpoaccess/fdlp/pubs/loc/index.html ). You may recommend a title that is currently distributed only in electronic form provided there is still a print version available from the publishing agency. Please respond to the survey even if you have no new items to recommend, so we will know which depository libraries have participated.

Each depository can recommend a total of 10 item numbers, including the “write-ins.” Once you have made your selections, you will be asked to rank them in order from highest priority (1) to lowest (10).

The lists for the 100 of the most popular tangible selections by library type are available for review at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/essential/librarylists.xls.

If you do not have your library’s internal user ID and password, or need assistance with the operation of the survey, the designated depository coordinator or the library director should contact the GPO Customer Contact Center for assistance. Other questions and comments can be sent to the Superintendent of Documents, jrussell@gpo.gov.

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