July 28, 2004
Gil Baldwin
Director, Office of National Bibliography Program Planning
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20401
Dear Mr. Baldwin:
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the June 18, 2004 draft paper: “The National Bibliography of U.S. Government Publications: Initial Planning Statement.” Returning to the spirit of statutory language and refocusing efforts to provide a “comprehensive index” to government resources is an important element of the Government Printing Office’s (GPO) efforts to solidify its position as a leader in government information dissemination. The American Library Association’s Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) strongly supports the concept of a National Bibliography as outlined in this document. The following comments are offered to assist in GPO’s planning for this new initiative.
Section III of the planning statement lays out the scope of National Bibliography. Documentation of our government’s activities through the comprehensive listing of its information products is vitally important, and it is necessary that the scope of GPO cataloging activities be expanded to include unclassified information not distributed to Federal depository libraries. We are pleased to see the scope defined to include all formats of information products as well as information produced for “administrative or operational purposes that is of public interest or educational value.” We urge GPO to consider a broad definition of “public interest or educational value” in order to assure that the National Bibliography meets the diverse information needs of its users.
The implementation of a new Integrated Library System offers GPO expanded opportunities to incorporate metadata records other than the standard MARC catalog record into the National Bibliography database. We encourage GPO to explore these options and take advantage of the technology offered by the new system to search across diverse metadata resources. However, the exploration of these options should not lessen GPO’s commitment to provide high quality access to government information resources. In Section V no.5, reference is made to applying different levels of cataloging or metadata description based on the “type of resources” being described, according to “applicable standards.” While we are encouraged by the intention to use the equivalent of OCLC “full” level cataloging as the default standard for GPO cataloging, we also believe that it is important that all records meet acceptable standards for information access, and we urge to GPO to work with the library community when exploring the adoption of these standards. Providing detailed information about bibliographic formats and standards under consideration would assist in the community in providing more informed feedback.
We are pleased that GPO intends to proactively communicate its cataloging practices and procedures. (Section V. no.8) We believe the best method for accomplishing this goal is to have online access to continually updated resources published by GPO on its cataloging practices, including its Cataloging Manual, and urge GPO to pursue this option.
For many years, GODORT has encouraged GPO to consider the development of cooperative cataloging partnerships in order to expand cataloging production of new and retrospective depository materials. As it seeks to find “efficient and cost-effective” strategies for accomplishing the cataloging work necessary to create the National Bibliography, we urge GPO to recognize depository libraries as “cooperative partners.” (Section VI, no.9b) Partnerships can also play a key role in the development of the “Retrospective Cataloging Action Plan.” (Section VII, no.3) Many depository libraries participate in national cooperative cataloging programs and have developed retrospective cataloging plans. GPO should take advantage of this expertise in a more formal way, as these libraries have the potential to provide high quality cataloging as well as advice on interpretation and implementation of standards and project planning.
GPO should continue its participation in the national cooperative cataloging programs and actively monitor developments in the creation of cataloging and metadata standards. (Section V, no.9; Section VI, no.8) We also encourage active participation in standards setting bodies such as NISO and MARBI, and participation in the Interagency Committee on Government Information activities to assure these bodies adequately consult the expertise GPO has developed in the area of description of government information. (Section VI, no.5)
An aspect of metadata description that remains important to the library community are classification schemes that allow for organization of tangible materials in library collections, as well as organized grouping of electronic resources. We are encouraged by GPO’s willingness to explore the expansion of classification activities to include Library of Congress and Dewey classification in addition to Superintendent of Documents classification numbers. (Section VII, no.4) Many depository libraries would benefit from the provision of alternative classification options that would allow more integration of library collections. Improving access to classification information should also include the enhancement of existing OCLC records to include Superintendent of Documents classification numbers. We urge GPO to vigorously explore options for allocating resources to provide these enhancements.
The creation of detailed analytics will provide vastly improved access to information content and we endorse GPO’s decision to pursue this option. Recognizing the need to establish a set of criteria for addressing the varying levels and types of series to be analyzed, (Section VI, no.3) GODORT would be pleased to work with GPO on establishing such criteria.
We also urge GPO to pursue the idea of assigning standard numbers such ISBN and ISSN to items in the National Bibliography, as these standard identifiers are already commonly used by the library community. (Section VI, no.7)
GODORT shares GPO’s concern about the resources required to maintain persistent links to resources on agencies web sites. (Section VI, no.2) The dynamic nature of government agencies and their web sites makes the practice of linking directly to agency sites inherently problematic, as the need for constant monitoring and verification is essential. Direct links to archived versions of publication would assist authenticity verification and version control activities. While we believe GPO should consider linking directly to archived versions of many publications, we are concerned that access to resources that are frequently updated, such as serials that are regularly updated with new issues, may be less timely if this practice is uniformly followed. We urge GPO to recognize the diversity of information resources and establish standards and procedures that assure the archiving and accessibility of dynamically updated material.
GPO’s usage of PURL technology to assure persistent links to resources has been welcomed by the library community. GODORT recognizes that technological developments necessitate the investigation of alternative options to PURLs, and we encourage the pursuit of a “next generation” persistent identifier system. (Section VI, no.6) In doing so, GPO must assure that any new system will be compatible with the existing PURL database. GPO must not only assess the impact of a new system on its own processes, but also on local depository library operations. For example, many depository libraries have made extensive use of PURLs in their online catalogs and would face an enormous workload if these links required updating. Close consultation with the library community as it moves forward is essential for a universally successful transition to a new system.
GODORT also urges GPO to provide libraries with direct access to its bibliographic records. (Section VI, no.10) Awareness, access, and use of government resources is greatly enhanced by the integration of catalog records in local library catalog systems. Current options for loading records directly into local systems can be cost prohibitive for some libraries. As it moves forward in this investigation, GPO should consider developing a mechanism for sharing with the library community bibliographic records that takes into account the wide variety of library systems and level of expertise in depository libraries. GPO should provide clear and consistent standards for the records available and consider developing a user support system for libraries needing assistance in the use of these bibliographic records. Sponsoring training programs and facilitating referrals to “expert advice” for libraries needing assistance in the use of bibliographic records should be part of this support system.
GODORT urges GPO to seek expertise from the library community as it implements the user interface to the National Bibliography. Since it will serve a diverse user community, the system should provide a wide variety of search and browse options based on the elements in cataloging and metadata records. These include, but are not limited to: author and/or agency, titles, series, classification numbers, date of publication, format, standard number identifiers, item number, and the ability to search across all of these fields (keyword). These search options should be designed with an understanding of design principles that maximize usability for both novice and expert users.
GODORT is pleased and thankful to have the opportunity to comment on this initial planning document for the National Bibliography. As outlined in our comments above, we urge GPO to continue to seek feedback and advice of the library community as it moves forward with the planning and implementation of this initiative. The prospect of a truly comprehensive online index of federal government resources is exciting, and we are eager to continue to work with GPO to make this prospect a reality.
Sincerely,
John A. Stevenson
Chair, Government Documents Round Table
Coordinator, Government Documents and Maps Processing Unit
University of Delaware Library
181 S. College Ave.
Newark, DE 19717-5267