U.S. Government

iTw^ilfw^il

Printing Office June 1976

Number 16 GP 3:27:16

Monthly Catalog Data

Retrieval Using OCLC

Many libraries now have OCLC

terminals or are 'connected with

computer networks which link up

with OCLC. As more and more MONTHLY CATALOG entries are placed in the OCLC data base by the

Library Division's catalogers, depository librarians are expressing

interest in examining these items.

"How does one find a document

that the Library Division has cata- J;ed and placed in the OCLC data

nk?" This was the question put by

the Editor of HIGHLIGHTS to the

catalog librarians manning the five OCLC terminals here in the Library

Division. By way of answer, he was

initiated into the retrieval use of OCLC in calling up depository documents.

If an OCLC greenhorn, such as your Editor, could gain a reasonable

proficiency in a short space of time

in calling up documents at an OCLC

terminal, there is great hope for other beginners with this wonderful new library tool. Faced with an OCLC keyboard on

a model 100 machine, the depository librarian may blanch. But a closer look reveals the keyboard

modeled after that on a standard

typewriter. Here is familiar territory even to typists of the hunt-and-peck

variety, such as your Editor.

Clusters of special keys to the

and left of the board offer some

Imiliarterritory. But any friendly

OCLC operator will gladly tell about

the many uses of these.

u.-..'an

By way of illustration, a depository document now in the OCLC data

base will be used. Its title is: John

Brown's Raid. It does not have a personal author. If it did, the name

would be placed in the data base. In this case, the author assigned is: United States. National Park Service.The document happens to be a booklet published by the United

States Department of the Interior,

National Park Service, in 1974. Its Library of Congress number is 73-

600184 and it has been given the

OCLC number 755013. Its SuDocs

number is 129.58/2:681.

How does one go about calling up

a document at the OCLC keyboard?

To begin with, your Editor learned

that the terminal can call up a document by the LC card number, OCLC

number, by author, title, and

author/title combination. In the near future it will also be possible

to call up by SuDocs number.

Here at the Library Division, the

OCLC terminal is turned on in the

morning by reaching to the righthand side of the machine and tripping the first steel lever to the ON

position. Usually the screen has

been cleared from the previous

day's work and is in generally good

order as to lighting, etc. One merely

types in a previously recorded social

security number to have the screen

light up with "Good morning!" and

ready for work.

If there were something still on

Assistant Public Printer (Superintendent of Documents)

the screen, one would look to check

if the cursor (the small pulsating

light on the screen) was in the upper

left hand corner (HOME position);

if not, one presses the HOME key

and the cursor goes to its corner. Then to clear the screen, one

presses at the same time two keys:

CONTROL and CLEAR PAGE. The

screen clears ready for new work.

To retrieve the document in question by LC card number, one presses

Continued on page 2

At OCLC headquarters in Columbus,

Ohio, former Superintendent of Documents, Carper W. Buckley,

listens intently as LSDS Director

Jim Livsey explains terminal showing MONTHLY CATALOG data coming from GPO catalogers back in Alexandria during Advisory Council's April inspection of the new li- brary technology center.

1
TS 465731

®®®®®®

(

Continued from page 1 the number keys 7 and 3 and the

hyphen. This is followed by the number keys 600184. Then one presses

the DISPLAY key and the SEND key.

There is a pause, sometimes a little wait, and lo, the entry fills the

screen! Above the entry, one reads the

phrase: Screen 1 of 2. This indicates

the catalogers have provided so much data that some carried over

to the next screen. To see it, one

presses the letter keys N and S fol- lowed by DISPLAY and SEND. This

produces the next screen with the

additional information. To drop back

to the previous screen, one presses

the letter keys P and S followed by

DISPLAY and SEND. The previous screen appears and you have

mastered a basic method of travel- ing forward and backward between

entries.

If one happens to know the as- signed OCLC number, as we do here, one has only to touch the key with

the # sign, which is the symbolic

tag for the OCLC call up, then the

numbers 755013 followed by DIS- PLAY and SEND. Again the entry

appears on the screen.

In the not too distant future, per- haps before the year's end, a decision will be made assigning a symbolic tag for SuDocs number

call-up. Then one will press the symbol key and go on to 129.58/2:681

and DISPLAY and SEND with magic

result! For a title call-up, one types the

first 3 letters of the first word, here

JOH, and presses the comma key,

follows with the first 2 letters of the

second word, BR, comma key again,

the first 2 letters of the third word,

RA, comma key, and DISPLAY and

SEND. Had there been a fourth

word, the first letter followed by

DISPLAY and SEND would have done

the trick. The basic letter sequence

being: 3,2,2,1 and DISPLAY and

SEND.

For titles having less than four

words, the commas must total three, so that a one word title would have

a sequence of 3,,, and DISPLAY and

SEND. Articles "A" "An" "The" are ignored as first words of titles, but

are included in all other positions.

Such little fine points are sur- prisingly easy to pick up; and vet- eran OCLC operators are delighted

to pass them on to beginners.

As it happens, at the time your

Editor is writing this, the title search

just described will produce on the screen two works bearing the title: John Brown's Raid. They are numbered 1 and 2. The first has an

author given as: Graham, Lorenz B. The second: United States. National

Parks Service. At this point it is helpful to know

something about the item for which one is searching. The giveaway clue

for the documents librarian is: United States. National Parks Service. So one goes on to press the

number key 2 followed by DISPLAY

and SEND. Once again the screen

fills with the now familiar entry, and

you have mastered another basic

way of traveling between OCLC entries. The letter keys P and S fol- lowed by DISPLAY and SEND will get one back to the two previous titles.

In the case of author call-up,

many documents have a special

twist. If there is no personal author.

Library Division catalogers are likely to assign the author as: United

States plus the Department and/or

Agency. In the instance of our document, the assignment has been:

United States. National Parks Service. But to call up all titles under

that head is at present quite im- possible.

However, a combined author/title

call-up is possible, and, indeed, is one of the basic call-up procedures

of OCLC. Thus, one types the 4 let- ter keys UNIT, a comma, followed

by the 4 letter keys JOHN, then

presses DISPLAY and SEND. This is the author/title search sequence

4,4.

In this case, the combination calls to the screen eight titles numbered

1 through 8. Scanning these, one

notes that number 7 is: United

States. National Parks Service.

Brown's Raid. 1974. So we move t. , pressing number key 7 followed by

DISPLAY and SEND. The screen changes and two numbered titles ap- pear, both with the author listing:

United States. National Parks Service. Number 1 bears the title: John

Brown's Raid. We press number key

1 followed by DISPLAY and SEND.

Our full entry appears.

If we were to call up an item with

a personal author, let us say, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., one would

type the 4 letter keys KING, the

comma, the 3 letter keys MAR, the

comma, and the letter key L plus

DISPLAY and SEND. The basic au- thor sequence being 4,3,1. We can even skip the middle initial if we

don't know it, using 4 comma, 3

comma, plus DISPLAY and SEND.

Both will give us a call-up of Dr. King's titles in the OCLC data bank.

Your Editor suggests practice for 30 minutes or an hour each dr if possible, as a means of acqui. ...g familiarity and ease at the keyboard.

Continued on page 6

2
Questions and Answers

Q. In the February HIGHLIGHTS

article on "Stamping Documents,"

reference is made to using either

the shipping list date or the date of processing on documents. Is this an

official change from the requirement

for the former which appears in section 9 of INSTRUCTIONS TO DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES?

A. Yes, it is. In response to many

requests of librarians whose proc- essing departments use the date of

receipt (termed "processing date"),

the Superintendent of Documents in August of last year agreed to accept

that, or the shipping list date, as meeting the requirement.

Q. What is the Joint Committee

on Printing and how does it relate to the Depository Library Program?

A. [On receiving this question

from a Maine librarian, your Editor

turned to the staff of the Joint Committee for a reply. Here it is.]

Out-of-Print Documents

Are out-of-print depository documents a problem for your library?

Special assistance in this area is readily available from the National

Archives and Records Service.

It is now providing positive and

negative microfilm, electrostatic and

special photographic copy. Deposit

"The Joint Committee on Printing

consists of the Chairperson and two

members of the Committee on House Administration, House of Representatives, and the Chairper- son and two members of the Senate

Committee on Rules and Administration. The members are: Wayne L. Hays, Representative from Ohio,

Chairperson; Howard W. Cannon,

Senator from Nevada, Vice Chairperson; John Brademas, Representative from Indiana; William L. Dickinson, Representative from Ala- bama; James B. Allen, Senator from

Alabama; and Mark 0. Hatfield,

Senator from Oregon. The Chairpersonship rotates each congressional

session between the House and the

Senate.

"The JCP's primary function is the adoption of measures it considers necessary to remedy neglect,

delay, duplication, or waste in the

public printing and binding and the

distribution of Government publications. This organizational structure and the described responsibility are

required by provisions of Title 44,

United States Code.

"The JCP's authority encompasses the printing, binding and dis- tribution programs of all three

accounts are accepted and tele- phone orders taken. For full infor- mation on current costs, write to: Printed Archives Branch

National Archives and Records

Service

General Services Administration

Washington, D.C. 20408

branches .of the Federal Government

and is mainly fulfilled via the pro- mulgation and issuance of policy

regulations. The JCP monitors over 300 printing plants, including the

Government Printing Office. "Since the depository library pro- gram is of vital interest to Congress

and is a program administered by

the Government Printing Office, the

JCP is particularly interested in its success. A JCP print entitled Government Depository Libraries is issued each year in April. It lists all the depositories and sections of USD

Title 44 which govern the depositories. "Section 1710 of Title 44 also

says that the 'Superintendent of Documents, at the close of each

regular session of Congress, shall prepare and publish a comprehensive index of public documents,

upon a plan approved by the Joint

Committee on Printing.' That charge

is now being carried out by combining the old index and the

Monthly Catalog. The JCP is anxious

that the Monthly Catalog will indeed

be a timely and comprehensive publication, one that will serve the

needs of Congress and the citizens."

Returning Books?

The Library Division's friendly

claims crew says it is a great help

to have the shipping list number in- cluded with any item that you return

to us. Just include the number on a piece of paper protruding from the

item. This will make all our wheels

turn more smoothly.

3
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO

IPUBLIC DOCUMENTS H I I

highlight/ ^^^Junel976

REPORT ON THE DEPOSITORY LIBRARY INSPECTION PROGRAM 1975-1976

[The following report was given on behalf of the

Superintendent of Documents by the Editor of HIGHLIGHTS to members of the Depository Library Council

to the Public Printer meeting in Columbus, Ohio,

April 22-23, 1976.]

I DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES TODAY

Recent years have witnessed a general upgrading of depository libraries. A major factor in this was the availability of funds which provided a necessary ingredient

for change. However, other factors should not be over- looked. The last ten years have seen a steadily growing

volume of useful Government publications. The public's

level of documents awareness has risen, due to media

messages and librarians' efforts, resulting in a greater

patron demand for information from documents. Lastly,

library administrators have responded by upgrading

documents librarian positions, providing better work

areas, and assigning needed clerical support.

What library inspectors are observing today is the

impact of a drying up of funds. In large urban public

libraries job freezes are all too common. Retiring, or otherwise out-going, depository librarians are not being

replaced. Their duties are being added to those of re- maining librarians. In academic libraries the same impact is being felt. At its worst, where college presidents

weigh faculty cuts versus library cuts, it is librarians who

are being terminated. In less severe cases, cutbacks

are in clerical and student assistance to librarians. Unfortunately, these hit documents librarians especially

hard. Their area heavily depends on good support per- sonnel. In too many instances, depository librarians are being deprived of pages, typists, and told to continue

serving an ever-growing public as usual.

All this is bad enough for those libraries which did

manage to upgrade service during the last decade. But

for those which didn't—and the documents area was

often the last to be considered for upgrading—the situ- ation encountered by inspectors is bleak. The person

charged with looking after the depository collection is frequently in a near state of despair at trying to manage

so much material and also attempting to provide service

for demanding patrons.

In' summation, depository libraries today are undergoing considerable stress. A very few are advancing in terms of personnel and services; many are holding their own; some are slipping behind; and a few are being

decimated. All can use every bit of assistance that the

depository library program can provide.

II EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DEPOSITORY

LIBRARY INSPECTION PROGRAM

Just the awareness of the existence of a depository

library inspection program prompts many librarians to have their collections under good control. It also pro- vides them with some leverage when speaking with their

administrators and presenting the need for adequate

support of the documents area. It serves to encouragf

mutual aid and cooperation among documents librarians

within a state. The effectiveness of the inspection visit has many

aspects. For some depository librarians, the physical

presence of a human being embodying the interest of the Superintendent of Documents is profound. Their concerns are listened to, many questions are immediately answered, and special problems needing attention

back in Alexandria are noted. Also brought to the notice

of librarians are those phases of documents care which

they may be overlooking. Suggestions are made to them

in a spirit of helpfulness, rather than faultfinding.

In those special circumstances where the depository

librarian lacks support from the library administration,

• ispectors make every effort to communicate with the

library director. The nature and importance of the de- pository program are stressed, as well as its monetary

value to the library, and the concern of the Superintendent of Documents that adequate administrative

support be provided for carrying on effective depository

service.

During the period prior to the regular inspection pro- gram, depository library collections were frequently

Cinderella areas. Librarians tried to avoid being as- signed to them. The opposite is true today. Enthusia?'

young librarians are seeking out the documents field a place "where the action is." The inspection program

Continued on page 6

4
is directly ineiping them, enabling them to provide ever- better service, and thereby aiding the tax-paying public

in obtaining ready access to documents.

Former Superintendent of Documents, Carper W.

Buckley, insisted years ago that a regular inspection

program was a guarantee of the good health of the

depository library program. The soundness of his observation is borne out by depository library inspectors now

meeting with documents librarians across America.

Ill DEPOSITORY INSPECTION STATISTICS

FISCAL

ALABAMA

1975

.... 24....

1976 1976

MISSISSIPPI

ALASKA - 6.... 6 MONTANA

ARIZONA -- 8... .... 1 .... 1 NEW HAMPSHIRE

ARKANSAS -. 14... 14 NEW MEXICO

CALIFORNIA - .... 19 .... 19 NEW YORK

COLORADO .... 15.... 15 NORTH CAROLINA

DELAWARE .... 8 ... 1* OKLAHOMA

DISTRICTOFCOLUMBIA .... 3.... 3 PENNSYLVANIA

FLORIDA -. 28. .. TENNESSEE

GEORGIA .... 11 .... TEXAS

ILLINOIS.... .... 8... 8 VERMONT

KENTUCKY .... 3... 1 VIRGINIA

MAINE .... 11 .... 11 WASHINGTON

MARYLAND .... 9.... 3 WESTVIRGINIA

MICHIGAN .... 2.... 2 WISCONSIN

MINNESOTA 1 1 Totals:

* Re-inspection

1975 1976

.. 11 ..

FISCAL

1976

... 11

... 7

9

29

1 24

7

7

5

312^ 71

15

20

4

12

9

29

117

6

5

221

5 GPO 906-094
Telecopier

Communication

Special Offer The Documents Prayer

Does your library have a tele- copier? We do here at the Library

Division in Alexandria, Virginia. Its phone number is: (703)-557-21 14. You can transmit to us over the

telecopier network, and we can

transmit to you small items such as

shipping lists. Just call the Library Division at one of its regular numbers: (703)-

557-2145, or 557-2146. Let us know your need and your telecopier

number. We will do the rest.

Continued from page 2

Dialogue with a veteran OCLC ter- minal operator will reveal some

shortcuts and variations. In a sur- prisingly brief space of time, any

depository librarian with access to OCLC can become quite adept at retrieving documents data freshly

minted by the Library Division staff atGPO.

I

A very useful work for depository

librarians serving health oriented

patrons has been compiled by Phyllis

L. Wright of the Science Library at the University of Arizona. It is titled: Public Health Service Publication

Numbers, 1950-1971, Converted to Superintendent of Documents Classifications. It is being made avail- able at cost thanks to the Arizona

State Library Association Government Documents Round Table. For

further information write to: U.S. Government Documents

Dept.

Main Library

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona 85721

Our Father who art in Washington,

SuDoc be thy name,

thy Depository come,

thy Publication be done,

in Microform as in Hard Copy.

Give us this day our Daily Shipment.

And forgive us our Class Numbers,

as we forgive those who number against us. And lead us not into non-Depository status, but deliver us from the Post Office. For thine is the Census, and the Patents and the Monthly Catalog forever. Amen.

(Thanks & Smiles to: Ms. Mary Lynn Hyde,

University of San Diego

Law Library)

Depository Item

Discard Lists Offered

Government Documents

I Pueblo Regional Library

100 East Abriendo Avenue

Pueblo, Colorado 81004

Public Documents Highlights, Li- brary and Statutory Distribution

Service, Government Printing Office,

Washington, D.C. 20401. The Superintendent of Documents, however,

retains the right to accept such m" >

terial, to edit it, and to assign pric^

ties of circulation.

{^ U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1976—0-2 10-569 #23

Public Documents Highlights is circulated bi-monthly by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. 20402, and is mailed at

first class postage rates. Public

Documents Highlights is intended

primarily for librarians of the Federal Depository Library Program.

Material proposed for circulation

may be submitted to the Editor,

6