Email Sent Ref 2015 Biennial Survey

It’s that time again—the Biennial Survey & Library Needs Assessment!

 

I’ve gotten a few emails from Selectives that have already completed the survey—and at least one question concerning how to answer Questions 2/2a.

These are the questions in which you are asked to estimate the number of users for your entire collection and the number of users for your depository collection as a discrete sub-set.  To complicate things even more, the questions ask you to give both a potential user count and an actual user count of these two user groups. 

 

Looking again (and again!) at these questions and remembering what other Regionals have said about them, I offer you this suggestion from one of my Regional colleagues:

 

. . . we based our answers to question 2 on the state's population (potential) and our institution's number of student/staff/faculty (actual). Question 2a was our institution's number of student/staff/faculty (other library services users) and a semi-educated guess (number of depository services users). 

 

I realize that not every one of you keeps separate stats for users of depository services; but if you do, that’s your answer to “2a: Number of Depository services users.”  However, if you do not keep stats, you really will have to do a rough estimate based on your experience with the collection; and since this same question seems to show up regularly on the Biennial Survey, you might consider keeping stats on depository usage—beginning right now—so you’ll be prepared for the next survey.

 

For those new coordinators who have never done a Biennial Survey, please ask me or Abby to assist.  The survey is not something to fear, but it is mandatory.  GPO will not let you rest until you’ve turned one in! 

And, finally, if you haven’t been able to locate the survey yet, here’s a screen shot of what it looks like on the FDLP Desktop:

 

 

Louisiana Libraries Win Award!

 From the Baton Rouge Advocate:

 

LSU Libraries and Louisiana Tech University’s Prescott Memorial Library have been honored by U.S. Government Publishing Office as 2015 Libraries of the Year.

The 2015 Libraries of the Year are regional Federal Depository Library Program libraries recognized for demonstrating leadership, innovation and commitment to providing free public access to federal government information.

The two Louisiana libraries have been providing services to Louisiana residents since the 19th century, ensuring that government documents are accessible and up-to-date for patrons.

The libraries helped work with Southern University in New Orleans to reopen its library almost a decade after the destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina. After hurricanes Katrina and Rita, librarians recovered and reassembled government collections at damaged depository libraries to restore public access to government information at all of the state’s 27 federal depository libraries.

The other library named this year is The University of North Texas Libraries.

The Louisiana and Texas libraries receiving this honor serve as another example of the critical role libraries play in helping GPO provide the public Government information,” said GPO Director Davita Vance-Cooks. “These libraries are valuable partners to the FDLP and an incredible resource for the American people. GPO has such a rich history with libraries that dates back to 1895 and they have proven to be the backbone of Keeping America Informed.”

The LSU Libraries has been a depository for federal government publications since 1907 and has a substantial number of U.S. documents issued before and after that time. The libraries became a Regional Depository Library in 1964 and was designated an official depository for U.S. Patents in 1981. The patent collection includes all patents issued from 1871 to the present. Stephanie Braunstein is the LSU Libraries Head of Government Documents & Microforms.

For more information on the LSU Libraries, visit lib.lsu.edu. Information on the Louisiana Tech Prescott Memorial Library can be found at http://www.latech.edu/library/.

 

 

 

 

Government Shutdown Avoided Just in Time

What follows is a message I sent out to Bayoudoc-L just a bit ago.  If you missed it in your inbox, please read now and respond appropriately.  I hope to see quite a few of you there!  I know how hard it is to get funding; but, especially for you new coordinators, attending an FDLP/DLC Conference/Meeting is an experience that can cement all of the ideas and ideals of the FDLP together into something meaningful and coherent!
SGB

Greetings!

Today is a good day—a government shutdown has been (temporarily?) avoided; and those of us planning on being at the FDLP/DLC meeting in Arlington/DC can, hopefully, stop worrying that we will have to cancel flights, rooms, etc.

 

I believe that I sent out an email some time ago asking who from Louisiana would be attending.  So much has happened since then that I could use a refresher.  So, if you are going to be at the FDLP/DLC conference/meeting this month, please let me know.  If you are going to be there, I will then forward to you details about two lunch meetings taking place to which you will probably want to go. 

 

The first is the usual lunch between Regionals and their Selectives.  Since both Abigail and I will be there, we’ve got the Regionals covered—we just need to know which Selectives we will be lunching with. 

 

The second is a lunch meeting with the ASERL area libraries.  Again, the Regionals are expected to attend; and their Selectives are invited to participate.  It will be a great opportunity to learn more about ASERL and its Collaborative Federal Depository Program (an important element of which is the ASERL Disposition Database that we all now use for our N&O processes). 

 

So, tell me if you’ll be there; and I can forward all of the pertinent info to you.  Arlington/DC in early fall is usually lovely—the weather still sunny but getting “crisp” enough to need a jacket—especially at night. Quite a treat for us Louisianans for whom fall is just a word for what happens after you trip.

A Good-bye and a Hello!

More changes:

Congratulations to Harold Isadore, FDLP Coordinator from Southern University Law Center, Oliver B. Spellman Law Library in Baton Rouge, on his recent retirement.  He will be missed by me and his colleagues! 

His replacement is an LSU SLIS graduate, Angela Mason.  Welcome, Angela, to Louisiana's Government Documents Community!

Here is her contact information:  225-771-4928 X132

Her email address is Amason@sulc.edu

Ask me why I intentionally capitalized the first "A" in her email address--just ask me!

Welcome to New Coordinators!

FYI:  We have two new coordinators in Southern Louisiana--both in NOLA.  First, a rather belated welcome to Bea Calvert at Loyola's Monroe Library and, second, a welcome to Jennifer Creevy at Our Lady of Holy Cross College's Kern Library!  So happy you both have joined our ranks and looking forward to working with you to provide free Federal Government Information to your patrons and to the citizens of Louisiana!

Accomplishments 2014/15

Thanks to Joe Paskoski's thoughtful shepherding, we have all lived through the Public Access Assessments.  Thank you all for cooperating with GPO, giving your time and answering lots of questions!

We have also finished the revision of the Louisiana State Plan.  Thanks to Melanie Sims for moving that project along to completion.  Most Selectives have already sent in the signed agreement form.  If you have not, please do so soon.

Because LSU Libraries was moving its web presence to Drupal, there was some delay in getting the new version of the Plan up on the LSU Gov Docs pages; but this should be remedied very soon.

Probably the biggest accomplishment in an FDL during this time was SUNO's Leonard S. Washington Memorial Library's finally moving into a refurbished building--a "real" library!  The official date of that event was September 18, 2014.  They had not been in a dedicated library space since they were damaged by Katrina.


Other accomplishments from 2014/15 that your FDL would like to share here?  Feel free to post anything you are proud of doing with your Fed Gov Docs.