Introduction
The addition of Government Printing Office (GPO) produced MARC records to the LUIS online catalog, the automation of nearly all aspects of document processing, and the expanded reference hours of the department have resulted in virtually all newly acquired Federal documents remaining within the Documents Department. Historically, this was not always the case. In an effort to make "important" titles more visible, many Federal documents were cataloged for either Reference, the general collection, Periodicals or a branch library. It is estimated that somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of Federal documents owned by the Libraries are housed outside of the Documents Department.
Depository Law and Regulations
As a Depository for the U.S.G.P.O., the University of Florida Libraries operate under a prescribed set of guidelines for the treatment and disposition of depository material. All Government publications supplied to our library under the Federal Depository Library Program remains the property of the United States Government and may not be disposed of, except as outlined in the Instructions to Depository Libraries or at the direction of GPO official. (Only the Public Printer, the Superintendent of Documents, or their agents can legitimately order a library to withdraw a document from its depository holdings.) Failure to conform to proper discard procedures can result in loss of depository status and/or legal action against the responsible parties.
Additionally, libraries cannot materially benefit from the disposal of depository holdings as these materials remain Government property. If, after the following the procedures for disposition of depository documents, the material entrusted to us is sold as publications or as waste paper, the proceeds with a letter of explanation must be sent to the superintendent of Documents. Depository materials may never be bartered for goods and/or services.
It should be emphasized, however, that only the first copy of a particular publication is considered the depository copy. Any additional copies (duplicates), preprints (after the final copy has been printed) or reprints, are collectively referred to as "secondary" copies and may be disposed of at the Library's discretion.
It is also our responsibility as custodians of this material to ensure that depository publications are housed in manner that facilitates access and preservation. As a minimum standard for the care and maintenance of depository property, the Government Printing Office insists that the maintenance accorded to depository materials be no less than that given to commercially purchased publications. Depository materials which are lost, worn out or damaged should be subject to the same replacement policy that the Library maintains for non-Government materials.
Regional Requirements
As a Regional Depository, UF receives all publications distributed through the Depository Library Program and must retain them permanently. Only a handful of superseded documents may be withdrawn by Regionals. The Documents Department of the UF Libraries was instrumental in developing the list of "Superseded Titles" and consequently assumes all responsibility for withdrawing superseded depository items.
In addition to permanently retaining one copy of all depository documents, UF is also responsible for ensuring the integrity of our region's depository resources. This is accomplished in two ways: first, through purposeful collection development aimed at developing a comprehensive Government process of Depositories in our region. Second, within our region we must also provide interlibrary loan and reference service to both depository and non-depository libraries.
In order to efficiently execute these requirements, it is imperative that the Documents Department know the call number and location of all Federal documents owned by the Libraries. Extensive online and manual records are maintained by the Documents Department detailing this information. Consequently, any document under consideration for transfer, withdrawal, reclassification or any other action should be brought to the attention of the Documents Bibliographer.
Identifying Federal Documents
Identifying a Federal government document is anything but an exact science. For example, how publications from quasi-official agencies or documents prepared in cooperation with Federal agencies are treated could vary not from library to library, but also from department to department. Therefore, while the following tips are offered as general guidelines that can be used to help identify a Federal document, when in doubt....assume that it is a document!
Tips for Identifying Federal Documents
Publications containing a GPO imprint. The imprint is typically located on the last page of the document, but will occasionally be located on the title page.
The words National, Federal, United States, U.S., Congressional, House, Senate, Presidential, Agency or Department appearing as part of the author
Publication is stamped U.S. Depository Copy or has Documents Department property stamp.
Publication has Superintendent of Documents call number written in upper left hand corner
As a rule, publications produced by universities are not considered government documents. However, all publications issued by the Florida SUS schools are handled by the Documents Department. Additionally, university publications done in cooperation with a Federal agency should be considered a document
Associations are not government agencies. The notable exception to this rule is the American Historical Association within the Smithsonian Institution.