Describes the physical facilities required for tangible depository materials, the equipment needed for accessing the collection, proper handling of the depository materials, and housing arrangements for offsite storage or selective housing agreements

9.1 What’s New or Important

• Your depository library MUST meet the minimum technical requirements for public access workstations.
• Your depository library MUST maintain publications distributed through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) in conditions that are comparable to those of commercially purchased publications.
• Your depository library may house parts of the depository collection either in offsite storage or at another facility through a selective housing agreement.

9.2 Physical Facilities Required for Tangible Depository Materials

• Your depository library has the following REQUIREMENTS for the physical facilities that house tangible depository materials.
• Your depository operation MUST be entirely situated in an environment that provides access to and usage of depository resources.
• Under the Principle of Comparable Treatment, the depository collection and depository operations should be housed in a space comparable to or better than the quality of other areas of the library. The space for depository operations should be functional, flexible, and expandable.
• Your depository operations area should be well-lighted, comfortable, attractive, clean, and have sufficient workspace and seating for depository users. The space should contain well planned areas for services provided, such as research, reference, circulation, interlibrary loan, and other public service activities. Adequate space away from public service areas should be allocated for processing new depository materials and other operations. Your depository coordinator and depository staff should also have nonpublic work areas.
• You MUST allot adequate space to properly house and protect the collection, regardless of format. All parts of the collection should be readily accessible. Sufficient reader tables or carrels should be provided for in-library use of depository materials. If your depository materials are maintained in a separate division of the library, the space provided should be conveniently located for user access to encourage use of the materials. The depository library should establish a policy for reasonable retrieval times for publications not directly accessible to library users. Material stored in closed stacks within the library and at nearby facilities MUST be retrievable generally within 24 hours but should be as soon as feasible given the distance between the library and the offsite storage facility. Depository publications should be protected from unlawful removal.
• Your depository facilities that house Federal depository library materials should meet the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). You can find more information about library REQUIREMENTS under the ADA can be found at DisabilityInfo.gov, Department of Justice ADA page, and ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities.
• You should examine the signage and other physical facilities of the library and parent institution to ensure the language does not inhibit public access. Instead, signage should be employed to facilitate access to depository materials. For more information on public access, see Chapter 4 in this handbook.
• Your depository library MUST post the depository emblem in a prominent location, preferably visible from the exterior of the library, indicating the library is a Federal depository and that government information products can be used by the general public without charge. You may order free decals via the Free Depository Library Promotional Materials Order Page.

9.3 Equipment Needed for Accessing the Collection

• Your depository library MUST have adequate equipment for the public and staff to view and use government information in all formats. The capability to download, copy, and print government information MUST be provided.
• Microfiche readers and reader-printers MUST be available to the public if that format is available in your depository collection.
• To help you make informed equipment purchases that best achieve the goal of providing public access to Federal Government information in a variety of electronic formats, the Government Printing Office issues the “Recommended Specifications for Public Access Workstations in Federal Depository Libraries” which becomes minimum technical requirements (MTR). The latest specifications and minimum technical requirements are available at Workstation Specifications.
• Your Federal depository library's public access workstations MUST meet the MTR to keep pace with technological change and be knowledgeable about Federal agency information delivery practices in order to fulfill their Title 44 obligation to provide access to Government information products. You will find these guidelines are aimed at providing reasonably robust workstations that should provide years of service before they become obsolete; however, GPO encourages the purchase of equipment that exceeds these specifications, if economically feasible.
• Not all public workstations at your depository library must meet the MTR. Your depository will NEED an appropriate number of workstations to meet or exceed user demand for public access to government information; the number of workstations is determined by size of your library and the amount of onsite usage. However, a personal computer that meets or exceeds the latest MTR is highly recommended for use by your depository staff to ensure effective depository administration.
• Microform equipment can be expensive, and the amount of equipment required to service a given microform collection will vary depending on usage and your library’s resources. It is important that your depository have extra projection lamps, microform glassware, and other spare parts for maintaining and servicing the equipment. Your depository library should designate a staff member to be in charge of the library’s microform equipment, become familiar with it, and be available to perform basic repairs and maintenance.
• It is strongly encouraged that your depository has at least one reader-printer capable of making clear, legible paper copies from microfiche publications. Additional microfiche readers are recommended as needed to accommodate increased levels of use. Your will find cleaning the readers weekly for fingerprints and dusk produces the best image possible for users; spare light bulbs should be kept near the reader so that used bulbs can be quickly and easily replaced. Equipment that scans microforms and allows for printing, saving to disk, or e-mailing can provide more flexibility for your users. Regionals should be able to provide microfiche copies, or otherwise have the means to provide the microfiche content, to selectives upon request.

9.4 Proper Handling of the Depository Materials

Your depository library receives Federal Government publications in a wide variety of formats and media. The government publications collection, by virtue of its importance as a primary research resource, REQUIRES protection from environmental abuse, physical mishandling by staff and users, and theft. While depository materials may be housed separately from other library collections, they NEED to be given the same level of care as commercially published and purchased collections elsewhere in the library.If your depository library does not properly maintain the publications in its custodial care, the library can lose its depository status 44 United States Code 1909.

Proper handling of depository materials begins with the depository shipment. Your depository will receive shipments of government publications based upon its item selection profile. Upon receipt of shipments, you should remove the publications from their packaging and organize them in a staging area for processing. This location should be secure from theft and environmental hazards. After publications are fully processed but still awaiting shelving, they can be arranged in a manner appropriate to the library, such as by location, priority, call number, or format. An additional benefit from a well-organized processing area is that your library staff can browse and familiarize themselves with recently received government publications.

9.5 Supplies Necessary for the Proper Handling of Depository Materials

Your depository library NEEDS to purchase a variety of supplies in order to properly house the tangible collection. Because some depository materials are not shelf-ready when they arrive, your library needs to purchase supplies for housing them. Examples of supplies include assorted binders, jewel cases, and file boxes. Additionally, many Federal Government agencies find it necessary to issue publications unbound or in paper covers. Your library will want to include these publications in your binding program for books, periodicals, and other privately purchased materials. Binders are not furnished for loose-leaf material unless the issuing agency includes them as part of its publication. Loose-leaf materials MUST be updated in a timely manner or should be deselected. To properly mark each publication, your library also NEEDS a variety of stamps and labels. If your library uses security devices for commercially purchased collections, apply security strips or devices to depository publications whenever the format permits. See the individual media types below for more specific suggestions. Also see Chapter 6 in this Handbook for additional information on Technical Services.

In handling depository materials, remember that poor housing environments threaten publications in all formats. Therefore, overcrowded shelves and files damage publications and could also lead to the material being mishandled by users of the collection. Your depository library should track the growth of the collection and available storage space for all formats in order to identify portions of the collection that need shifting. Additional shelving, shifting or weeding projects, new cabinets, and offsite storage are much better planned before a crisis emerges.

Humidity and temperature also affect the deterioration of the collection. Your depository collection should be housed in a stable environment subject to no abrupt temperature or humidity changes. For storage and stacks areas, permanently installed smoke and heat detectors which should be operating at all times to warn of fire. You will also want dry chemical and carbon dioxide fire extinguishers available.

See the individual media types below for more specific housing and handling issues. For information on developing a preservation policy, see Chapter 8 in this Handbook.

9.6 Handling Specific Media Types of Depository Materials

The following provides a brief discussion of the proper handling of various media types of depository materials.

9.6.A Paper Publications

• Paper depository materials NEEDS to be stored in a proper storage environment with year-round temperature and humidity control, proper air circulation, and limited exposure to ultraviolet light. High temperature and humidity encourage pests and mildew, while too little humidity causes paper to dry out and become brittle. The recommended temperature for paper is in the 65 to 70 °F range, and relative humidity for paper should be maintained at 40 to 55 percent.
• You may choose to turn off lights in the stacks when they are not needed as light can damage materials. Dust and dirt damage materials also, so good housekeeping practices are important. The stacks should be clean with no food, drink, or tobacco allowed. Your depository library will want to be sure to clean books and shelves on a regular schedule and inspect for mildew and mold. Improper shelving practices also cause damage, particularly jamming books into a tight space or letting them flop without a bookend. For ribbed shelving, you can create a flat surface by lining with acid-freeboard.
• Your depository library is strongly encouraged to develop and document policies for the proper use and handling of materials by both staff and users. These policies can be as simple as how to remove books from the shelves and how to replace them properly, or how to photocopy without damaging the material.
• Your paper depository collection should be maintained in a comparable physical condition as commercially purchased library materials through the use of proper preservation practices including binding when desirable. As with other collections in the library, binding together older issues of depository serials will lengthen their life. Heavily used publications are good candidates for binding, especially volumes of local or regional interest. For recent publications, you will want to balance the need for providing timely user access with the desire to bind because the publication will be inaccessible while at the bindery.
• Some government publications arrive as loose, unbound pages, and binding may not always be appropriate. Your depository NEEDS to purchase a variety of binders to house these publications. Suggested sizes to have on hand are three-ring binders in both one-inch and three-inch thicknesses, and metal pronged report covers. Some paper publications such as bookmarks, pamphlets, and one- or two-page newsletters should be housed in acid-free protective envelopes to avoid being crushed or lost among the books, or other pamphlets housed in a vertical file.
• Periodicals and other sets of thin publications that sit together on the shelf can benefit from being housed in file boxes which will keep them neat, upright and prevent them flopping over nearby materials or bookends.
• Folio shelving or flat drawers should be provided for oversized publications. You will want to consider protecting oversized publications lying on folio shelves with acid-free folders to keep out dust and prevent mishandling.

9.6.B Posters

• Your will want to house posters flat in a sturdy acid-free case that supports the posters while protecting them from dust, light, and other environmental damage. Alternative housing includes rolling them or housing them vertically in files. Do not fold a poster that arrives flat or rolled. It is preferable to flatten any posters that are shipped folded.
• The preservation and proper housing of posters need not prevent them from being viewed by the public. Your depository should display posters whenever possible, circulate them, or selectively house individual posters or a series of posters at other libraries, schools, or other institutions where they might be seen and used.

9.6.C Maps

• If your depository selects and receives maps, they are subject to the same processing procedures as other depository materials. Whether the maps are housed directly in the library or housed off-site, it is your library's responsibility to ensure that maps which arrive through the FDLP are handled according to the practices established in this Handbook.
• You can house sheet maps and charts in sturdy, acid-free map cases. The best method of storing maps is flat in map cabinets or vertically in plain files. Rolling maps is acceptable but makes access and use more difficult. Only those maps pre-folded by the publisher may be stored folded.
• As with any paper materials, maps need year-round temperature and humidity control with proper air circulation and limited exposure to ultraviolet light.
• Clearly labeled and well-arranged maps can be identified and selected from map cabinets with the least wear and tear. In most situations, your will want to keep map indexes near the maps. In situations where the maps are not directly accessible to the user, you might want to house the map indexes along with other reference materials.
• Map drawers that are too full increase the weight on each map as they are pulled out, filed, and re-filed increasing the chances that maps may be torn or damaged. Maps will receive better care by making sizeable workspaces available to users using the maps, as well as providing sufficient space for staff to re-file the maps.
• You should take care not to obscure important images or information when labeling and stamping maps. Also avoid applying adhesive labels, security strips, or stamps on the back of a map where it can bleed through and obscure information on the front of the map. The lower edge is an ideal place to record call numbers. Searching through a stack of maps labeled at the bottom edge is more efficient and distresses maps the least.
• Your depository maps are sometimes housed in a different location some distance from the rest of the depository collection. If the location of the map collection is not under the administrative control of your depository library, a selective housing memorandum of understanding MUST be initiated between your depository and the selective housing site. See Appendix D in this Handbook for more information.

9.6.D Microfiche

• You should house microfiche in a climate-controlled area with minimal variation in temperature and relative humidity. Standard guidelines for the recommended storage temperature for microform collections are 68 °F with a constant humidity level of 40 percent plus or minus 5 percent. The most important factor to consider is constancy. The temperature and humidity range should not fluctuate often and should not go above 75 °F or 50 percent humidity. Temperatures and humidity higher than the recommended levels can encourage fungal growth, blemishes, and chemical deterioration of the microfiche. Temperatures lower than recommended can cause brittleness. Proper air-conditioning generally provides these conditions. However, you should check the temperature and humidity periodically to insure that proper storage conditions remain constant.
• When possible, to help control the climate, microfiche should not be stored against outer walls, nor on the ground or top floors of a building. Microfiche should be kept away from air vents, radiators, and direct sunlight. Do not store microfiche near photocopiers, chemical duplicators, fresh paint, or other chemicals that may cause reaction.
• All microforms are extremely photosensitive and should never be exposed to direct light except when in use on a microform reader. They can also be damaged by electric light. You will want to designate a place where there is not an excessive amount of light for staff and users to return microfiche; this should preferably be in a closed lidded box.
• Steel cabinets made with baked-on inert enamel finishes, stainless steel, or aluminum are recommended as microfiche storage facilities. They should have a fire rating of at least one hour. Plastic boxes, unless constructed of non-deteriorating plastic, can adversely affect microfiche. When using cabinets, your library staff should be aware of the weight-bearing capacity of the library area in which the collection is located. Storage containers should not be tightly packed; room should be allowed for growth and expansion.
• Microfiche MUST be stored vertically, sitting on their bottom edge and upright, in acid-free containers. The envelopes in which the GPO microfiche are shipped are acid-free, as are the inserted dividers. All paper products used in the storage of microforms (boxes, dividers, labels, and envelopes) should have a pH factor of 7.0 or above. You will want to stamp envelopes with acid-free ink, but it is not necessary to remove the microfiche when stamping the envelopes if normal force is used.
• Microfiche cards measure approximately 100 cards per inch if housed “nude” or 70 cards per inch if housed in acid free sleeves such as the ones GPO provides in their shipments. Microfiche storage containers should not be tightly packed; room should be allowed for growth and expansion. None of the variant forms of microfilm (silver halide, diazo, vesicular, Ilfochrome) should be stored in the same drawer as other forms. Because close contact between the differing forms can result in chemical reactions which, while not dangerous to your library itself (unlike some forms of microfilm created through the 1950s which could in extreme cases prove flammable if improperly stored) will reduce or destroy the usefulness of the film itself.
• Microfiche cards are rarely labeled by type (i.e., a card or shipping list will not say “diazo” or “vesicular”). Essentially all government publications distributed on microfiche by GPO are diazo, though reprints from private vendors may vary. A general rule you can follow is that if a microfiche card is of an observably different style from other microfiche in a drawer, it is best to remove it to its own drawer. For example, the emulsion side of silver halide microfiche is matte and the non-emulsion side is glossy, while diazo microfiche is glossy on both sides.
• Your will want to avoid using devices to bind the fiche together, such as paper clips which can cause scratches or other damage. Rubber bands used to keep the microfiche together during depository shipments can cause decomposition and should be removed before filing. Rubber bands often contain sulfur and are particularly damaging to microfiche over extended periods of time.
• Microfiche should be examined periodically for signs of deterioration. Although an examination of each microfiche in large collections would be impossible, your library staff should inspect a representative sample on a regular basis, at least once per year. Should problems such as fungal growth, blemishes, or chemical deterioration of the fiche be detected, your will want to make note of them and attempt to determine the cause and how much of the collection is affected. Information about these periodic inspections should be included in the depository’s preservation plan. For more information on preservation, see chapter 8 in this Handbook.
• To maintain optimum conditions, the library staff who process or handle the microfiche on a regular basis may want to consider using soft cotton gloves to avoid getting fingerprints on the microfiche. Your staff should always wear clean, cotton gloves when handling silver halide microfiche. If the microfiche does become dirty or difficult to read, you can clean them using a dry, soft, lint-free cloth or use a microfiche cleaning solvent with the cloth. You will want to be sure that the cleaning solvent can be used with the type of microfiche to be cleaned.

9.6.E Tangible Electronic Products

• As a minimum standard, the maintenance of tangible electronic media distributed through the FDLP should be comparable to maintenance standards established for tangible electronic media acquired by the library through commercial sources.
• GPO has distributed a variety of tangible electronic materials. Currently, CD-ROMs and DVDs make up the majority of tangible electronic products distributed. However, floppy disks, videos, and other formats have also been distributed over the years. Owing to the delicate nature of tangible electronic materials, you should house them in an environment that protects them from bending, scratching, or crushing. Exposure to dust, temperature extremes, and magnetic fields (such as telephones, security strip desensitizers, etc.) should be avoided.
• Even though the longevity of optical media is still being studied, practical measures can be taken to extend the life of CD-ROMs and DVDs. Soil from inks, solvents or other pollutants may influence the effectiveness of a disc. Cleaning discs to remove such contaminates is recommended. Commercial disc cleaning kits are available, or a soft, lint-free, cotton cloth may be used. Avoid using lint-filled, paper cloths that may scratch the disc. The disc should be wiped from the center out to the edge, avoiding a circular motion.
• In general, tangible electronic products should not be shelved alongside other materials on the regular shelves unless first placed in containers designed to prevent damage to electronic products. Because CDs and DVDs distributed through FDLP arrive in a variety of protective covers, your library should purchase a supply of CD cases and make provisions for labeling CDs, DVDs, and their cases which may include additional labeling supplies. These containers MUST clearly indicate that a tangible electronic product is inside to warn your library staff not to desensitize the publications for circulation. Your library’s magnetic desensitizer will damage the products. In addition to fully labeling protective cases, your library may consider labeling the disk itself. Many inks, if put on a disk, can shorten its life; so be sure to use archival markers instead. Small CD labels designed for library use are available printed with your library’s identifying information. These small, donut-shaped labels cover only the clear center of the disk.
• Your depository library should purchase furniture and equipment that is designed for using and housing tangible electronic products. The preferred solution is an arrangement that both protects the product and allows it to be readily accessible through local area networks. Cabinets for CDs and DVDs are available, both small multi-drawer tabletop units and full height floor units. CDs and DVDs can often also be stored in conventional microfiche cabinets. Because CD cabinets designed to hold traditional single cases might not accommodate double cases, albums, or the taller DVD cases, your library will NEED either repackage the products or purchase appropriate cabinets for the various media in its collection.
• If a floppy disk is received, make a backup copy, and store the original in a separate location. Rather than circulate any floppy disks, the library should encourage users to create their own copy of the disk. If your depository library collection contains publications on floppy disk, you should offer users the ability to copy floppies. Indiana University, in partnership with GPO, has also made data from 200 floppy disks available online through the Floppy Disk Project.
• Some depository data files and software may be appropriate for loading on computer hard drives and local area networks. Your depository library should decide which products are used frequently enough to warrant hard-disk storage. When loading data files to hard disks for public access, precautions MUST be taken to prevent users from altering the contents of the files.
• Whether tangible electronic products are allowed to circulate or not is at the discretion of your depository library. CDs and DVDs may be circulated without undue concern for their physical condition. If your library does not have the resources to support some tangible electronic products, an alternative to circulation is to provide selective housing for tangible electronic materials offsite, such as in a branch library that can support the products.
• Some tangible electronic products have paper documentation that describes the product, provides instructions on setting up the product, or provides instructions on how to use the product's software. Such documentation is critical for managing the information product. If documentation is housed separately from the tangible electronic product, a method MUST be established to direct users to the paper documentation. Conversely, documentation shelved in the stacks should be annotated to direct users to the specially housed tangible electronic products.

9.7 Various Types of Housing Arrangements

In addition to housing all materials in the main depository library building, your library has several options for housing a government publications collection. It is possible to use offsite storage and to make arrangements with other facilities for selective housing of material.

9.7.A Offsite Storage

• Your depository library may consider using an offsite storage facility for a variety of reasons. When shelving in the regular library approaches capacity, the transfer of some materials to an offsite storage facility can provide the room needed to safely shelve and provide access to the most frequently used portions of the collection. Furthermore, the climate and security in a storage facility may make it more desirable for older, fragile, or valuable publications. With many publications available in microfiche or in digital formats, your library may want to retain its paper originals in an offsite facility while providing day-to-day access via the duplicate copy.
• Offsite storage facilities MUST meet the requirements for storage and handling of U.S. Government publications. Your depository library remains responsible for ensuring that the offsite storage environment meets the climate, security, physical and bibliographic access REQUIREMENTS for depository libraries as described in this handbook. If the offsite storage facility is not under the same administrative control as your depository library, a formal memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the two libraries MUST be signed.
• Your depository library should establish a policy for reasonable retrieval times for publications not directly accessible to users. Just like publications stored in closed stacks within the library, publications stored at offsite storage facilities MUST be retrievable and available to users within a certain time frame. Retrieval time should generally be within 24 hours but should be as soon as feasible given the distance between the library and the offsite storage facility. If your library does not normally retrieve library publications from offsite storage facilities on the weekends, retrieval may be limited to Monday through Friday.
• If your offsite housing facilities are open to the public and have reading rooms, the facility should have sufficient seating, lighting, and workspace for users. If appropriate, microfiche readers, printers, and photocopiers should also be available.
• Your depository MUST fully catalog all material in offsite storage so that it remains accessible. It is important that your depository library's records clearly indicate the location of those publications located in offsite storage.

9.7.B Selective Housing Arrangements

Your depository library, whether a regional or a selective, may also transfer current or retrospective materials to another library, institution, or agency through an arrangement called shared or selective housing. A participating alternate site receiving depository materials from a depository library may be a branch library of the same institution as the depository library, another depository library, a public or academic library, a special library, or an agency. A formal agreement between the parties MUST be signed if the host site is not under the same administrative control as your depository that is offering the material for selective housing. However, your designated depository library remains legally responsible for these materials including their receipt, initial processing, and disposition.

Selective housing agreements have several advantages:

• Selective housing agreements can place publications in areas that allow for wider usage and greater accessibility;
• It increases the scope of the available collection, thereby providing a larger number of publications and a greater level of public service;
• It enhances the capabilities of participating libraries to develop retrospective or current subject, series, or agency collections; and
• It may help to alleviate space problems at participating institutions.

Remember the selective housing site MUST abide by all of the standards and legal requirements that govern the FDLP. Your depository library should furnish selective house sites with copies or links to appropriate instructions for the housing of and free public access to depository materials.

Depository materials placed in a selective housing site remain the property of the U.S. Government and are governed by all public access, custody, maintenance, and public service requirements.

Selective housing sites MUST post the depository emblem in a prominent location, preferably visible from the exterior of the library, indicating that government information products can be used by the general public without charge. Your depository library should provide the selective housing site with the free decals.

Memorandums of Agreement

If your depository library director is not the administrator of 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 government publications collection. See Appendix D in this Handbook for a model selective housing MOA.

An MOA for a selective housing agreement should specify:

• The justification for the transfer;
• The duration of the agreement;
• Conditions for the termination of the agreement;
• The manner in which the collection will be maintained and organized;
• Guarantees of free access by the general public;
• Arrangements for interlibrary loan cooperation; and
• The procedure to be followed in the event the agreement is dissolved.

Selective housing agreements and MOAs MUST be signed by the directors of both organizations involved, with copies sent to the appropriate regional depository library and to:

Office of Library Planning and Development, Library Services U.S. Government Printing Office 732 North Capitol Street, NW Mail Stop IDLP 
Washington, DC 20401

The agreement may also be faxed to (202) 512-2300 or emailed if digital signatures are included to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Office of Planning and Development, Library Services should be notified anytime a portion of the depository collection is housed outside of the designated depository.

Depository materials located in selective housing sites are subject to the full range of depository standards contained in this Handbook and the materials remain the responsibility of your depository library. Ownership of the material and the responsibility for meeting FDLP standards remain the same, whether the publications are routed through your depository library or mailed directly to the selective housing site, as can be the case with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maps.

It is important that your depository library's records clearly indicate the location of the publications covered by the selective housing program. The receiving institution MUST also keep records indicating the source of the materials, and your depository materials should be clearly identified. These records MUST be kept at the piece level, that is, all depository maps, slip laws, slip opinions, etc., MUST be individually recorded.

It is not necessary, however, for your depository to maintain the official holdings record for material selectively housed elsewhere. The official holdings record may be kept at the selective housing site if it saves your staff time and can be done in accordance with the instructions in this Handbook.

If your depository library participates in a selective housing arrangement, you should bring new item numbers to the attention of the staff of the receiving institution and assist them in selecting items. A schedule should be developed for adjusting the selection of items covered by the selective housing agreement. The schedule should coincide with the FDLP annual item selection update.

9.8 Tips, Practical Advice, and Lessons Learned

• Packaging for tangible electronic products MUST clearly indicate that a diskette or other tangible electronic product is contained within to warn your library staff not to desensitize the materials for circulation. A magnetic desensitizer will damage the material.
• You will want to communicate with your library systems or information technology department about the recommended specifications and suggested minimum technical requirements for public access workstations.

9.9 Did you realize that you don't have to... ?

• Have a memorandum of agreement to house publications in other parts of your larger library or even in other buildings administered by your library’s administration.
• House all depository material in the official depository library. If the host location is not under the administrative control as your depository offering the material, a formal agreement MUST be signed between the parties. All offsite storage and selective housing facilities MUST conform to the same preservation and access standards required of any depository library.

9.10 Important for Library Administrators

• Because all Government publications supplied to your depository library under the FDLP remain the property of the U.S. Government, publications MUST be housed in a manner that facilitates access, preservation, and protection from theft. Your depository library MUST, at a minimum, provide the same care and maintenance of depository materials as it gives to commercially purchased publications.
• Your depository library MUST post the depository emblem in a prominent location, preferably visible from the exterior of the library, indicating the library is a Federal depository and Government information products are available for use by the general public without charge.
• All facilities housing depository materials should meet the standards set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

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