10.6 Tips, Practical Advice, and Lessons Learned

10.6.A Resources to Consult

• You can keep up-to-date with policies, procedures, and guidelines with the following GPO and FDLP resources and communications:
  
  
  • The FDLP Desktop
  • Federal Depository Library Handbook
  • askGPO
• You can share ideas and questions with colleagues through e-mail discussion lists such as:
  
  
  • GOVDOC-L
  • DOCTECH-L
  • MAPS-L
  • Your state or regional e-mail discussion group. Check with your regional librarian for information.

10.6.B Organizations and Learning Opportunities

• Enhance your knowledge and share your experience by participating in professional organizations and interest groups. Look for local groups and e-mail discussion groups through your regional library and state associations. If there are no local interest groups, consider initiating one. Some national professional groups related to government information include:
  
  
  • American Library Association’s (ALA) Government Documents Round Table (GODORT)
  • ALA’s Map and Geography Round Table (MAGERT)
  • Special Libraries Association’s Government Information Division
• GPO sponsors three free continuing education events annually:
  
  
  • The Interagency Depository Seminar, held each summer in Washington, D.C. is designed for depository staff who are new or returning to government documents. Check this web page for more information.
  • The Fall Depository Library Conference, with many programs related to depository issues, is held in conjunction with the fall Depository Library Council meeting in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Information about past conference and proceedings is available at this web page.
  • A small number of depository-related programs are held in conjunction with the spring Depository Library Council meeting, held at a site outside Washington, DC. For more information, check the archive available on this web page.
• State library associations, regional libraries and state documents groups may sponsor local meetings.

10.6.C Suggestions for New Staff

• If you are a new depository coordinator, you should contact their regional depository coordinator for assistance and information, including information about the state plan. You can consult examples of Virginia's State plan, a compilation of state plans from the Library of Michigan’s Regional Federal depository library Web site, or see Chapter 11 in this Handbook. New staff working with depository operations may want to attend an orientation at their regional or another depository library.
• Find your regional library, and other depositories of your type or in your state, city, zip code, or area code, on the GPO’s Federal Depository Library Directory page, and update information about your depository library. Be sure your library's information is up-to-date in the FDLP directory.
• Review your library's files, especially past inspection reports, self-studies, and biennial surveys. Learn your depository number and your GPO passwords in your library's files or from other staff members. If you need help with these items, contact the askGPO staff from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays) at:
  
  
  • Toll-Free: 866-512-1800
  • DC Area: 202-512-1800
  • Fax: 202-512-2104
• Contact your neighboring depository libraries to identify potential experts and/or mentors to assist with basic information and to become familiar with local resources.
• Look at the guides created by other libraries on the GODORT Government Information Clearinghouse and Handout Exchange and Browse Topics.
• Find the list of E-Competencies compiled by GODORT and determine the skills you and other library staff might need to improve.
• Additional tools for new staff can be found in GPO’s “Top 10 List for New Documents Librarians”.