U.S. Government

Printing Office

April 1976

Number 15 GP 3:27:15

Microforms & the

Depository Program

[The following are highlights from

a recent address of John D. Livsey,

Director of the Library and Statutory

Distribution Service, and Microforms Program Manager for the

GPO.]

The format which will be utilized by GPO in its coming venture into micropublishing will be the standard

24X and 98 frame microfiche. A few

Jtems such as Department of De- ^se catalogs will be in a higher

"Tatio. An indexing procedure which

numbers each "hole" or space on a standard microfiche will be used in order to facilitate the finding of material on particular pages of a publication after it has been placed on

fiche. Thus the fiche number and

frame number will augment the

page number as the main accessing

device for the publications on

microfiche.

Depositories which elect to re- ceive any of the series availa-ble on

microfiche will get 3rd generation

silver halide fiche of archival quality.

These fiche can be easily duplicated

if a microfiche duplicator is avail- able, and such equipment may,

therefore, become a necessity for heavily used depositories. GPO it- self will maintain permanent copies

of each microfiche item issued, and

will, therefore, never be out of print on any microfiche document.

\The publications which are to be

,.-4ced on fiche will be determined

by each individual agency, and these

Continued on page 2

Assistant Public Printer (Superintendent of Documents)

Recommendations Roll In

Documents librarians across the

country are giving thoughtful attention to the recently published "Pro- posed Standards and Guidelines."

Very specific comments are be- ing received almost daily by the

Edit6r of Highlights. He will be turn- ing over the first batch to the Depository Library Council at their

Columbus, Ohio, meeting on April

22-23.

Copies of the "Guidelines" have

also been sent to many of the best

known figures in the documents field outside of depositories. All comments will be welcome through the

Fall of 1976.

If you haven't made your own

recommendations yet, put aside some time and do so. This is a unique opportunity for depository

librarians and documents specialists to help shape rules which will affect libraries for years to come.

Mail your communications to: Editor, Public Documents Highlights, Library and Statutory Distri- bution Service, Government Print- ing Office, Washington, D.C. 20401.

1
Director & Staff

Commended

Meeting in Chicago on January

21st and 22nd, the Federal Documents Task Force (GODORT) and

the Government Documents Round

Table (ALA) went on record in a joint

resolution "conveying our appreciation for the great job done by the

Library and Statutory Distribution

Service and its support staff in decreasing Depository Library backlog, in the informative communications which are included on the Depository Library shipping lists, and

general interest in making the Depository Library system work."

Continued from page 1 publications may well be available

to depositories only on microfiche

and not in paper copy. Such a policy

provides still another indication that

depository libraries must be able to handle microforms.

Each depository shipment of microfiche will contain a quality claim

form good for only 30 days, so the

shipments will need to be unpacked

and examined quickly if claims are

to be filed. Among the GPO priorities, the

first is to get all Government documents listed in the Monthly Catalog

(bibliographic control), the second

is to supply all regional depositories

with materials as quickly as possible, and the third is to provide more rapidly full depository distri- bution.

The Monthly Catalog production

unit is now connected with OCLC

through the Federal Library information Network (FEDLINK). MARC for- mat and LC subject headings will be

increasingly utilized and adapted by

GPO in the Monthly Catalog.

Also available soon will be the

next decennial cumulative index to the Monthly Catalog (1961-70), a new list of classes available for selection, and a list of NTIS materials

which are depository. The future in- dexing procedure to be used for Monthly Catalog has not been firmly

decided upon, but, besides the an- nual cumulations, GPO may also

issue semi-annual cumulations or make each successive monthly issue

cumulate all indexes for that year. There is now a formal "claims"

unit at GPO's Library and Statutory

Distribution Service. This addition

will make claims handling much

fasterthan previously. GPO will soon

begin to add the class number of any item claimed to the master list of selections for the depository in- volved. That particular depository

would then begin to receive every- thing within that classification area,

just as if the class had been se- lected. A series of wrong claims

might result in the offending depository being visited by a GPO inspection team in order to determine the

nature of the problem.

Within one or two years the deIn an accompanying letter to Mr. Thomas F. McCormick, the

Public Printer, the Chairperson of GODORT, Mr. Anthony W. Miele,

stated: "Though from time to time

you receive letters of complaint and

dissatisfaction from me and/or The

Round Table, we also recognize the

tremendous job confronting you, and

everyone at GPO; therefore, it is incumbent upon me and The

Round Table to register our praise

and gratitude as well as our dis- satisfaction."

pository selection schedule bop

should be machine readable at.^ automated so that complete knowledge of what a particular depository

is selecting will be available at any

time. Putting the class selection

schedule into machine readable

form should diminish the shipping

errors and speed up the distribution

service.

Generally speaking, the Library

and Statutory Distribution Service

of GPO has "turned over a new leaf" with the move into more spacious

quarters and the trend toward

greater automation of procedures,

but as more efficiency is achieved

there will be increasing pressure on

all depositories to upgrade their own

services and equipment. In particular, claims will have to be filed more

rapidly, and depositories will need

to take even greater care that claims

represent only those classes which

are currently being selected. Microfiche readers and reader-printer= as well as fiche duplicators, m

soon become necessary tools by

which essential depository service

is provided.

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Library Division staff members master the electronic technology of OCLC

as GPO moves toward ever better service.

Special Needs & Offers specific needs

if your depository library has some special needs of a general or

specific nature, let us know. Below

are recent requests. If you wish to

offer discards, write the requesting

depository a letter (sending a copy

to your regional). The library accepting the material agrees to pay any

J

stage and packing costs that may

necessary.

Government Reports Annual Index

1974, Vol. 74, Nos. 1-26 (Jan.-Dec.

1974), Sec. 1 & 2 (Subject Indexes).

C51.9/4:v.74/l-26/sec.l,2

United States Customs Court Reports, Vol. 73, July-Dec. 1974. S/N

028-003-00036-6

Ms. Annie E. Mills

Documents Librarian

University of Mississippi

University, Mississippi 38677

Continued on page 4

Microform Project

Progresses

The Pilot Project using the Code

of Federal Regulations in a microfiche format is proceeding in a normal fashion and presenting

few problems. Film quality con- tinues to meet GPO specification

requirements.

Some 22 test libraries have re- ceived a complete set of CFR in the

fiche format for use and evaluation.

Some titles of the Code are 1974

editions since there has been some

delay in producing 1975 titles. But

1976 editions are also being filmed as they become available.

A valuable spin-off came when li- brary feedback focused on the need

to improve the internal index of the

CFR. People at the Office of the Federal Register set to work on the task. Commencing with issues for April

1976, the improved index will be

apparent.

Another Correction

In our listing of the New Depository Libraries in the February

HIGHLIGHTS, the number assigned

to the Federal Election Commission

Library should be DG-1037.

3
r

No Box Number!

Continued from page 3

Specific needs

National Labor Relations Board. Annual Reports: 1936-49, 51, 54, 55,

58, 60, 63. LR 1.1:

Serial Set. Volumes prior to 1100 &

after 11000.

Harry C. Dees

Documents Librarian

Law Library

Brigham Young University

Provo, Utah 84602

Coupon Changes

A change in the policy governing

sales and refunds of documents cou- pons is as follows: (1) Coupons will no longer be issued as refunds

unless the customer specifically

requests them. All refunds will normally be made in Government

Depository discard lists offered

Richard H. Nicoles

California State Publications

Librarian

California State Library

Sacramento, California 95809

Discard & gift lists wanted

Ms. Mary Alice Jones, Head

Government Documents Depository

Georgetown University Library

37th and 0 Streets NW.

Washington, D.C. 20057

checks. (2) Coupons will be sold to customers upon request and ac- cepted as payment for publications

and services in all areas of Documents. Coupons will be redeemed

upon request for cash by issuance of

a Government check. (3) All mailings of coupons with a total value of $50.00 or more will be sent by registered mail.

There are still a few depository

librarians who remember the old box

number once used by the Library Di- vision. We do wish they would forget

it since it is no longer in service. The

address that gets results is: Library Division (SLL), Government

Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20401.

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

terial, to edit it, and to assign prio. ties of circulation.

T^U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1976—0-2 10-569 #20

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,

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