This page is maintained by Rebecca Ohm • Last updated on November 16th, 2012
at 9:58 am.
http://library.williams.edu/memex/407/
Copyright © 2013 Williams College Libraries
DESCRIPTION OF AREA SERVED
The John Griffith Ames Government Documents Collection at Williams
College (Federal Depository Library #0259) is located in Williamstown,
Massachusetts (2010 Census population 7,754 ), in northern Berkshire County (2010 Census population 131,219).
Although Berkshire County has experienced a decline in population in
the 80s (-4%) and 90s (-4.5%) and 2000s (-1%) [source: American FactFinder, U.S. Census], the area has seen an increase in
the past two decades in the number of high-tech firms located here.
Tourism and the hospitality industry, however, dominate the
local economy and many cultural activities highlight the
Berkshire scene, including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Mass MoCA
(Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), Tanglewood (summer home of
the Boston Symphony Orchestra) and the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
The area's past dependence on manufacturing has declined a great deal
in the past 40 years.
RATIONALE FOR SIZE AND SCOPE
Williams College
Libraries are committed to
making depository items available to the public while serving its
primary mission, the curricular needs of Williams College. Because of
the
limits of size and staffing, this depository depends on regional
libraries for ready access to documents
not in the collection; these libraries are the Boston Public Library, the New York State Library in Albany, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the government documents collection at SUNY Albany. In late 2011, the Berkshire Athenaeum will provide access to NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) archival material once housed at the now-closed regional NARA facility.
Because of the relative proximity of other Depository libraries, and because of the increase in Internet access to government information, almost 100% of public government information is available to users. Given these conditions, the John Griffith Ames Depository operates most efficiently selecting about 18% of the materials made available through the depository program.
RULES
This collection is administered and developed according to the requirements of Title 44, Chapter 19, of the United States Code and Legal Requirements & Program Regulations of the Federal Depository Library Program
issued by the Library Programs Service, Superintendent of Documents, U.
S. Government Printing Office. The Libraries will maintain computer
hardware that either meets or exceeds the technical standards set by the Federal Depository Library Program.
ACCESS
Materials in print, CD, DVD and microfiche format in the John Griffith
Ames Government Documents Collection are housed in open stacks in
Sawyer Library, Schow Science Center Library, and in off-site storage. Materials located in off-site storage can be retrieved by requesting at the Circulation Desk. Some maps and
most monographs can be charged out to authorized borrowers. There is free access to
all
documents housed in Sawyer and Schow whenever the Libraries are open. Photocopiers
and scanners are available.
All government documents currently received, whether in paper or electronic format, are represented in the Libraries' online catalog, FRANCIS.
No-fee public Internet access, including such finding aids as Catalog of Government Publications, Congressional Publications and the Federal Digital System (FDsys) are available from workstations on the first floor. Reference service for all users, regardless of affiliation, is available during regular reference hours (normally 10-5 & 7-10 M-TH; 10-5 F; 1-5 Saturdays and 1-5 & 7-10 on Sundays) during the school year. Modified hours are in effect during academic breaks.
Government documents, including documents in the subscription database Congressional Publications can be lent to other libraries through
Interlibrary Loan. Authorized borrowers can request titles which we do not hold through Interlibrary Loan. For general users, bibliographic assistance is
provided with referral to the local public library for Interlibrary
loan or to the Regional Depository.
The Documents Librarian will plan and coordinate with the Electronic
Services Librarian, the Electronic Resources Group and the Catalog
librarians to ensure appropriate access via FRANCIS
(online catalog) and other Library webpages to online government
resources.
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
As the overall administrator of the Federal depository collection, the
librarian responsible for government documents coordinates operations
with other library departments. Responsibility for selection rests with the documents librarian.
Suggestions from academic department liaisons, faculty, students,
library staff and the general public are sought and encouraged. To make
suggestions, e-mail Rebecca Ohm rohm@williams.edu, Government Documents Librarian.
Item numbers offered through FDLP will be selected if they meet the following criteria:
Titles will not be selected for which little demand is anticipated, or
for which adequate housing or expertise is not available. Examples of
such materials include patents, military specifications, highly
technical reports, management and personnel manuals, home economics
publications, consumer advisories, tourist maps, and promotional
materials.
As one of the first selective depository libraries in the country, The John Griffith Ames Government Documents collection has an unusually rich collection of older and valuable materials. For some of these materials, consideration is given to either housing them in remote storage or transferring them to the rare book collection. These transfers take place in consultation with the Rare Books Librarian.
When appropriate, selected documents may be housed in the general
collection, the reference collection, or the Schow Science Center
Library, which is part of Williams College Libraries. Some of these
documents are classified according to the Library of Congress
schedules, others are classified by Superintendent of Documents number. The documents staff
and the staff of the Science Library share maintenance of these
collections; however, the Government Documents Librarian retains
ultimate responsibility for these materials. Specific policies follow
for special categories of documents:
REVIEW
Item numbers will be reviewed annually to avoid unnecessary
duplication, to make efficient use of the limited space available, and
to optimize coverage of available depository items. Community and
curricular needs are reviewed annually.
Methods of determining needs include:
Most superseded documents are withdrawn. The few superseded titles that are kept are clearly marked
"Superseded [date] - retained for historical purposes". Other documents
may be reviewed for retention after five years. Those titles no longer
needed will be offered to other libraries and/or discarded with the
permission of the regional depository, in accordance with Legal Requirements & Program Regulations of the Federal Depository Library Program.
Worn documents will be evaluated for replacement or withdrawal. A
deposit account is maintained with the Government Printing Office to
supplement the depository collection and to replace lost or damaged
materials. If a lost or damaged item is not available from the
Government Printing Office, the Needs and Offers list is consulted.
Item selections will be reviewed annually. New titles offered will be evaluated in accordance with the criteria set forth in "Determining needs" (above) and the appropriate library liaisons will be consulted.
OUTREACH AND PUBLICITY
Outreach programs (such as workshops) and surveys may be
used, both to publicize the Depository collection and to identify
present and potential users.
Outreach activities may include:
All outreach programs will be considered in terms of their potential impact on service to the Williams College community.
This page is maintained by Rebecca Ohm • Last updated on November 16th, 2012
at 9:58 am.
http://library.williams.edu/memex/407/
Copyright © 2013 Williams College Libraries