Government Documents in Small Libraries

 Government Documents in Small Libraries BY CHARLES WELLS REEDER

 Reprinted from Report of Board of Library Commissioners of Ohio for the year ending November 15, 1909. 

 The Springfield Publishing Company, State Printers. Springfield, Ohio: 1910. 

Government Documents in Small Libraries

_By CHARLES WELLS REEDER, Assistant Reference Librarian, Ohio State University. _

[Substance of an address before a meeting of librarians held under theauspices of the Library Organizer of the Ohio Library Commission, OhioState University, October 8, 1909. ]

The problem of government publications in the small libraries has beendiscussed at much length by librarians, but it is still far from adefinite solution. In fact, there can be no general settlement of manyphases of this question, for each and every library must decide whatits own policy and attitude shall be toward this class of publications. 

It is generally admitted that some libraries ought to have all thepublications that are made for distribution, and therefore a system ofdepository libraries is maintained by the government. The librarieswhich are not favored with this privilege are compelled to make aselection from the great number of documents and there is the essenceof the problem for discussion here. The question of what to getinvolves the selection of certain publications which will be useful topresent patrons of the library and the acquisition of those for which ademand can be created. For instance, if the library is located in arural section, there will be a big demand for publications relating toagriculture, and a larger proportion of such documents will be securedthan for other subjects. If the students of the high school areinterested in debating present day questions, the publications of thegovernment relating to the existing political and economic conditionswill be in demand. In the final analysis, the librarian must feel thepulse of the community, as it were, and secure the classes ofgovernment material which correspond most nearly to the demand. At thesame time, by making use of bibliographies, of department lists ofpublications and of the reference section in the Documents Office, thedemand for this class of literature can be materially increased anddocuments secured which are not already in the library. 

The purpose of this discussion is to suggest a list of governmentpublications which will be of use in a small library. Before doing so, the various methods of securing documents must be mentioned, as the waywill be indicated with each document serial in the following list. First of all, there is the system of depository distribution which isbased on the act of January 12, 1895. The idea is to place in allsections of the country complete collections of all public documentswhich are printed and made for distribution. This privilege is grantedby law or through the request of senators and representatives. Thesecond way in which large numbers of documents are distributed isthrough the congressional quota. This practice is a very old one, beingused for the first time in 1791. Each member of Congress is given aquota of all documents published by that body, the number varying witheach document. These are distributed by the order of the congressmenand are sent out under their franks. As a rule, the libraries willreceive very prompt and courteous attention from their representativein Congress to any request made for publications. Thirdly, thedepartments and bureaus have mailing lists including public officials, institutions of various kinds and interested people. Usually a requestby a library to be placed upon such a list is granted; if not, a letterto the congressman will bring the desired result. Finally, theSuperintendent of Documents is authorized to sell the governmentpublications at a price sufficient to cover the actual expense ofpaper, press work and binding. The amount is always small because themain costs of typesetting and stereotyping are eliminated from theprice. There are some publications which are secured by sale only, thisrule applying to libraries as well as to individuals. 

The list of publications which will be useful is as follows: The_Farmers' Bulletins_ of the Department of Agriculture are brief populararticles which give in simple, concise language the results ofinvestigations and experiments. They also outline methods for farmprocedure and offer instructions and suggestions for the practicalfarmer. The annual edition of these bulletins is over six and one halfmillion copies. By law eighty per cent. Of these are placed at thedisposal of the members of Congress, the remaining twenty per cent. Being in the hands of the Secretary of Agriculture. Libraries will beplaced on the mailing list, or single copies will be sent onapplication to a senator, representative or delegate, or to thesecretary of the department. An _Index to Farmers' Bulletins 1-250_ wasissued as _Bulletin 8_ of the Division of Publications, Department ofAgriculture; _Circular No. 4_ of this Division is a _Farmers' BulletinSubject Index_, and contains a list of the subjects of the _Bulletins_arranged alphabetically. It is revised at frequent intervals. TheLibrary of Congress issues printed cards for the _Farmers' Bulletins_. 

The _Yearbook_ of the Department of Agriculture is virtually an annualencyclopedia of popular, timely articles on special topics covering theyear's work of the Department and the year's progress in agriculture. The law provides for an edition of 500, 000 copies, but under the newsystem of public printing, the actual number issued is 300, 000. TheDepartment has 30, 000 and the remainder is placed at the order of themembers of Congress. Applications to either source will be filled, butrequests had better be sent to the congressmen first. Two indexes tothe _Yearbook_ have been prepared: _Bulletin 7_, Division ofPublications covers the annual volumes for the period, 1894-1900, and_Bulletin 9_ of the same Division, the years 1901-1905. Catalog cardsfor all the articles can be secured from the Library of Congress. 

The Division of Publications, Department of Agriculture, issues_Circular No. 2_, _Publications for Free Distribution_, which gives thetitles of such publications. They are sent free as long as the editionlasts, application being made to the Secretary of Agriculture. _Circular No. 3_ is _Publications for Sale_. These can be purchasedfrom the Superintendent of Documents, the remittances being sent bypostal money orders, express orders, New York draft, or in currency, but never in stamps. There is also a _Monthly List of Publications_issued by the Department of Agriculture, which will be sent to anylibrary free. Through these three lists a librarian can keep in touchwith the publications of the most active publishing department of thegovernment and secure the latest available information for the librarypatrons. 

The _Annual Report_ of the American Historical Association is devotedto papers by historians of national fame, to reports of the PublicArchives Commission, and to the publication of historicalbibliographical enterprises. For the students of American history noone set of government documents can be more valuable. The edition israther limited, the law providing for 5, 500 copies. As the SmithsonianInstitution has so many exchanges, these reports are best secured fromthe quota allowed to Congressmen. 

The International Bureau of American Republics is not essentially aUnited States government bureau, but one in which twenty-one of therepublics of the Western Hemisphere have an interest. The _MonthlyBulletin_ is printed in four languages--English, Spanish, Portugueseand French. It contains the latest information on the commerce, laws, new enterprises and general development of each republic. It isessentially a magazine of Central and South American events. ThisBulletin cannot be obtained free, as the bureau sells nearly all itspublications. The subscription price for the English edition is $2. 00per year. A small library does not need the foreign edition. Communications should be addressed to the Director of the Bureau. 

No library can afford to be without the publications of the Bureau ofthe Census. The volumes of the decennial censuses contain thestatistical records of the nation's growth and development. If the fullset of reports is not wanted, by all means the _Abstract_ should besecured, as it contains the summaries. The series of _Bulletins_ issuedby the permanent bureau contains the recent statistics, estimates, andare the source for much of the data found in the annual newspaperalmanacs. These publications are supplied free of charge to librariesupon application to the Director of the Census or to members ofCongress. The Department of Commerce and Labor has issued a _List ofPublications_ . .. _available for distribution_; the Bureau has alsoissued _Publications Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Censuses and PermanentBureau_. The publications no longer available are marked with anasterisk. 

The _Annual Reports_ of the Civil Service Commission contain the dataon the historical and statistical growth of the classified governmentservice, the number and character of examinations, the appointments toservice, the rules covering civil service appointment and the legaldecisions of the Commission. The Commission has twenty thousand copiesof its annual report for distribution, applications for it being madedirectly to the Commission. The _Manual of Examinations_ is issuedJanuary 1st and July 1st of each year, and give the date, place, character and scope of scheduled examinations. It will be foundindispensable for those desiring to enter the government service. Itwill be furnished gratuitously by the Commission. 

The _Congressional Directory_ is issued in three editions for a longsession, and in two for a short one. It contains the essential factsnecessary for a valuable reference book on the government. There arebiographical sketches of each senator, representative and delegate inCongress; committee arrangements are given for all members; officialsand attaches of both houses are listed; biographical sketches are givenfor the heads of the executive departments; there is a roster of thechief officers in each department and in the consular and diplomaticservice; finally, there is a brief outline of the official duties ofeach department, bureau and division in the government. The numberissued is determined by the Joint Committee on Printing, but inasmuchas the _Directory_ is issued as a Senate document, it can be secured byapplication to a member in Congress. If not supplied in this way, itcan be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents. The last editionis the one to be secured. 

The _Congressional Record_ is published daily when Congress is insession and in a collected edition when the session is over. It is averbatim report of all that takes place in Congress, and ought to beplaced with the daily papers in a library. An _Index_ is prepared everytwo weeks and one for the entire session. Besides the references to thebills, the index contains a history of each measure and the number ofeach committee report and document presented. Each senator has ninetycopies and each representative and delegate has sixty-two copies. Librarians should make application to their congressmen for the_Record_ at the beginning of each session of Congress, as new mailinglists are made out at that time. 

The _Annual Reports_ of the Bureau of Education are devoted tostatistics concerning the educational system of the United States. There are also discussions and papers on important educationalmovements in other countries. The law provides for an edition of 35, 000copies, 20, 000 of which are distributed by the Bureau. The reports from1867 to 1898 are indexed in _A. L. A. Index_, 2d ed. Since 1906 much ofthe descriptive material in the annual reports has been eliminated andpublished as _Bulletins_. These contain many late monographs ofimportance and the results of study of new problems in education. Bulletin 2, 1908, is a _List of Publications . .. 1867-1907_. The annualbibliography of education which has been issued for the past eightyears in the Educational Review is now printed as a _Bulletin_ of theBureau of Education. 

The _Experiment Station Record_, a publication of the Office ofExperiment Stations, gives a technical review of the current literatureof agricultural investigation, not only in the United States, but alsothroughout the whole world. It reviews books and annual reports ofgovernments and the agricultural experiment stations in the variousstates and about 1, 600 periodicals in twelve or more languages. TheOffice maintains a mailing list, and application for publicationsshould be directed to the Director. The _Record_ is also sold by theSuperintendent of Documents at $1. 00 per volume, beginning with July, 1909. Previous volumes are $1. 50. 

The _Annual Reports_ of the Interstate Commerce Commission cover boththe administrative and the quasi-judicial proceedings of theCommission. In its administrative features the report presents railroadstatistics, discusses the uniform methods of accounting, and summarizesthe results of enforcing the safety appliance laws, the hours ofservice act and the accidents law. Important decisions made during theyear by the Commission and by United States Courts are reviewed. Thereports are furnished gratuitously by the Commission to those whoapply. Another valuable serial is the report on the _Statistics ofRailways in the United States_. It is prepared according to schedules, and covers the mileage, the amount of railway capital, the earnings andincome, the general expenditures and the accidents. This volume is alsodistributed free by the Commission. 

The Bureau of Labor issues three serials which ought to be found inevery library. The _Annual Reports_ contain the results ofinvestigations which the Bureau has made on industrial and socialsubjects. The _Special Reports_ are on particular subjects, and areprepared as requested by the President of the United States or byeither house of Congress. The _Bulletin_ is issued bi-monthly, andcontains the latest information on subjects within the wide field oflabor and not included in the other reports. The _Annual Reports_ and_Bulletins_ up to 1898 are indexed in the _A. L. A. Index_, 2d ed. TheBureau issued an _Index_ in 1902 which covers _Annual Reports_ 1-16, _Bulletins_ 1-39 and _Special Reports_ 1-9. Application for thesepublications are best made to the Bureau and handled from its mailinglist. 

The most useful publication of the Library of Congress in a smalllibrary is the series of bibliographies compiled in the Division ofBibliography. They vary in size from approximately completebibliographies to small reading lists on questions of current interest. Inasmuch as they are based on the largest collection of librarymaterials in the United States, the bibliographies give an idea ofexisting references and sources which might not be suggested or evenknown in smaller institutions. Through library loans and the judiciouswriting for sources, the small library can supply liberal materials forstudy from these bibliographies. As to the distribution of thesepublications, the Library of Congress makes this statement: "Withcertain exceptions, the publications are not distributed gratis, exceptto institutions with which the library regularly exchanges. " At anyevent, they can be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents forfrom ten to fifteen cents. The complete list of these bibliographies ispublished in the _List of Publications Issued Since 1897_ (by theLibrary of Congress). 

The _Daily Consular and Trade Reports_ are issued from the Bureau ofManufactures. These are a collection of reports made by United Statesconsuls in all parts of the world on matters of commercial and currentimportance, such as new inventions, crops, market possibilities andcommercial relations in general. The Bureau will add a library to itsmailing list upon application. 

The Bureau of Statistics of the Department of Commerce and Labor issuetwo serials which are of use in small libraries. The _Monthly Summaryof Commerce and Finance_ is the leading statistical publication of thegovernment. It gives a very complete and detailed statistical accountof the foreign commerce of the United States, the internal commerce andthe commerce with the non-contiguous possessions. The _StatisticalAbstract_ covers, in summarized form, most of the important subjects inthe wide field of government activity, and easily ranks as "the mostuseful summary of statistics relating to our country that is printed. "The edition is limited to twelve thousand copies--three thousand to theSenate, six thousand to the House, and the remainder to the Bureau. Application for both serials can be made directly to the Bureau, andespecially for the _Monthly Summary_. 

In conclusion, the librarian that intends to be alive to hisopportunity with government documents will get the _Annual Reports_ ofthe Superintendent of Documents for 1907 and 1908 and commit them toheart. They contain the best explanation of the present plan ofdistribution and other problems with these publications that has beenwritten. The library should receive the series of _Price Lists_ and_Leaflets_ now being issued by the Documents Office. The one isvirtually a bibliography of some important subjects which the documentscover; the other is a description of some one document or some class ofmore than passing interest. Both show what can be purchased and theprice of the publication. If the library has not received copies of_Free Lists Nos. 1 to 3_, they should be sent for. They contain a listof the documents which are offered free of all charge to libraries. Many rare and useful publications can be secured in this way. Finally, if possible, subscribe for the _Monthly Catalog of Public Documents_, which keeps the reading public informed as to what is now beingpublished by the government, how and where the publications can beobtained and the purchase price.