Chapter 2 - Collection Development
A. Purpose
B. Scope of Collection Development
C. Selection Tools
D. Item Number System
E. Updating Selection Profiles
F. Selective Housing
A. Purpose
Congress established the FDLP to help fulfill its responsibility to inform the public on the policies and programs of the Federal Government. All depositories share in this responsibility.
Providing no-fee public access to Federal Government information is the guiding principle under which public officials designate depository libraries; therefore, the Federal Government information needs of the general public must influence the collection development of depository libraries.
B. Scope of Collection Development
A majority of libraries that are designated depositories have, as their primary mission, a commitment to serve a particular patron group (students, judges, etc.). While these libraries focus collection development more closely on the needs of their primary patrons, they must not ignore the Federal Government information needs of the general public. Program and performance goals for collection development appear under Section 3 in the Guidelines for the Federal Depository Library Program at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/fdlm/guidelin.html
Most depositories are designated to serve a particular U.S. Congressional District. The number of depositories in a congressional district, the geographic area of the congressional district, the type of library, and even the existence of established interlibrary cooperative arrangements, could dictate a local public service area other than the U.S. Congressional District. These local public service areas, if different from the congressional district, should be negotiated among neighboring depositories to ensure all areas of the congressional district are served.
All depositories should select or provide electronic access to titles from the "Basic Collection" found in the Federal Depository Library Manual at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/fdlm/basic.html
Libraries may also purchase a commercial equivalent of depository items. Relevant print and electronic indexes should be available in the depository to facilitate access to the resources of the documents collection.
As it is increasingly difficult for one depository to meet the Federal Government information demands of a varied population, the collection development of a depository should not be considered in isolation. The FDLP is a system of cooperating libraries. All depositories are part of this larger system. The Item Lister at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/itemlist.html
and the Documents Data Miner at http://govdoc.wichita.edu/ddm/GdocFrames.asp
can be used to identify selections of other depositories.
Depository libraries, either solely or in conjunction with neighboring depositories, will make demonstrable efforts to identify and meet the Federal Government information needs of the congressional district or local area.
One such effort is the formulation and implementation of a written depository collection development policy that specifically articulates the library's strategy for identifying and meeting the Federal Government information needs of the local area. The collection development policy should also address procedures for obtaining documents requested by patrons but not selected by the library; inter-depository coordination of selections; resources available locally; and interlibrary loan services. This policy can be formulated using the same criteria discussed in Chapter 2 of the Federal Depository Library Manual at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/fdlm/93fdlm.html#2
The Collection Development Guidelines for Selective Federal Depository Libraries, in the Federal Depository Library Manual Supplement also provides guidance. These Guidelines are available at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/fdlm/coldev.html
Select only those items best suited to the needs of your local area and U.S. Congressional District. Selective depositories are not required to receive all U.S. Government information products that are made available to depositories through the FDLP.
In order to meet public needs, the library's percentage of item number selections should be appropriate for its type and size. An appropriate level of selections should be at least one-half the average item selection rate of libraries of similar type and size. A table of selection rate percentages is published irregularly in Administrative Notes and is available at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/coll-dev/itemchrt.html
Libraries with selection rates below one-half or far in excess of the national average for libraries of similar size and type must document that their selection rate meets public needs in its written collection development policy. However, item selection percentages are only one factor used when assessing effective collection development. Also taken into consideration are the depository's proximity to other depositories, curricula, mission, Internet use, and commercial products acquired.
The transition to a more electronic FDLP will complicate traditional measures of evaluating this category. With more items now moving online, links to important information from the depository web page play a more crucial role. For this reason, links to GPO Access, the FDLP Electronic Collection, and other appropriate links to Government information should be prominently displayed on the library’s web site. The ability to catalog and link to "e-documents" directly from the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) will also become more important. Depository staff should stress access over ownership.
C. Selection Tools
The basis for selection is the List of Classes of United States Government Publications Available for Selection by Depository Libraries and the Union List of Item Selections. The List of Classes is a list of currently available products sorted by Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) classification stem including item number, format, etc. While there may be several products in a variety of media listed under each item number, products can be selected only by item number. The List of Classes is updated semiannually in paper and monthly on the Federal Bulletin Board (FBB) at http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/libs/class.htm
The Union List of Item Selections is updated monthly on the FBB at http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/libs/unionl.htm
These lists include those series or groups of publications having public interest or educational value which are issued by the various departments and agencies of the U.S. Government. Excluded from the lists are publications issued for strictly administrative or operational purposes which have no public interest or educational value, those classified for reasons of national security, and so-called "cooperative publications" which are documents which must be sold in order to be self-sustaining.Entries for cooperative publications appear in the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications. Their continued existence depends on funds raised by selling copies of the publications. For this reason, printed versions are not available for free distribution through the FDLP. Such titles as the National Union Catalog, Federal Reserve Bulletin, Prologue, and Smithsonian fall within this category.The Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications consists of bibliographic records of products in all media identified and/or distributed by the FDLP. The Catalog is also available in an abridged paper version. The online Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is updated daily and is available at http://www.gpo.gov/catalog.
The foundation of the depository collection should come from Chapters 2 and 3 in the Federal Depository Library Manual. These include items that have been identified by practicing depository librarians as suitable for their type and size of library. The Suggested Core Collection list in Appendix A of the Manual can be examined at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/fdlm/corelist.html.
Maps Available for Selection are listed in Appendix B of the Federal Depository Library Manual at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/ fdlp/pubs/fdlm/93fdlm.html#appB.
D. Item Number System
Depository libraries select documents by categories. Each category is identified by a unique item number. The item number assigned to a series generally remains the controlling number for that series regardless of change of title, transfer of the series or its publishing agency within the Federal Government, or change in the name of the issuing agency.
An item number assigned to a series may also govern the distribution of closely related series of a similar nature, e.g., numbered manuals with similar content issued by the same agency. In this instance, the library selecting this item would receive the related series as well.
The addition of new series to item numbers is announced on shipping lists and in Administrative Notes Technical Supplement at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/techsup.
The Technical Supplement is searchable on-line via the WEBTech Notes service at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/webtech.html.
For agencies whose scope and publications are limited, e.g., Fine Arts Commission, Marine Mammal Commission, etc., one item number has been established to cover all publications issued.
New depositories will begin receiving items they have selected within one month of receipt by GPO of their item selection profile. All other selections are dependent upon the annual item selection update cycle.
Libraries should retain historical files as they may contain information about when an item was selected, dropped, discontinued, superseded, changed format, changed SuDocs class number, sent to a selective housing site, etc. If these data are vital to the administration of the depository operation, be cautious about the disposition of item cards. If item cards are no longer maintained by the library, other means of establishing the item selection history must be in place, e.g., archiving copies of the Item Lister records, maintaining a local database, customizing electronic files from data downloaded from the Federal Bulletin Board, FDLP Desktop, etc.
E. Updating Selection Profiles
Depositories are notified by GPO shortly before each annual item selection update cycle begins. It is important that selections be centrally coordinated within the library and accurate records kept to avoid misunderstandings. Changes to a library's selection profile are made by inputting item numbers using the Amendment of Item Selections procedure at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/amendment.html.
Additions to selections may be made only during the annual item selection update cycle or an item survey. All selections should be reviewed regularly to ascertain their appropriateness and to adjust selections to the changing Federal Government information needs of patrons. Depository staff should consult the List of Classes and Administrative Notes Technical Supplement to verify the availability of items.
GPO recommends that a zero-based review be conducted annually, or at least every 2 or 3 years. Zero-based means to review non-selections as well as existing selections for pertinence to one's community information needs using the List of Classes and other selection tools.
If some currently selected items are judged inappropriate for the collection, these items should be deleted from the library’s selection profile promptly. Deletions can be made at any time and become effective within 72 hours of submission. When an item is dropped, however, all materials previously received under the item number unless superseded must still be retained for the statutory five-year retention period before they can be offered on a disposal list to the regional library.
A list of each depository library's selections is available using the Item Lister at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/itemlist.html
and the Documents Data Miner at http://govdoc.wichita.edu/ddm/GdocFrames.asp.
New item selections from the annual item selection update take effect after October 1. New selections will not be distributed until after that date. Libraries cannot claim new selections before October 1. Publications cannot be furnished retroactively. New selections can only be furnished to libraries as new items are ordered by and printed for the issuing agency.
Regional depository libraries receive nearly all depository items shipped by GPO. Some publications, such as Congressional hearings and the Federal Register, are issued in both paper and microfiche formats. Regionals may select both formats or only one. Selective depositories should depend upon the regional for seldom-used items.
On rare occasions, the Government Printing Office (GPO) receives only a limited number of copies of a publication from a department or agency for distribution to depository libraries. These copies are sent to all designated regional depositories; the remainder is made available to selective depositories through a "special offer" on a first-come, first-served basis. These materials are usually retrospective runs of series. These special offers are announced through Administrative Notes, notices on the depository shipping lists, or on the FDLP Desktop.
Cooperative collection development and interlibrary loan can also provide access within a local area to rarely used items. The Documents Data Miner, a State Plan, or consortia can assist with these activities.
Depository librarians are now permitted to substitute electronic versions as the sole "copy" for some tangible FDLP publications provided the electronic version is complete, official, and permanently accessible. These conditions are outlined in FDLP Guidelines on Substituting Electronic for Tangible Versions of Depository Publications at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/coll-dev/subguide.html.
F. Selective Housing
A library may selectively house a percentage of its depository publications at other libraries or institutions. The designated library will still be legally responsible for these materials, and for their receipt, initial processing, and disposition.
The selective housing site must abide by all rules and regulations that govern the FDLP. Their designated library should furnish them with copies of appropriate instructions and manuals. Materials they receive remain the property of the United States Government and are governed by all public access, custody, maintenance, and public service requirements.
If the library director of the designated depository does not administer the site of the selectively housed collection, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) must be drawn up outlining the host institution's responsibilities to provide for free public access, and to maintain the records and materials in the documents collection. A model selective housing MOA can be found as Exhibit H or in Chapter 2 of the Federal Depository Library Manual at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/fdlm/93fdlm.html#2.
A copy of the MOA must be sent to the regional librarian and to:
Chief, Depository Services
U.S. Government Printing Office
Library Programs Service (SLLD)
Washington, DC 20401
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