What is in those Compact Shelves? Auditing and Quantifying a Government Documents Collection

Background & Purpose Methodology Planning & Resources Survey Instrument & Implementation Limitations Outcomes & Lessons Learne

Presidential Records & Materials

Research using presidential records can be quite complex. Presidential records are mix of public and private materials, and are located in a variety of archival, library, and museum settings. Understanding a little bit about the history of presidential records helps researchers understand where they can find information about the topics they seek to understand or explain. This display provides an overview of key institutions and a timeline of developments. An associated research guide provides direct access to key collections for each U.S. president

Creating a Government Information Network in Utah – Updates from the Regional Coordinator

Introduction & unpack terminology Details about the Regional Collection and access points Details education and outreach Online resources and an activity Government Information Network Let\u27s work together

Gov Docs are Special Too!: Incorporating Historic Government Documents into Instruction and Outreach Programs

Introduction & unpack terminology Details about the Regional FDLP Collection and access points Primary Sources in Government Documents Online Resources Outreach with Primary Sources Government Information Network Let\u27s work together

Where is Government Information? The complex Relationship Between Libraries & Federal Repositories

Through data analysis and a survey, this research identifies the location of government documents departments/units in academic libraries – including their institutional orientation, current practices, & future plans. This preliminary data analysis presents trends amongst the community of academic library participants in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), of which they comprise 55% of the total. We identify common practices and priorities that might foster collaboration

Academic Libraries, Government Information, and the Persistent Problem of Jargon

The shift to born-digital and digitized materials has ultimately increased access and convenience for users, but in many ways it has also complicated the process of finding information. While users may struggle with catalog interfaces or reading call numbers, most have a basic understanding of how to locate a physical book. But in the digital environment, users have no built-in model for what sequence of clicks or keywords will get them to the information they need. This problem is exacerbated for specialized areas like government information, where more and more data and documents are readily available online via a variety of public web portals. Libraries often curate these portals using research guides or other domain-specific reference websites, providing major points of access for users. However, designing these specialized sites to be user-centered, rather than domaincentered, presents numerous challenges. For instance, how should the needs of different user groups be balanced? How should complex information be structured to support domain experts, while also helping orient and remove barriers for new users? Answering these questions is especially important to Utah State University Libraries (USU), which serve as a Regional Depository for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). USU’s Government Information Department supports not only our community of 25,000 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students, many of whom learn at a distance, but also local and regional communities as a matter of public access. To be successful, these users need to understand and be able to effectively navigate the “library within a library” that is government information. To support this broad community and their range of needs, our websites need to strike the right balance between straightforward, content-focused design and more supportive, instruction-heavy design

Gov Docs are Special Too! Primary Source Instruction using Government Information Collections

Introduction - 3 Presenters Case Studies and Lesson Plans Discussion Questions Selecting Sources Addressing Challenges Outcomes Recommended Resources Questions/Discussio

The Format That Time Forgot!!! The Return of the Microcards

Hidden away in the darkest recesses of some libraries you will find... Wait! Don\u27t! Don\u27t open that microcard drawer!! Seriously, it feels that way when you walk by those long-neglected microcards. Very few cataloging records exist so discoverability is close to zero, and if there are records how do you read the cards? Wouldn\u27t it be great if you could bring that microcard back to life so the content could be used? Good news! A collaborative open-access effort to do so is underway. After two successful pilot projects, working with roughly 2700 Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) reports on microcard, the Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL) has embarked on its most ambitious project to date - digitization and metadata / MARC record creation for over 33,000 reports on over 50,000 microcards. Sci tech librarians and their patrons worldwide will benefit from the outcomes: open access, online, and discoverable AEC reports. This project improves discoverability through the creation of MARC records (provided to OCLC) and enables libraries that retain this legacy format to provide discoverability to their on-site materials. Sci tech librarians can access inventories to review and describe their materials, and for libraries that never owned these collections, a frightfully efficient search interface already exists. This open access project can reinvigorate microcard content and revitalize library collections nationwide. This poster details the methods used in shocking detail and sets the stage for the next chilling episode