Public Service | Internet Access | Binding | Replacement
Government Documents Collection Development Policy
The Goldman Law Library is a United States Federal Depository Library. We follow the INSTRUCTIONS TO DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES collection development guidelines. Although our selection percentage hovers around 10%, this is comparable to similarly situated academic law libraries. We work with commercial vendors, the Government Documents Center (GDC) at Mudd Library and other area depository libraries to provide patrons with access to virtually the entire catalog of U.S. government publications.
We select titles that are primary sources of law, are related to the lawmaking process or are of specific interest to our primary patrons (e.g., public policy materials). Documents unrelated to law are collected if they are general reference works (e.g. Statistical Abstract) or items in great demand by the public (e.g., Catalog of Domestic Assistance). Maps are selected sparingly to provide reference and instruction support for foreign and international legal studies. Items that are bulky or pose preservation problems (e.g., congressional hearings) are not selected from GPO. Access to these materials is provided via online sources and archival access is ensured by purchase of microform versions of these materials.
Superior reference assistance is provided to patrons using the government documents collection. To this end, we select numerous commercial finding aids, indexes and complements to the documents collection. We select some electronic or archival enhancements that allow us to supersede fragile or frequently used documents. We purchase multiple copies of items in heavy demand. The focus of the collection is on efficient and permanent access to a robust collection of law-related government documents.
We serve as a depository for records and briefs from the Supreme Court of the United States. We retain current materials in print and supersede them with commercially produced microfiche. We participate in a selective housing agreement with the GDC to accept some Canadian government publications which supplement our foreign law collection. Access to international law materials is enhanced by referring patrons to GDC’s UN and FAO depository collections. Three traditional documents areas are outside the scope of our selection: GDC provides advanced census reference; Sterling Memorial Library’s Map Collection staff provide GIS and other cartographic reference; we work with our local PTDL, the Hartford Public Library, when patrons need advanced patent resources.
Items selected for the collection are cataloged in the library’s online system. When those resources or versions of those resources (856 second indicator 0 or 1) have a PURL available from GPO at the time of cataloging, it will be added to the catalog record. Links to items without PURLs will be added only in extraordinary circumstances.
If an electronic-only document is in special demand, would be selected by the applicable subject area selector, and meets the criteria set out in the FDLP Binding Policy below, the Documents Librarian in consultation with the appropriate selector may determine that the document should be printed and bound. These documents will be laser printed, double sided, onto acid-free paper. Color plates will be printed at the discretion of the Government Documents librarian. The material will be cataloged and bound.
Daily Titles
We treat serial documents issued daily or weekly on a case-by-case basis.
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD (DAILY EDITION): We do not select the Congressional Record (Daily Edition) in paper. We provide access to the Congressional Record (Daily Edition) through GPO Access, the GDC at Mudd Library, and commercial databases (mediating searches for non-law school patrons). We do collect print indexes to the bound volumes. We purchase microform copies of the bound volumes from LLMC. We retain a complete run of the bound volumes in microform. We retain predecessor titles in print and also provide access via the Library of Congress’s American Memory project. Completion of LLMC Digital will enable us to provide online access to the full run of the Permanent Edition.
FEDERAL REGISTER: We select the Federal Register in print and retain the current two years only. We maintain a full run of the Register on microfiche from LLMC. We also provide on-site access to a historic electronic version (Vol. 1 – Vol. 51) via Hein Online and Vol. 45 – Date via Lexis and Westlaw. We provide access to Vol. 59 – Date via GPO Access. Completion of LLMC Digital will add single-source online access to the full run of the Register.
CALENDAR OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES and SENATE CALENDAR OF BUSINESS
We retain the final edition of both for each congress. We use online editions as primary access.
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS
We retain a print collection for vols. 1-36 (when GPO stopped issuing to selectives in print). For archival access, we have a complete and current run in microfiche. Primary current access is via GPO Access. We also select and retain the PUBLIC PAPERS OF THE PRESIDENTS.
Executive Branch
We select a range of documents that support research into administrative law and public policy. Our focus is on departments and agencies of interest to faculty and students, as indicated by the larger collection development policy, e.g., Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, EPA, FCC, White House and executive offices (PREX and PR) and Department of Treasury. We do not select documents that are intended as general information for the lay public. We attempt not to select “general publications” item numbers because they tend to have a large volume of materials aimed at the lay public.
Legislative Branch
We select primary sources and CBO reports. We do not select congressional hearings or reports in tangible format from GPO but print copies of Supreme Court nomination hearings will be purchased and retained. We provide on-site access to Congressional secondary materials though CIS fiche, LexisNexis Congressional and other commercial services. We select materials related to librarianship from LC and GP.
Judicial Branch
We select almost comprehensively from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Federal Judicial Center and the Supreme Court of the United States. We do not select Supreme Court slip opinions in tangible format. We provide immediate access to Court opinions through the Court’s web site. Print-on-demand copies of noteworthy slip opinions are provided by reference staff, although these are not retained. We select reporters from some non-article III courts.
Public Service Policy for Government Information in Electronic Format
Reference service includes assisting all patrons to locate government resources in the library’s collection and in other depository libraries. Reference service also includes assisting patrons with locating government information not currently in the FDLP. When these resources are located, they will be brought to the attention of the documents librarian who will make GPO aware of the item. This policy applies to information in both electronic and tangible formats. Reference service is provided at the same level for government information and commercial information, regardless of format.
Optical disk media are available for use in the library or for limited-term circulation. Patrons who provide their own blank media may copy government-produced CD- or DVD-ROMs. A floppy disk drive is available for loan from the reference desk. Patrons must provide their own blank disks. The public workstations in the documents area exceed the 2003 recommended specifications for non-cartographic use.
The library provides no-fee internet access to all patrons for research use. This access is unfiltered. The library limits all research sessions to 15 minutes when other patrons are waiting. All public workstations in the library have clients for FTP and telnet (and their secure equivalents) to encourage patrons to transfer information electronically to their own servers. Patrons may temporarily store files on the local drive while they are actively using the workstation. The library does not provide server access or long-term disk storage to any patron. Color and B&W printing is provided using a fee-for-print system that applies to all patrons. Public workstations are provided equally to all patrons.
The library maintains topical research pages that include links to government electronic resources. The library also provides access to commercially produced directories of electronic government information. Reference librarians provide individual research guidance and training on specific resources, e.g., GPO Access, Thomas, Criminal Justice Sourcebook CD-ROM.
Fax delivery of materials is not available. Email delivery is available, and librarians can scan non-copyrighted print or microform materials for email delivery.
This policy is based on Depository Library Public Service Guidelines For Government Information in Electronic Formats, originally published in 19(11) ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES (1998), available at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/mgt/pseguide.html.
FDLP Internet Use Policy
Patrons may access the internet to conduct legal research from any public workstation in the library. Legal research includes accessing the entire FDLP electronic collection and other databases that the library may make available. These workstations are unfiltered. There are no age or residency restrictions required for patrons to gain access to the library.
This policy is based on Depository Library Public Service Guidelines For Government Information in Electronic Formats, originally published in 20(2) ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES (1999) (updated 2003), available at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/mgt/iupolicy.html.
FDLP Binding Policy
The library binds softbound government documents when they meet all of the following criteria:
1. The item will be in active use in the reference or reference desk collection or the item will circulate heavily
2. Primary access to the item is not via an electronic equivalent (e.g. Stat. Ab – primary access is via the print copy, not the online version.)
3. The item is more than 100 pages long
4. The item will be retained in the collection indefinitely
5. The item is integrated into the main LC classified collection
Materials that do not meet all of the criteria may be bound if, in the opinion of the Documents Librarian, they will be in active use for the foreseeable future. If the library purchases additional hardbound copies of an item distributed as paperbound, the depository paperbound copy will not be rebound.
FDLP Replacement Policy
The library will attempt to acquire a suitable replacement when a document integrated into the main collection is reported missing by staff or patrons. Suitable replacements will usually be a direct replacement copy purchased from GPO, a reprint publisher or used book dealer or transferred from another library via the needs and offers process.
If a replacement is not available or reasonably priced, other existing sources already in the collection will be considered to determine if they are acceptable substitutes.
For example, we hold many commercially complied legislative histories that reprint full documents, thus an individual document that could not be easily replaced will not be replaced. We will rely instead on the reprint contained in the legislative history set.
If an item with duplicate content can not be found or purchased at a reasonable price, alternate formats (microform, electronic, bound photocopy) may be substituted. If no acceptable substitutes are available, the item will be withdrawn.
If a document that is not integrated into the main collection is reported missing, an electronic equivalent will be substituted if available. If not, the item will be withdrawn.
