Government Documents Collection Development Policy
Pierce Library at Eastern Oregon University, located in the 2nd United States Congressional District of Oregon, was designated a selective Federal Depository Library in 1954. The library participates in the Depository Library Program as outlined in Title 44 of the United States Code, and as administered by the United States Government Printing Office. According to the requirements of this program, the library promotes usage of and provides access to government information as needed by members of the Eastern Oregon University community, residents of the City of La Grande, and the inhabitants of the 2nd Oregon Congressional District.
Pierce Library is an Oregon Depository Library, and as such receives all of the Oregon Documents provided through the program, which is administered by Oregon State Library.
Users & Programs Supported
The primary user group of the Government Publications collection is the Eastern Oregon University community. The library also serves the information needs of the ten county area of eastern Oregon consisting of Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler counties. In addition, the library strives to provide access to government information to serve the needs of the constituents of the 2nd Congressional District, as required by law. According to the 1990 Census, the population of the District is 568,464. 93.7% of the population is white, 5.4% is Hispanic, 0.3% is black, 2.3% is American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut, and 0.9% is Asian or Pacific Islander.
Selection Responsibility
Selection of government publications and supporting materials is assigned to a library faculty member in cooperation with the Collection Development Librarian. A review of the selection profile with the Federal Depository Library Program is conducted annually during the June/July selection cycle.
Selection Criteria
The library currently selects approximately 30% of the materials available through the Federal Depository Library Program. This figure may change as the information needs of the community served change over time. In general, the following criteria are used to determine the item selection profile:
- Support of Eastern Oregon University's academic programs
- Geographic area covered (especially Oregon, Idaho, and Washington materials)
- General user interest
- Fulfillment of responsibility to keep citizens informed.
The following selection aids will be used to develop and maintain the depository item selection profile:
- Federal Depository Library Handbook, Appendix A, "Suggested Core Collections by Library Type."
- Federal Depository Library Manual, Appendix B, "Important for Library Administrators."
- Federal Depository Library Manual, Appendix C, "Important for Map Librarians."
- List of Classes of U.S. Government Publications Available for Selection by Depository Libraries.
- GPO Subject Bibliographies.
Collection Scope
The collection is working towards a primarily current 5 year collection of documents with some retention of older documents in emphasized areas. Older documents being retained are being added to the Library catalog.
The library collection includes items identified in the "Basic Collection" in Appendix A of the Federal Depository Library Handbook and the "Suggested Core Collection” of the Federal Depository Handbook for both academic and public libraries. In addition the collection emphasizes the areas of agriculture, defense, education, forestry, and health to support the needs of the curriculum and the region.
Print publications are preferred when available to provide ease of handling for the general public. However, due to space constraints, when an item is available in print or microfiche the microfiche format will often be chosen. Electronic format documents are added to the library catalog and paper/microfiche versions are withdrawn as superseding regulations allow. When on-line (EL) only items meet the subject criteria for the collection they will be selected and access provided through bibliographic records on the library catalog.
Collection Arrangement
Government publications are maintained separately from the main collection and are arranged by Superintendent of Documents classification for federal documents and Oregon Documents are maintained using the Oregon Documents Classification scheme.. There are separate cabinets and shelves for print, microfiche, maps,and electronic formats. A few select titles are integrated into the reference, Law Library, and main collections using Library of Congress classification. Location information is indicated in the On-line Public Access Catalog. Depository items, regardless of location, can be searched for and located in the library catalog. Documents are also identified in the catalog by item type for record keeping purposes.
Collection Maintenance & Retention
The collection will be evaluated annually during the June/July selection cycle. Bibliographies used in this evaluation include the selection tools identified above. A zero-based collection review will be implemented during this cycle. Appropriate statistical reports will be generated each fiscal year. Information in these reports will include number of bib and item records in the EOU library system, number of circulations, and number of items added to and removed form the collection.
The Government Publications collection is regularly evaluated, and documents that no longer fit the selection criteria are withdrawn at the discretion of the Government Publication Librarian. Withdrawals are done in accordance with depository regulations as stated in the Instructions to Depository Libraries and guidelines established by the regional depository libraries in Oregon.
Documents that are considered candidates for withdrawal include:
- Superseded publications
- Duplicate copies
- Executive summaries (for which the full report has been received)*note: not a current practice unless on the supersede list
- Items maintained for 5 years which are of minimal value
- Damaged documents that are available through the regional library
- Documents with electronic versions available per guidelines for substituting online for tangible versions
Collection Access
Bibliographic access to the collection is provided by the Sage Library System Catalog, FirstSearch’s GPO database, and GPO Access. All documents received from July 1993 to the present are cataloged. Reference assistance is provided at the library¹s Reference Desk during regularly scheduled hours or by appointment. Microfiche reader/printers are maintained by the library to provide access to the government publications microfiche collection. Access to Internet resources is provided through eleven workstations in the Electronic Resources Lab. The public is provided free access to all Federal depository information products, regardless of format, without impediment.
The depository collection is promoted through the use of signage and annual displays of depository materials. Depository promotional materials available through GPO will be identified and used on a regular basis.
