United States Government Publications

There has never been a time in the history of this country when United States Government publications have been in as much demand or were being used as extensively as they are today. The fact that requests made to our Office show an increase of 300 per cent over those received twenty years ago is due in an overall sense to the greater recognition of the value which these publications have in so many of the activities involved in working and living in the modern world. Primary credit for this development must go, of course, to the government agencies which are the authors of these publications of such importance to our citizens and which cooperate with the Government Printing Office to produce a design and format both modern and attractive. We must not, however, overlook the increasingly fine job being done by librarians everywhere to foster a greater awareness of the almost limitless ways in which government publications can be utilized. Traditionally, these publications have been regarded as a sort of "ugly duckling" in relation to the library collection generally. They are, however, here to stay, and while it is well that some of the awe with which they have long been regarded is now being dispelled, it is also necessary that certain of their specialized features should be recognized in order that they can be utilized most effectively.published or submitted for publicatio