Collection Development Guidelines for U. S. Government Publications Depository Mission Statement Communities Served Collection Development. (Includes Selection Responsibility, Subject Areas, Formats, Selection Tools, Collection Evaluation, and Non-Depository Items.) Resource Sharing Collection Maintenance. (Includes Collection Arrangement, Weeding and Maintenance and Binding/Preservation.) Access Review of Guidelines Depository Mission Statement The George & Helen Ladd Library at Bates College was designated a Federal Depository on December 14, 1883, by the Honorable Nelson Dingley, Jr. The primary mission is to support the general collection activities of Ladd Library, which serves the Bates community. In accordance with the requirements defined in the Instructions to Depository Libraries, Guidelines for the Depository Library Program, and the Federal Depository Library Manual, the depository also serves and provides access to the government information needs of the local communities and Maine's Second Congressional District. Communities Served Bates College is a small liberal arts and sciences college founded in 1855. It is a coeducational, nonsectarian, and residential institution. There are approximately 1600 undergraduate students. Aprroximately 200 faculty members teach over thirty fields of study. Major programs include economics, environmental studies, political science, psychology, chemistry, education, biology, English, music, and interdisciplinary and area studies. College patrons use the statistical publications, Census information, Congressional hearings, Smithsonian and Federal Reserve Bank publications, government periodicals, laws, regulations, maps, and health, energy, environmental, educational, geological, and criminal justice materials. The Lewiston/Auburn area, 35 miles north of Portland and 140 miles north of Boston, hosts three U.S. Congressional Offices. Lewiston, Maine's second largest city, has a population of approximately 40,000. The city of Auburn, across the Androscoggin River from Lewiston, has a population of approximately 25,000. These two cities, called the "twin cities," are closely intertwined. Most employment is in the manufacturing and retail trade. In addition, the area supports two major health care centers, two public libraries, three other colleges, and campuses of the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine at Augusta. The depository has close ties with the health care centers and public libraries, who often refer patrons to Ladd Library for government information. The teachers, researchers, lawyers, health care providers, journalists, business people, and others who use our collection find laws, regulations, census information, statistical publications, and the educational, health, environmental material most helpful. The Depository collects materials from many federal departments, branches, and agencies, receiving approximately 44% of the U.S. publications offered through the depository program. Due to our early designation as a depository, the documents collection has many historical publications, including early reports in the Serial Set. The collection is an excellent source for current statistical information. Other collection strengths include Congressional hearings in paper, Census materials, Geological Survey and Smithsonian publications, laws, regulations, government periodicals, and foreign affairs and criminal justice material. Collection Development The Documents Librarian is resposible for the selection of government documents and related materials. Reference librarians and college faculty are consulted as part of the selection process. Selection is generally done at the item number level, but may also be done on specific titles. The primary consideration regarding selection is the Library's subject scope. Other considerations include frequency of use, space/storage capacity, frequency of publication, cost of providing access, resource sharing capabilities, and the library's prior holdings. The Documents Librarian determines what format is most appropriate when a choice is available. The following list conveys the selection level of various types of government publications in Ladd Library. Administrative and Court Decisions - limited Annual Reports - comprehensive Bibliographies and Lists of Publications - comprehensive CD-ROM and Floppy Disks - limited Directories - limited Electronic Only - limited Fact Sheets, Leaflets - selective Forms - limited General Publications - selective Handbooks, Manuals, Guides - limited Laws (published individually by and agency or department) - not selected Legislative Publications - comprehensive Newsletters - limited Periodicals - comprehensive Posters/Maps - limited Press Releases - not selected Reprints - limited Rules, Regulations, and Instructions - not selected Standards and Specifications - not selected Statistical Publications - comprehensive Technical Reports - limited Yearbooks - comprehensive Selection levels. Comprehensive: select all items in this format regardless of issuing agency Selective: select only from certain agencies or for certain geographic areas Limited: select only for a very few agencies or geographic areas Not selected: almost never selected, regardless of agency or geographic area Materials in the Basic Colelction and Suggested Core Collection are strong candidates for selection. Other selection tools include: List of Classes of U.S. Government Publications Available for Selection by Depository Libraries. Federal Depository Library Manual (Appendixes A-C). GPO Subject Bibliographies. Depository Shipping Lists. New items which arrive in depository shipments. U.S. Government Information Catalog. Consumer Information Catalog. Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. Documents to the People. Journal of Government Information. Government Information Quarterly. New Books. News media. Item Lister Each year the Documents Librarian conducts a zero-based collection review of all selected items. This review takes into consideration Interlibrary loan requests, circulation statistics, reference questions answered and unanswered, and bibliographies from different sources. Notable documents lists are also reviewed. The Documents Librarian also selectively purchases items that are not offered through the Depository Library Program for the collection. Recommendations for purchase may come from students, faculty, staff, and others. Purchases may include second copies of depository publications. Resource Sharing Ladd Library is part of a consortium with the libraries at Bowdoin and Colby Colleges. The three work together through information and resource-sharing for selection and deselection. The Bowdoin College Library became a depository on March 21, 1884, the Colby Library, March 23, 1884. Bates College selects the most item numbers (ca. 44%), followed by Bowdoin (ca. 35%) and Colby (ca. 16%). Coordination with other depositories in Maine, including Bangor Public Library in Bangor and the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, is also done on a less formal basis. Documents Data Miner lets us immediately view selections. All depositories in Maine rely on the comprehensive collection of the regional depository library at the University of Maine at Orono, which selects and retains all depository publications. Materials are primarily borrowed and lent through Maine Info Net. Collection Maintenance Documents acquired through the depository program remain the property of the U.S. government and are maintained in accordance with the guidelines contained in the Instructions to Depository Libraries. We strive to keep an accurate accounting of all depository publications at the piece level. Documents are marked with the depository property stamp and the shipping list number and date. Loose-leaf or damaged publications are reviewed and considered for repair or binding at the discretion of the Documents and Preservation Assistants. Historical publications such as the Serial Set are treated every five years with leather dressing or boxed for stability. Examination of the collection for weeding is an on-going process. Superceded documents are withdrawn as new items arrive, following guidelines in the Superseded List: U.S. Documents That May Be Discarded By Depository Libraries. Other documents are candidates for weeding after five years' retention. Titles that are no longer needed are offered to other depository libraries in Maine; some of lasting value are offered nationally. Goverment publications are maintained and protected on a basis equal to other library materials. The Library maintains a complete and up-to-date procedures manual for maintaining government publications. Access All government publications are accessible for public use. Most circulate outside the building. The majority of the collection is located on open shelving on the ground floor, arranged by Superintendent of Documents classification numbers. Selected government periodicals are arranged alphabetically by title with other periodicals. The collection is available all hours the Library is open. Reference services, Internet access, and photocopiers are available on the main floor. Titles received after March 1998 appear in the Library Catalog. Older titles are regularly added to the Catalog. Several major indexes that identify government publications are available to users. Assistance in using the library catalog, the government indexes, and in locating government publications is available at the Reference Desk. Research guides emphasize the collection, and government information is incorporated into the library instruction program. The Library provides access to government information electronically through the Library Catalog and through web pages. There is direct public access to GPO Access. Review of Guidelines These guidelines are subject to periodic review and revision by the Documents Librarian, the Documents Assistant, and the Reference & Instructional Services staff.

	Page author: Sandi Groleau Date: 9/6/2001		Feedback and Suggestions © Bates College. All rights reserved.