U.S. Government

It

Printing Office

GPO Joins OCLC

During October 1975, the Government Printing Office tlirough its Li- brary Division became part of tfie Ohio College Library Center (OCLC)

network. Inputting began on some

cataloging with a hopeful eye to a technological breakthrough in the

production of the Monthly Catalog.

The OCLC network consists of over 500 member libraries: 289 of ^Hwch are depository libraries, and

>^lr 40 of which are Federal li- braries. The total data base of the

system is rapidly approaching

2,000,000 bibliographic records.

GPO is well aware of the many dif- ficulties caused by the lateness of the Monthly Catalog engendered by

computerization in 1974. Every ef- fort is currently being made to speed

up issuance of the Catalog while

making the transition to an AACR/

MARC format by July 1976.

Present plans call for purchase of

five OCLC terminals and the services

of a contractor to provide the necessary computer programs. During the

first six months of this year, GPO

hopes to input 80 to 100 biblio- graphic records per month. These

records may become part of Monthly Catalog, and will be used

to test the computer programs.

On December 9, 1975, the Biblio- graphic Control Committee of the

Depository Library Council to the

^lic Printer held an ad hoc meeting on the Monthly Catalog. The pur- pose of the Monthly Catalog and the

data elements it should include were

February 1976

Number 14 GP 3.27:14

Assistant Public Printer

(Superintendent of Documents)

discussed. GPO will provide most of the requested data, but LC and

Dewey class numbers will be included only if available from the Library

of Congress via OCLC or the National

Union Catalog.

The present arrangement of a

text and three indexes will probably

be continued. Main entries in the

text will be primarily corporate

authors. The author index will contain personal authors, corporate authors, and series. The subject index

will include LC subjects and key

words selected from the titles, if necessary. The title index will in- clude regular titles and series state- ments. But all plans are dependent

on computer programs. GPO sees a new format for the Monthly Catalog

as an evolving one, continually improving.

The Library of Congress and the

Council on Library Resources look

upon GPO's transition to an AACR/

MARC format and the joining with

the OCLC network as important steps

in the creation of a "National Data Base." The Library of Congress

through the Federal Library Commit-,

tee is assisting GPO in the planning

and implementation of the new sys- tem. The continuing coordination

among GPO, the Library of Congress, depository libraries, and Federal libraries, will be beneficial to

all. GPO through Highlights will keep

depository libraries, as well as the

larger library community, informed

of future developments.
New Depository How You Can

Libraries Help Us Help You

We would like to welcome the

following libraries, designated depositories during 1975:

Orange County Law Library

Santa Ana, CA D42C

Marin County Free Library

San Rafael, CA D44D

Southwestern University

School of Law Library

Los Angeles, CA D50B

Ventura County

Library Services Agency

Ventura, CA D54C

U.S. Court of Appeals

Judge's Library

Washington, DC DIOOD

Genera! Services Administration

Library

Washington, DC DG-1036

Federal Election Commission

Library

Washington, DC DG-1036

Indian River Community College

Library

Fort Pierce, FL D112B

Wabash Valley College Library

Mt. Carmel, IL D166A

Indiana Supreme Court

Law Library

Indianapolis, IN D171A

Kansas Supreme Court

Law Library

Topeka, KS D197A

Delta State University

W. B. Roberts Library

Cleveland, MS D313A

County College of Morris

Dover, NJ D363B

Rider College Library

Laurenceville, NJ D370B

University of Texas

Health Center at Dallas

Dallas, TX D589A

Have you often wondered why

it sometimes takes so long to get answers to your depository, classification, and Monthly Catalog

questions? And why occasionally

you receive no reply at all? Would

you believe that frequently the Li- brary Division receives correspond- ence carrying only a person's name

with no hint of affiliation or address? Or, that we have requests

for complete depository shipments

with no clues as to the requester?

And even that we receive money to purchase material with no indication of the person or institution or- dering? All of these things happen.

The Library Division has a very

small staff to handle the many in- quiries received from nearly 1200

depository libraries. You can help us expedite the replies to your in- quiries in the following ways:

1. Address correspondence to the Library Division (SLL), Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20401, so that your

letters do not get lost in the

thousands of sales orders and

inquiries we receive every day.

Letters addressed only to the

Superintendent of Documents

will go through sales order opening and routing procedures in- stead of being delivered directly

to the people who can answer

your questions.

2. Be sure your return address

is on the letter or claim form be- cause envelopes are separated

from the correspondence in processing.

3. Place your depository library

number on all correspondence

dealing with depository matters. This seems a small thing, but if we have to stop and check for a

library number for each letter this delays our work. We also

need library numbers for adding or deleting item numbers

from your selections, for checking mailing lists, and for lool^' up telephone numbers.

4. Include telephone and extension numbers on your inquiries so that we can call you for fur- ther information if necessary, or answer your questions by tele- phone.

5. Give classification numbers,

item numbers, titles, shipping

list numbers, dates, and Monthly

Catalog entry numbers when

pertinent to your query. It delays

processing your order if we must

stop to search for the details of each request.

6. When you send us item cards,

be sure your depository library

number is added to the cards in the space provided.

7. State clearly the action to be

taken when sending a list of item

numbers to us. Are the items to be added to or deleted from your

selections? It also helps if the

items are listed in numeric^'

order. '

8. When sending a checked

shipping list as a claim for a Continued on page 3
stamping Documents

An attractive Bicentennial Display of

Government Documents catches the

eye of visitors to the North Carolina

jtate Library in Raleigh.

Continued from page 2

complete shipment, add your

depository library number to each sheet of the shipping list. Accompanying letters and claim

forms get detached and separated from the shipping list as we work on filling the claim, and

the depository library number

enables us to send the publications to the correct address.

9. If you recycle old library

cards by using them for corre- spondence with us, remember to cross out the information that

does not apply to the communication.

In short: Send the correspondence to the

correct address.

Tell us who you are and where to reach you. Give us all details concerning the

inquiry. Let us know exactly what you

need.

The rest is up to us. We will do our

best to help you.

Most depository libraries use a rubber stamp on which appears the name of their library, the words "Depository Item," and a date: either

that of the shipping list, or of processing. Handwritten on publications

is the Superintendent of Documents

number, unless it already appears

as a printed part of the material.

The purpose behind the use of the

phrase, "Depository Item," is to clearly indicate that the document

is a part of the depository collection.

If, as sometimes occurs, legal or medical depository items are housed

apart from the general documents

collection, the identifying stamp in- sures the documents librarian will be consulted should discard or some

other measure be under consideration.The purpose of the date is to re- late to the shipping list. If the shipping list date appears on the document, reference to the list can

quickly be made. If the date of proc- essing is used, it will bear a close

proximity to the shipping list date.

However, some libraries using the

processing date wisely stamp the

shipping list with it for an even closer

link. The date can also serve to indicate the age of a document and is useful when considering discards.

The purpose of the Superintendent of Documents number is manyfold. It ties in with catalog controls as well as a much used system of arrangement. But it also serves if selected documents are cataloged

under LC or Dewey since the discard

process requires a listing of publications by the SuDocs number for the

Regional Library.

Thus behind the requirements

for this information appearing on documents are reasons well appreciated by depository librarians.

New Regional

Since the October 1975 Highlights, which featured an article entitled "Regional Libraries Needed,"

the number of states served by

regionals has risen to 39. The

University of Mississippi has un- dertaken the important task of

serving the depository collections

of that State. Now only 11 states remain in need of regionals.

Documents Highlighted

The theme of the 1976 Alaska

Library Association Conference to be held in Juneau on March 7-10

will be "Government as information Resource." The Alaska Library

Association hopes to present a one

credit workshop on Government

publications in conjunction with the

Conference.

3
Update: Publications on

Automatic Distribution

C

In the issue of Highlights for August 1975 there appeared a list of

publications being sent to libraries through automatic distribution.

These are mailed directly from the

contractor or printer rather than

from the Library Division. They do

carry the depository library number

as a part of the mailing label address, v/hich distinguishes them as

depository items. Below is a listing of additional titles on automatic dis- tribution.

Business Statistics, Weekly Supplement to Survey of Current Busi- ness—Item 229

Calendars of the United States

House—Item 998-A

Consumer News—Item 857-1-1

Foreign Trade Reports—parts 135,

146, 410, 800, 990—Item 144

Index of Federal Specifications and

Standards—Item 565

Military Sealift Command—Item 388-B-l

National Credit Union Administration Quarterly—Item 525-A

Correction

Type gremlins were active during the production of the December

issue of Highlights. They managed

to call it number 12 on the front

page of the issue, and the last page

of the supplement, instead of the

correct number 13. Also, on the

front page of the supplement they

managed to transpose part of a headline which should read: "Pro- posed Minimum Standards for the

Depository Library System." We

shall keep a sharp watch for the

rascals in forthcoming issues.

Securities and Exchange Commission News Digest—Item 908-B

Remember, to claim a publication

that is mailed through automatic

distribution the normal procedure

should be followed. The Library Di- vision receives copies in order to fill claims. But, as the publications do

not appear on a shipping list, there

is no specific deadline for making a

claim. However, a good rule of thumb is to wait until the next issue

is received before claiming the missing one.

Special Offer

Two very useful agricultural ij^ dexes have been compiled by <- Government Documents Librarian in Tennessee who saw the need for them. His Library has agreed to make them available at cost. They

are: index to Farmer's Bulletins

(covering numbers 1751-2256),

and Index to Home and Garden Bulletins (covering numbers 1-211).

Anyone wanting copies, or descriptive material on the indexes, should

write to: Mr. Wally Keasler

Chattanooga Public Library

601 McCallie Avenue

Chattanooga, Tenn. 37403

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,

Public Documents Highlights, Li- brary and Statutory Distribution

Service, Government Printing Office,

Washington, D.C. 20401. The Superintendent of Documents, howev^

retains the right to accept such material, to edit it, and to assign priori- ties of circulation.

U.S. GOVERNMFNT PRINTING OFFICE : 1976—O-210-569 #17 4 900 860