6.1 What’s New or Important

The enhanced Catalog of U.S. Government Publications contains records dating back to July 1976.

Material distributed through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) remains the property of the Federal Government, your depository library is the legally responsible custodian of the Federal Government property it receives through the FDLP. As such, your depository is REQUIRED to perform certain technical service functions.

Specifically, your depository MUST maintain a holdings record to the piece level of all depository selections received in tangible format.

• A comprehensive shelflist in either paper or electronic format MUST be used to maintain your depository library’s holdings records. Depository holdings records can be part of the larger library's shelflist; the documents shelflist does not have to be a separate entity.
• For serials, piece level records for each issue MUST be maintained by your depository until the issues are bound, replaced by microformat, etc. Then a holdings statement can be substituted for the individual records.
• This record keeping requirement does not mean that a shelflist card must be generated for each piece. For instance, the holdings record for some map series could be comprised of a basic shelflist record for the map series plus checking-off the appropriate quadrangles of maps received on the index map.
• In addition to basic bibliographic information, your holdings records should contain information such as a Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) number, if appropriate, and an accession or receipt date to aid in disposition, and, if applicable, your unique depository identifier or location symbol.
• Your depository’s integrated library system can serve as the depository shelflist if 100% of depository material is cataloged and the records are updated in accordance with collection maintenance practices.
• Your depository publications need not be recorded separately from the rest of the library’s collection.
• If you choose to use vendor-supplied cataloging records as your depository holdings records, the tape load should be tailored to your library's item number profile, checked against actual receipts, and coupled with your library entering individual issues of serials received.
• Marked shipments lists do not constitute a record of the library's depository holdings and should not be used for that purpose.
• Your depository MUST ensure that all tangible publications to which a library is entitled are received from GPO and make them available for public use as soon as possible. Specifically,
  1. All shipments should be unpacked and processed as they are received. Failure to do so affects access to the material and can result in the loss of depository status.
  2. Your depository should check all shipping lists against your item selection profile to ensure that publications selected are received.
  3. Your depository should maintain, in paper or electronic format, a record of publications selected. A downloaded electronic file, such as the ones created by DDM2, is an example of the type of record libraries should keep. While GPO recommends libraries maintain a historic record of selection and de-selection, this is no longer required.
  4. Publications not received should be promptly claimed, if appropriate. Some publications cannot be claimed. More information about claims is available in the Claims for Depository Publications section of this chapter.
  5. Each publication in the shipment, regardless of format, MUST be identified as Federal Government property. Your depository is strongly encouraged to mark depository material, by stamping it with your library’s name and “depository” for example, to distinguish it from publications received from other sources.
  6. Your depository is also strongly encouraged to record the SuDoc classification number on all publications when an alternate classification system is used. This will assist with identification of publications from a citation with only a SuDoc number and facilitates discard procedures.
  7. Publications not waiting for full cataloging should be processed within ten working days from receipt of the shipment. Material waiting for cataloging should be sorted for easy retrieval by staff for users.
  8. Your depository should also mark all out of date or superseded material that is retained in the collection as “superseded” or “not current”. Aeronautical and nautical charts should also be stamped "Not to be used for navigational purposes."