General Guidelines for Disposition of
U.S. Government Depository Publications
Selective U.S. depository libraries served by a regional depository may withdraw depository publications no longer needed, providing they have been retained for at least five years from the date of receipt (not date of publication) and approval has been received from the regional library. Discard lists are reviewed by the regional to ensure completeness of the regional’s holdings. If the material is not needed by the regional, it will be offered to selective depositories in the state and lastly, to other libraries where it can still be
made available to the public. Documents may be disposed of if no recipient is found after following these procedures.
All of the guidelines mentioned here are based on
Instructions to depository libraries (GP 3.26:D44/992)
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/instruct.html
Materials exempt from the five year rule and listing with the regional
library:
- Items listed on the Superseded list found at -
- Duplicates
- Unrequested documents sent from GPO by mistake.
Remember that deselected items must still be retained for five years and offered through the regional library.
Substitution of Depository Materials:
Substitute copies in other formats or commercially published documents obtained by libraries to replace depository copies must be treated as depository materials, subject to the same rules and regulations as the original material. The replaced documents do not have to be held for five years but the material must be offered through the Regional.
Substitution of Electronic for Tangible Versions of Depository Materials
According to GPO Guidelines (see http://ww1.access.gpo.gov/gpoaccess/fdlp/coll-dev/subguide.html), "A depository is permitted to replace tangible versions with electronic equivalents provided the electronic version is complete, official, and permanently accessible. GPO Access databases on the Substitution List: Official FDLP Permanent Full-Text Databases (see: http://ww1.access.gpo.gov/gpoaccess/fdlp/coll-dev/substitutions.html) meet these requirements."
If substituted tangible materials have been held for less than 5 years they must be offered through the Regional.
Substituted tangible items that appear in the Superseded List do not have to be offered provided they are included in the Substition List: Official FDLP Permanent Full-Text Databases.
Disposition of Depository Microfiche
- Depository copies of microfiche may be discarded after being retained for five years without submitting lists to the regional library.
- Large or significant microfiche runs of serials or sets such as DOE microfiche must still be listed with the regional. Individually listing each title is not necessary.
- The regional will continue to obtain replacement copies of missing fiche and provide copies to selectives through interlibrary loan.
- This new policy is based on a 1995 GPO memo to regional libraries revising disposition policies to expedite processing for regionals and selectives.
Procedures for Submitting Discard Lists to the NYS Library Regional Depository
- Discard lists of federal depository documents should be sent to the New York State Library in electronic format. These lists will be converted to HTML and posted on the State Library's web site.
- The information should be transmitted in an e-mail attachment in MS Word, preferably in table format. (Click for information on creating a Word table.) A MS Excel file is also acceptable. If you need to use another format please contact the Regional first.
Because very large files can be difficult both for the Library to convert and for other users to download, please keep lists to a reasonable size (e.g., if a Word document exceeds 50 pages, split it into two or more files).
Send the lists to: nyslfedoc@mail.nysed.gov
- Lists should contain the following information:
- SUDOC classification number for each item
Each list should be in SUDOC number order.
- Title of document
- Date of publication
Serials and annuals do not have to be listed separately. Inclusive dates should be listed.
- Contact information, including:
- Name of depository library
- Depository library number
- Name of Contact person for requests from list
- Mailing address, e-mail, phone number
- Discard lists will first be reviewed by the Regional Library to determine if any items are needed by the Regional.
- If the Regional needs any of the listed items, the selective will be notified and the items will be deleted from the list by the Regional before it is posted to the web page.
- Requests for listed items should be sent directly to the offering library.
- Requests from selective depositories should be filled before requests from non-depository libraries.
- Discard lists will be posted for a period of 30 days. The selective library will be notified when the period is up. Any remaining documents may then be disposed of in any appropriate manner. The items should be marked "withdrawn". If depository items are sold as second-hand books or waste paper, the proceeds must be sent to the Superintendent of Documents with a letter of explanation.
- Remaining items of historical or significant nature should be offered through the national Needs and Offers List (http://www.und.edu/fdlp/) or the GOVDOC-L e-mail list.
Questions about these procedures should be directed to:
Cindy Conway
Senior Librarian
Documents Section
New York State Library
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230
nyslfedoc@mail.nysed.gov
518-474-3854
Fax: 518-474-5786