The discussion of writing a state plan is not new. At its meeting in Spring 1981, the Depository Library Council passed a resolution recommending "the Public Printer investigate the feasibility of requiring each state to prepare a plan to coordinate the Federal documents depository program within the state." Faull describes the development of the idea of state plans. The original idea for writing a state plan was to assist the regionals in meeting their responsibilities.

A state plan can do several things.

• Define the roles of the various stakeholders in the plan: the regional/s, the selective depository libraries, library users, and others.

• Set goals and objectives for the depository libraries in a state.

• Outline strategies to reach the goals.

A well-crafted state plan can accomplish several things for the depository community in a State.

• Focus efforts of all Federal depositories in the state.
• Encourage Federal depository librarians to think of themselves as part of a system, rather than as a lone entity.

• Foster communications through meetings and committee work.

• Encourage cooperative efforts among depositories.

• Distribute responsibilities among the depositories in a State.

• Promote partnerships with libraries or other agencies.

• Create a standard procedure for discards and other depository procedures.

• Use e-mail to initiate discussion of the purposes of writing a plan.

• Look at plans that are available on the Web.

• Discuss the process of writing a plan and seek a consensus as to who is in charge

of the plan.

• Involve Governmental agencies as appropriate in the State.

• Solicit input from all types of libraries or library representatives and associations.

The needs assessment will identify what the various players need and what they can contribute. The needs assessment will serve as a diagnostic tool to identify what the depositories need to do to improve their effectiveness.

• What can the regional contribute?

• In what areas does the regional need help?

• What can the selectives contribute?

• In what areas do the selectives need help?

• Are there libraries outside the depository program that can help?

• Look at electronic service networks and electronic needs.

• Appoint a representative committee to write the draft.

• Include in the plan the desirable features outlined by Faull or O'Mahoney (see below).

• Decide what to omit from the plan. What you omit may be as important as what you include.

• Collections—Responsibility for a complete collection

Current item selection

Retrospective collection development

Disposal

Transfer of material

• Service—Services must be related to collections

On-site

Interlibrary loan

• Bibliographic Access—All depositories must have a convenient way to know who has what

• Communication among state plan participants

• Financial responsibility

• Goals

• Review and evaluation mechanism

• Signed agreement among the participants

• Approval by state library agency or other designated body

• Other considerations

Visits

Training

Publicity

Faull, Sandra K., "'State Plans': Their Development and Potential for Regional Depository Libraries Participating in the GPO Depository Program," Government Information Quarterly, vol. 2, no. 2 (1985) p. 161, citing Report of Depository Library Systems Committee—September 1981 (Washington, DC: GPO, 1981)

Louisiana

http://www.lib.lsu.edu/govdocs/laplan2.html

Michigan

http://www.libofmich.lib.mi.us/publications/feddocdep.html

Missouri

http://www.missouri.edu/~elliswww/govdocs/fdl_plan.htm

Oregon

http://www.lib.pdx.edu/resources/govdocs/stpln.html

1. Designation of partner libraries by congressional district.
2. Provision of specific steps for meeting Government information needs of local users including users with special needs.
3. Delineation of partnerships between partner libraries and other agencies or entities that create and/or provide access to Government information.
4. Sharing of access/collection responsibilities, both current and historical, based on subject strengths of libraries or geographic considerations.
5. Identification of Government information holdings through online catalogs, union lists, and other locator systems.
6. Integration and improvement of existing resource sharing/document delivery agreements.
7. Provision of opportunity for all partner libraries to provide basic electronic access.
8. Coordination of training for staff and public in the use of electronic information resources.
9. Provision of enhanced services for access to complex electronic products requiring special software and/or equipment.
10. Incorporation of library arrangements within the state/region for national level archiving and preservation of Government information.
11. Encouragement of local/state advisory and support groups.
12. Identification of measures of accountability for program partners.
13. Advocacy for citizen access to Government information and citizen education regarding such access.
14. Provision of feedback mechanisms for information creators and access providers to evaluate Government information products and services.
15. Coordination with other appropriate state plans, including plans for interlibrary cooperation under the Library Services and Construction Act, state plans for public access to state Government information, and state telecommunications plans.

O'Mahony, Daniel P., "State and Regional Service Strategies for an Electronic Federal Depository Library Program," Journal of Government Information, vol. 23, no. 4, (1996) p. 434, app.