Public Documents

August 1980 Number 41 GP 3.27:41 Assistant Public Printer (Superintendent of Documents) U.S. Government Printing Office

GPO Cataloging and

Monthly Catalog

Production

[The following was presented at the summer meeting of the American

Library Association, held in New York

City, by GPO Cataloging & Classification Branch staff member, Loche

McLean.]

Prior to 1974, the Government Print- ing Office used its own system for cata- loging documents, as did most other

Federal agencies. GPO's system in- volved the use of a locally produced

cataloging manual and a locally maintained subject thesaurus. This local cat- aloging was transmitted to the public

via the Mo'nthly Catalog which was manually prepared and produced by hot type

composition. The increasing volume of documents being printed by Federal agencies and therefore being cataloged

by GPO forced the decision to move

toward computerized production methods.From 1974 to 1976, the cataloging

practices remained the same but the MontMy Catalog was produced by the

Administrative Terminal System (ATS).

This computer system proved too cum- bersome to handle the large amount of data required for Monthly Catalog pro- duction and the printing fell far behind.

In response to public demand and to speed up production, the decision was made to join the Ohio College Library Center's network. Since many Depository libraries were already OGLC members, this would give them online access

to GPO's records. Joining this computer network had

several far reaching effects on documents cataloging at the Government

Printing Office. GPO had to agree to give

up the independent system used for years and catalog documents according

to Anglo-American cataloging rules and

to use Library of Congress subject headings instead of the local thesaurus. To

assure the quality of cataloging under

the new rules, an extensive period of

training was begun acquainting cata- logers with Anglo-American cataloging

rules and providing interpretations

when necessary for uniformity. Changing from the old method of using title words as index terms to the use of LC

subject headings also caused problems

which required training. Inputting of records and searching on computer ter- minals was a major adjustment for cata- logers who had so long been accus- tomed to manual production methods.

But, overall, the conversion to a new

and much more complex system was made quickly and with little confusion.

The desire to use computer tapes for Monthly Catalog production was a primary reason for joining the OCLC net- work. Currently, GPO receives weekly

tapes from the network. These tapes are

held until a catalog's worth of data is

accumulated. The tapes are then sent from Alexandria, Virginia, to the main

GPO building in the District of Columbia

for processing. The data systems people

run these tapes through programs

which add the records to what is locally called the MOCAT current master file. Of course, before records are added to

this file, they are sorted into SuDocs

class order and "deduped" (i.e.: dupli- cates removed). This current master file contains the current year's worth of Monthly Catalog records. There is also a cumulative master file offline that contains all Monthly Catalog records input

since joining OCLC.

At the same time the programs add

the records to the current master, print- outs are produced and sent to the

Library Division, in Alexandria, for proofreading. Errors are marked and

1
the printouts are sent back downtown

for the keying of corrections. This continues until the Library is satisfied and

the approval is given to proceed with

the printing process. The records are reviewed once more in a reverse image

or negative stage before final approval

is given.

Another goal when joining this na- tionwide network was the standardization of documents cataloging. Cooperation between libraries cataloging the same documents became even more

desirable. This need for cooperation and

standardization became readily apparent when the Government Printing Office first began to use the OCLC system.

The quality and quantity of information on the document records found already on the data base made extensive recata- loging necessary. A cooperative cataloging project was started to ease the cata- loging burden in each library by providing full and useful OCLC records that each library could use for its own pur- poses. As a result of the project and the many document records entered by GPO

into the system, the usefulness of doc- ument records found on the data base was greatly increased. Many records now found on the data base can be used

by GPO with minimal changes.

tarly in 1977, the Government Print- ing Office was contacted by the Library

of Congress to explore cooperation be- tween the two agencies. After a long

period of discussion, the Name Authorities Cooperative Project (NACO) was

begun. The first stage of the project was concerned only with corporate

bodies. When the procedures were smoothed out and the project began to move rapidly, personal names were

added.

As the details of the NACO project were completed, the two agencies began

to explore their interpretations of AACR

II. The goal was a uniform application

of the rules as they apply to documents

cataloging. These meetings resulted in agreement on the options of AACR II so

that the Government Printing Office and

the Library of Congress would agree on

the descriptive cataloging of documents.

After agreement on AACR II was

reached, current cataloging under

AACR I was examined. Joint procedures were worked out involving some reinter- pretation of rules by the Library of Congress and some changes in cataloging practices at GPO.

The Library of Congress currently

receives GPO cataloging information

through monthly tapes which are sent as soon as processing is complete on

the Month/y Q,a\a\og. These tapes are then made available to the public by

the Cataloging Distribution Service. It is from these tapes that GPO cataloging

is made available to libraries from commercial vendors. The Government Print- ing Office does not distribute Monthly

Catalog computer tapes.

All of these cooperative efforts are aimed at making the Government Print- ing Office the center of authority for documents cataloging. This goal is to be

reached in descriptive cataloging in October of this year with the adoption

of the new cataloging code and is on

schedule at the present time. GPO is already establishing AACR II headings

and filing them for future use. These

headings are not used at present, but

will be ready for use when the switch to AACR II takes place. Catalogers from

the Government Printing Office will be

trained for AACR II at inhouse sessions

with LC catalogers. After the training

and the conversion to AACR II takes

place, GPO's cataloging on OCLC will be the documents record which will be

used by the I ibrary of Congress.

in another area, the Government

Printing Office is working closely with the National Serials Data Program and

the Serials Record Division of the

Library of Congress. Areas of interest include rule application and the updating of GPO serials records. Deeper

cooperation is being explored and GPO

will apply for Conversion of Serials Proj- ect (CONSER) membership before the

end of the year. By taking these steps,

it is hoped the same level of cooperation

in serials cataloging will be achieved as has been reached in descriptive cataloging of documents.

In July of 1980, the Government

Printing Office will begin to hold dis- cussions with the Subject Cataloging

Division of the Library of Congress con- cerning GPO's use of LC subject headings. Hopefully, these talks will lead

to GPO's subject cataloging being ac- cepted with the same authority as its descriptive cataloging. Then GPO's

records will be used by the Library of Congress which will add only class numbers, card numbers, etc. The current automation plan at the Government Printing Office calls for a completely independent system at GPO

which will be linked to OCLC but which

will allow GPO catalogers to operate

free of OCLC restrictions such as downtime, single line transmission, etc. Catalogers would enter documents online into a local computer facility which

would then take charge of communications with the data base in Ohio. This

system would allow GPO to automate all authority files currently on three by five cards. Numerous steps would be saved

not to mention waiting time at the

crowded card file area. The system

would also allow for online editing of records. This would eliminate the move- ment of materials back and forth be- tween the library and data systems

area. This operation alone should save weeks of production time.
^^^^^^^

Questions and Answers

Depository

Library Council

to Meet in

Historic Old Town,

Alexandria, Virginia

The Depository Library Council to the

Public Printer will hold its Fall meeting

in historic Old Town, Alexandria, Vir- ginia. Registration and a session for Regional Depositories will be on Sunday, September 28th. Meetings will occur on September 29th, 30th, and

October 1st. The place will be:

Holiday Inn—Old Town

480 King Street Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Everyone interested in the Depository Library Program is most welcome

to attend and participate. A block of 25

single rooms has been reserved especially for librarians. Reservations

should be made early as this season is considered by many to be Northern

Virginia at its most beautiful time of year. Just call the Reservation Desk at: (703) 549-6080; and for any special

needs ask for Miss Lou Ann Wynne,

Sales Director, at extension 104/105.

Located in Old Town, Alexandria,

approaching historic Market Square

near the Potomac River, this Holiday

Inn with its arches and fountains is often mistaken for another classic 18th

century building. It is only three miles

south of National Airport, half a mile

from Alexandria's AMTRAK Station,

easily reached from Route 1, the George

Washington Memorial Parkway, and the

Mount Vernon Bicycle Trail!

Q. Why are depository libraries no

longer receiving supplements to the

District of Columbia Code Annotated,

1973 Edition, volumes 1-3, selected as

Item 990?

A. With the granting of greater auton- omy to the District of Columbia by Congress, the District has assumed responsibility for the Code. However, GPO still has available for purchase the three base volumes (Y4.J89/ 1:063/24/

973 /v. 1-3; Stock No. 052-070-

01830-5; set $50.05), and Supplement 5 (Y4.J89/l:D63/24/973/supp.

5; Stock No. 052-070-04530-2; paper

$26.00). Supplement 7, updating all since Supplement 5, and the projected

revised Code for 1981 will be available

for purchase from a publisher designated by the District. Libraries needing

information on them can contact:

Mitchie, Bobbs-Merrill Co. Post Office Box 7587

Charlottesville, VA 22906

(804-295-6171

LSDS Director

Selected

The Superintendent of Documents,

Carl A. LaBarre, announced on July 14,

1980, the selection of Mr. J. D. ("Jay") Young as the new Director of GPO's Library and Statutory Distribution Service.

Duplicate Exchange Data

The Depository Library Council to the

Public Printer is anxious to assess the

effectiveness of various duplicate ex- change procedures. If your library

keeps statistics on this subject, the

Council would like to hear from you. Those libraries which use the "Needs/

Offers" service of HIGHLIGHTS, or other services, can help by sending

data to: Ms. Pat Sloan

Documents Librarian Depository Library Systems

Committee

Nebraska Library Commission

Regionals May

Request Printouts

Regional Depository Libraries may

now request a set of computer printouts

showing items currently chosen by

selective Depository Libraries within

their region. These lists of item selec- tions will facilitate interlibrary loans and can provide the basis for developing cooperative selection policies

among neighboring depositories. Regional Depository Librarians who wish

to receive a set of printouts should

write to:

Jay D. Young, Director Library and Statutory

Distribution Service

Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20401

3
[Developing user awareness of Govern- ment publications is an ongoing enterprise. An imaginative approach comes

to us from one of the two Regional Depositories in Louisiana. Why not share

your own "Best Effort" with HIGHLIGHTS' readers?]

For Government Documents Librari- ans operating in an academic setting,

keeping faculty and graduate students aware of new GPO publications and

soliciting feedback on public services can be difficult, especially on a sus- staining basis. The Regional Depository

at Louisiana Tech University participates in two regular programs titled the

"Book Browse" and "Faculty Contact Session" to enhance current awareness

and communications with its research- oriented users. The "Book Browse" began five years ago and is held every October and April.

Subject specialists, including the Docu- ments Librarians, prepare attractive displays featuring the 50 to 100 most

interesting and topical publications re- ceived by each area during the previous

six months. Music, refreshments, and

festive decorations grace the large

Library meeting room where the event

is held. All faculty and graduate stu- dents are notified by phone, in person,

or by campus mail of the time and place

for this two-day event. Both Library professional and support staff rotate in half-hour shifts greeting guests, pouring coffee, and

chatting with individuals about new- found research interests. Many times

faculty members are observed sitting for hours in a corner engrossed in a prized acquisition. Because all areas of the Library are involved, faculty are

treated to a potpoun of resources in- cluding non-print materials, on-line demonstrations, and the best of Federal

publications. Also, the relaxed and in- formal atmosphere presents an opportunity for a faculty member to introduce

a promising student to "the fella in Documents who can really set you up

with that solar energy project you're

working on." A surprising spinoff of the "Book

Browse" is the opportunity it presents

to the Documents Staff, while preparing

the display, to reflect on the merits of recently received GPO publications.

Technical and scientific materials tend

to dominate the display, but efforts are made to include the arts, humanities,

and social sciences. Frequently we

pause to discuss among the Staff what

is worth showing, using shipping lists and recent /Wonth/y Q,aXdt\ogs as aids. This review reminds everyone of choice

items which should be stressed to users seeking information on recurring topics. We even include our work-study

students in the discussion by asking

whether they have "shelved anything

interesting lately."

Most valued from this activity, however, is the initiated or renewed per- sonal contact which develops between

the Library Staff and our attentive and

appreciative audience.

The "Faculty Contact Session" is held once a month before the entire Library Staff and lasts 45 minutes to one hour. A local faculty member, al- ways from a different academic department, is invited to review his or her

recent research efforts. Among the vari- ety of departments represented are

English, Biomedical Engineering, Nuclear Science, Home Economics, and

Mechanical Engineering. In addition, all speakers are asked to respond to the

following questions: 1) How the Library

assisted their research, and 2) What the

Library Staff could do to better assist future research. The faculty contact was established

by the Documents Librarian, who selects guests and deviously salts the

program with faithful documents users. Often faculty members oblige by giving the Library Staff unsolicited testimony

of the "invaluable materials" and

"first-class service" offered by the

Documents Department.

The "Faculty Contact Session" keeps

the Library Staff informed on campus

research activities. It also presents an

opportunity for good-natured give and

take over Library services, priorities,

and policies. In the meantime, the Li- brary Staff becomes more aware of the

role that Government documents play

in the information gathering efforts of an important segment of campus users.

William Serban

Government Documents Librarian Louisiana Tectt University Library

Ruston, Louisiana

4
Document Reviews

[HIGHLIGHTS welcomes short reviews

by depository librarians of significant recent documents. Just send them

typed double spaced to the Editor. Our

most recent contributions are by Earl Shumaker, Head Librarian, Government

Publications Department, Northern Illi- nois University Libraries, and by Stephanie Issette, Reference/ Documents

Librarian, Hackney Library, Atlantic Christian College.]

T^Nenty Censuses: Population and Housing Questions, 1790-1980. By Frederick G. Bohme. (Washington, D.C.: Commerce Department, Census Bureau, Data User Services Division,

1979.) Pp. 91. Paper. $3.75. C 3.2:0

33/33. (Available through GPO Bookstores, Stock Number 003-024-

01874-8.)

If one wishes to understand how

census population and housing questions have evolved over, the years

(from 1790 to 1980), and what instruc- tions led to the entries on the basic records that are being used, then

Twenty Censuses: Population and

Housing Questions, 1790-1980, is a must!

Included in this work are the schedules through 1900 which are open to the public, and those from 1910 on which are confidential by law for 72

years. However, only existing records

are considered 'n this work. Excluded are schedules abridged or translated for use in outlying areas or among special groups such as tran- sients and the Armed Forces. Likewise

excluded are surveys of residential fi- nance or housing inventory changes,

taken with the 1950 and later censuses. Up to 1820 there were no specific instructions given to census takers. Such as exist along with ones for later censuses are reproduced as found in the basic history of the period or the manuals of the enumerators. Since the 1910 instructions and concepts formed

the basis for the decennial censuses

that followed, only significant changes

are considered for the subsequent

years. Questionnaires and instructions

for the 1950 Census and those follow- ing are not produced in the same detail as for those enumerations prior to 1950.

This work is organized into four sections: historical background; availability or population schedules; principal

data collection forms; and a bibliography.

The emphasis of census questions

since 1790 has changed from personal

facts about individuals to data on housing, employment, income, transportation, ethnicity, education, and migration. The data user, the social researcher, the historian, and the genealogist

should all find this publication of

interest.

Diet and Nutrition: A Resource for Parents of Children with Cancer. By

Diet, Nutrition and Cancer Program

(DNCP) of the National Cancer In- stitute. (Washington, D.C.: HEW, Public Health Service, National Institute of Health, 1979.) Pp. 57. Paper.

$4.00. HE 20.3152:0 56/3. (Available

through GPO Bookstores, Stock Number 017-042-00148-0.)

What an outstanding document on

this sensitive subject! Written primarily

for parents. Diet and Nutrition contains

information on how to make foods more

attractive, how to handle side effects from cancer treatment, preparing nutri- tious snacks, and adding protein and

calories to the diet. Not only does the parent learn how to encourage the child

to eat, but is also shown how metaboism and utilization of nutrients are

affected by cancer and its treatment. Complimenting the first two sections on nutrients and their role during cancer treatment, is a third section which

contains beautifully illustrated foldout charts describing special diets. Fcr ex- ample, if the child is on a high fiber

diet, the chart shows what foods are included in the program and what foods

are excluded. Approximately six diets are described along with a separate

folded poster which explains proteins,

carbohydrates, fats, etc., and their importance to the body.

Depending on the stage of the dis- ease, cancer treatment can be a heart- breaking experience both for the child and the parent. This document also dis- cusses psychological effects and suc- cessful ways to deal with stress. Diet and Nutrition will remain one of the most useful works on diets and cancer treatment for children.