From lpsmail@access.digex.netThu Nov 9 16:16:48 1995 Date: Thu, 9 Nov 1995 11:12:01 CST From: Shipment Reply to: Discussion of Government Document Issues To: Multiple recipients of list GOVDOC-L Subject: ADNOTES: COUNCIL: DEPOSITORY ADMIN BRANCH UPDATE ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- THE MESSAGE BELOW IS FROM ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES, VOL. 16, #15 (Nov. 15, 1995). DEPOSITORY ADMINISTRATION BRANCH UPDATE Remarks by Robin Haun-Mohamed Chief, Depository Administration Branch at the Fall 1995 Depository Library Council Meeting I'm pleased to be here to update Council on activities in the Library Programs Service (LPS) associated with traditional services and resources. It's been a long time since April and much has happened, including Congressional hearings and agency cutbacks. Most of these will have a direct impact on the operation of the Depository Administration Branch (DAB) as it will throughout LPS. It is truly an interesting time to be a part of Library Programs Service and the Federal Depository Library Program. Staff To begin this morning I would like to say that Betty Jones, Chief, Cataloging Section 2, of the Cataloging Branch, is here with us and will be demonstrating a new prototype of the Monthly Catalog on CD-ROM this evening in this room at 7:30 p.m. Tad Downing regrets that he is unable to be here but encourages you to provide comments to Betty with regard to our most recent prototype. In addition to her duties as a section chief, Betty is part of the MOCAT products development team. She will be pleased to answer your MOCAT related questions during the conference. I would also like to advise you that Jay Baumgardner, Deputy Director, Library Programs Service, retired from GPO, effective September 30, 1995. He was instrumental in helping to clear up the microfiche backlog. He will be missed by all in LPS. A year and a half ago, I was chosen as Chief of the Depository Administration Branch. I thought I knew many of the problems as I am a former documents librarian and a former library inspector. In looking back today, and to put it bluntly, I knew nothing. I continue to learn from the librarians in the depository community, who are not, I might add, afraid to let me know their needs and views. I also draw on the resources from some of the long time staff in the LPS, including valuable assistance provided by Sheila McGarr and Gil Baldwin. DAB continues to struggle to maintain the right mix of resources to deal with backlogs in classification of publications for microfiche conversion and depository inquiry forms. In addressing one backlog, the other continues to grow larger. Since 1993, we have lost three staff members who classified publications, and two library technician positions. In light of the direction to cut staff, these positions may not be filled. In addition to the staff cutbacks, we are also taking on many additional duties, as are library staff throughout the country. The move to a more electronically based program requires us to change procedures for identifying and acquiring publications. In many cases a publication cannot, and should not be acquired, but hopefully can be identified and located. The Electronic Transition Staff are leading this effort, but we continue to relay information about publications that we find through our regular acquisitions process. Acquisitions In looking at the LPS distribution statistics for FY 95, there has been an increase in paper publications and electronic publications. The number of microfiche titles has remained fairly consistent. The increases are due in large part to efforts by the Acquisition staff responding to fugitive publications inquiries from documents librarians. I appreciate your input and rely on this mechanism to help us to fulfill our mission as it exists under 44 U.S.C. Shipping lists Recent changes in the automated system have allowed us to implement changes for the shipping lists. All shipping lists will now follow the same format that has been followed in the past for paper and microfiche shipping lists. The use of the "S" and the "E" to identify separates and electronic shipping lists began with shipping lists created after October 1, 1995, the new fiscal year. We have also begun numbering shipping lists effective with the change in the fiscal year. The last shipping list numbers for 1995 will be included in the October 31 issue of the Administrative Notes Technical Supplement (v. 2, #10). In August, DAB staff completed the first set of requirements for Phase II of the ACSIS online system. These requirements set forth instructions for allowing the shipping lists to be prepared utilizing the online system, and the mechanism to transfer these lists in an electronic format to the Federal Bulletin Board on a regular basis. It will still be some time before the programming is completed and the shipping lists are actually available in this format, but we are looking forward to automating this process. Another change in service is posting of shipping lists to the U.S. Fax Watch service for all shipping lists produced on or after September 1, 1995. This service should help libraries obtain copies of missing shipping lists. This service includes paper, electronic, separates, and microfiche shipping lists. The DOE, DMA, and USGS shipments are not currently available via this mechanism. U.S. Fax Watch has proven to be an extremely popular service. If libraries are having any problem obtaining missing shipping lists from the Fax Watch service please let me know, or contact Laurie Hall at (202) 512-1062. Her e-mail address is staf3dab@access.digex.net. Separates We continue to struggle with the problems associated with separates shipments. There were many problem lists this summer and part of this has been due to lack of staff (we are trying to fill a data preparation clerk position that has not been filled since the end of April) and part of it is due to the complex way the separates are processed. Recent changes in the process (implemented during the last 4 weeks) should allow us to improve our performance. As always, if you perceive a problem with shipments, please contact Carl Redd or myself as soon as you notice the problem. The longer a library waits to notify us the longer it is before the publications are sent to the library. E-mail LPS has been connected to Internet e-mail since April 1994. What a difference it has made in everyday operations. I used to be able to get my diet Pepsi in the morning before 8:30 (I still haven't learned to drink coffee), but now I'm lucky if I get it before 9:30 as I try to do e-mail first thing. Just a reminder to all who send e-mail, it is really helpful when you include your depository number and your e-mail address in the body of the message. And a name is usually helpful also. Although the message usually has the sender's address, it is not always in the correct format, and I often have e-mail returned as undeliverable due to case sensitive addresses. GOVDOC-L LPS subscribes to the GOVDOC-L listserv for many different accounts, but I do not have it come to my address. DAB uses the general address, acqclass@access.digex.net to review GOVDOC-L. And while we try to look at it every day, sometimes we cannot due to problems with the commercial Internet provider that we use or due to other events (Packwood diaries coming in, etc.). A recent discussion on the School District Data Book highlighted the need to have librarians direct some of the general inquiries to LPS. One depository librarian saw the discussion and sent a copy to me for review. I appreciate the librarians' use of the "cc" function to notify LPS of concerns and needs for general listserv discussions. Congressional study DAB staff are actively involved in "the Study". I am working on four tasks, including the Serial Set, the Bill Service, publications not traditionally included in the FDLP, and publications that in the past were included in the FDLP, but are now available only online via a fee-based service. DAB staff are also extensively involved in the Superintendent of Documents policy revisions. Currently, I am working with Steve Hayes, Susan Dow, and Debora Cheney on a review of the SOD policy for electronic resources. Item number breakout One of the other areas in which DAB staff are continuing to work is the item number breakout project. There has been a mixed response to breakouts of item numbers from libraries located throughout the country. Some librarians really like the process, and some do not. We are trying to maintain the middle ground and are looking at specific requests for breakouts, but are generally focusing on the List of Classes database for inconsistencies and clean-up rather than a comprehensive breakout scheme at this time. Again, staffing limitations have played a role in this shift of emphasis. SuDocs classification In the August 15 issue of Administrative Notes, I announced the change in policy to not research duplicate SuDocs number inquiries for pre-1976 publications. Our ACSIS online system only goes back to the 1976 tape load. The same people that work on the classification backlog work on the inquiries, are support staff for "the study", and are working on processes to identify electronic publications, etc. I do realize the impact on regional library collections, but at this point, I feel that acknowledgement and recognition is the best I am able to offer. For those publications that are truly important, and you must use your best judgment, let me know on the inquiry form that it is a pre-1976 publication, but that you believe it must researched. My staff have been instructed to look for these requests, and they will be placed with the other inquiries for review as time permits. All other pre-1976 requests that we still have will be returned to the requesting library. Electronic publications A couple of updates on electronic item selections in light of the shift to a more electronic based program. The GPO WAIS server has 549 libraries selecting the Congressional Record, 552 libraries selecting the Congressional Bills, 558 selecting the Federal Register, 488 libraries selecting the GAO reports online, and there are 341 libraries selecting the Federal Bulletin Board. DAB staff are excited about the near future possibility of making the List of Classes available on the GPO FTP site. EIDS is in the process of updating the FTP platform, and when it is completed, the List of Classes will be available and updated on a monthly basis. There are over 490 libraries signed up for STAT-USA. Access to this very useful service has been hampered by problems with the registration procedure. I ask for your continued patience with the assignment of passwords. It is a first where depositories have been provided access to a non-GPO, fee-based service, at no charge to the depository libraries. STAT-USA has also lost staff members, the completion of the authorization number database has taken some time. It is now complete. If you have not received notification of your authorization number, please contact me and I will check the status of your library's account. One other thing about STAT-USA. The NESE CD-ROM is being discontinued. The August 1995 issue was the last one. This is being done in part due to lack of sales and a lack of participating agencies to provide material for inclusion on the disc. I recently participated in a discussion group organized by the Census Bureau to discuss the information needs of the library community when the data is available mostly in an electronic format. Census intends to develop a database to replace most printed Census publications. This system is named the Data Access and Dissemination System (DADS) and was the subject of a series of focus groups to look at the needs of users for Census Bureau information in the future. Ten other members of the library community also attended this focus session, including two Council members and several depository librarians. The development of this database is being done because of the cutbacks in funding. Presently, Census anticipates charging users for access to the database, but they are concerned about the public's ability to access this database. Free access for the public through a FDLP access point may be one way to ensure continued free public access. The librarians that attended the focus group will be sent a summary of the group's discussion and an overall summary of the discussion for all eight focus groups. Congressional briefing I also recently met with staff from the House Documents Room to explain depository item selection and the location of libraries selecting the House and Senate reports and documents. This was necessary because of the recent reorganization of the House Documents Staff into the Congressional Resource Center. They now have a very real limitation on the number of copies they can distribute, and they wanted to be sure the information about depository libraries they were providing to the public was as accurate as possible. I explained the regional system and urged them to have the patrons call the library before driving over to take a look at the publication. Priority shipments Recent discussions in LPS have called into question the need to continue having a "Congressional" or priority box. I seek Council's advice on this issue. Most publications arrive in the receiving area and are placed in a "box". Literally a box. When the box is full, it is closed and sent for classification and then to the Information Processing Unit for shipping list preparation. This full box constitutes a regional shipment, which is one shipping list. Some publications, mostly Congressional, are not placed in the general category box, but are placed in a Congressional box. It is given priority for classification and shipping list preparation. Congressional shipments are generally shipped within 72 hours of receipt in the receiving section. Other hot publications, such as those covered in the media, are also placed in this box; thus it is a priority box, not simply a Congressional box. Is this priority system useful to the libraries, or should these publications go in line with the other publications? Bound Congressional Record microfiche One final update. Information Resources Incorporated (IRI), the contractor for the Bound Congressional Record in microfiche, is now in default for this contract. The new contractor is B&B Information and Image Management, and we began sending shipments late last week. Please continue to notify LPS of any problems with the IRI produced fiche. Librarians need to continue to make claims to IRI for any problems. The depository community was very helpful in watching for problems with this complex publication and notifying LPS of the problems. Because the problems were caught early, Term Contracts is working closely with LPS to ensure the past problems are corrected either by IRI or by a subcontractor at IRI's expense.