Disposal of U.S. Government Depository Publications

GUIDELINES FOR DISPOSAL OF U.S. GOVERNMENT DEPOSITORY PUBLICATIONS BY MISSISSIPPI DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES

A selective depository library desiring to dispose of depository material must obtain permission from the regional library. If permission is not granted, the selective must keep the material, but may re apply at a later date for approval to dispose of the items.

AUTHORITY

Refer to the FDL Handbook, chapter 5, "Depository Collections"  and chapter 12.10, "Regional Services - Disposal Process."

PROCEDURES

1.   Disposal items must have been received five or more years prior to the date of the disposal request with the following exceptions:

a.  Depository libraries are permitted to substitute electronic versions of tangible items held at least one year so long as the electronic version is complete, official, free, and permanently accessible.  These tangible items must be listed in accordance with the guidelines below.  For more detailed guidance, consult  GPO's official substution guidelines. 

b.  SUPERSEDED items (including preprints) should NOT be listed.

c.  MICROFICHE need not be listed individually, but rather a general description should be provided indicating the series name, sudocs, and inclusive dates for substantive fiche discards. Such a description would allow the Regional to check shelflist records for the series and inquire about any specific items missing. Scattered fiche titles need not be listed.

d.  Gifts and duplicates of value MAY be listed, but they may also be disposed of WITHOUT permission. 

2.  A printed list of one to ten pages, in electronic format (Word or Excel), arranged by SUDOCS number, should be compiled. Multiple lists may be submitted at the same time, if necessary.  Please submit separate lists by format - paper, fiche, cdroms, maps, etc.  Lists may be numbered in any manner that is helpful to the selective - for example, "2009 Paper Discards List 5".

    Each page of the list should indicate the following:

    • Library Name
    • Depository Library Number
    • List date and number and format
    • Page number.

    On a cover sheet or on the first page should be a prepared statement indicating the availability of the material, the deadline for response (6 weeks from the date of mailing), how to direct requests for materials, and any special instructions. For example:

    The following offers are available from [LIBRARY]. Please circle those items desired and return the list with a self addressed mailing label to [NAME, ADDRESS].

    The list MUST be in SUDOC classification # order.  

                 For non serial pubs, give:    
           SUDOC                 Title                              Date   
          Y 4.W 36:96-1       Real wage insurance   1979
    For  serial pubs, please do not list each issue separately, but summarize the vols/issues/dates of issues you are offering.  For example: 

    SUDOC    Title                                          nos, vols, yrs. 

    L 2.6:   MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW       v.120:6 June 1997-v.126:12 Dec. 2004   

3.  If listing materials less than five years old, indicate if they are NON DEPOSITORY or REPLACED by microform or if you are substituting ONLINE for TANGIBLE versions (see above).

4.  Duplicates of the list should be sent simultaneously to the regional and to every selective depository in the state. No documents may be discarded or distributed prior to response by the regional library. At the end of the deadline, the Regional Librarian will respond in writing to the disposal request.

  • Specific items may be requested for the Regional collection, and permission may be granted for disposal of all other materials.
  • The offering library may be requested to retain specific items.
  • The offering library may be requested to offer the items outside Mississippi.

5.  Selectives are strongly urged to utilize the "Needs and Offers" list issued by GPO, or list especially valuable items or recent duplicates on GOVDOC L. If the selective does not have access to the Internet, the regional library will post the offer on GOVDOC L for the selective.

6.  After all reasonable efforts have been made to transfer the publications to other libraries, the depository library is authorized to dispose of the remaining items by means of any of the following:

  • Offer to non depository libraries;
  • Offer to private citizens;
  • Donate as paper to recyclers or paper drives;
  • Sell, either as secondhand books or waste paper.

    • However, all depository publications remain U.S. Government property. Therefore, the proceeds from such sale must be forwarded to the Superintendent of Documents with a letter of explanation.

  • Destroy.
    It should be noted that no library is required to discard any depository materials.

WEEDING SCHEDULE

To facilitate processing time for the regional library, and to encourage selective depositories to establish a routine schedule for weeding, discard lists should be send in the following calendar/SUDOCS number order:

January - Y
February - A
March - C
April - D
May - E, F, G
July - H
August - I, J,
September - L
October - M, N, O, P
December – S, T, V, W, X

June and November have been omitted because of vacations and holidays in mid summer and December. Lists should be received by the end of the scheduled month, and a response forwarded by the end of the second month. The Regional reserves the right to slow the flow of lists if there are too many to handle at one time.

EXCEPTIONS

The Mississippi State Law Library, as the highest appellate court library in the state, is not required to retain materials for five years or to discard them through the regional library.

Under the following extraordinary circumstances selectives may not be required to compile comprehensive detailed lists of discards.  If massive weeding is mandated in a limited time period, such as with a building renovation or damage due to a fire or natural disaster, the regional librarian may make a personal on-site review of the publications to be discarded and/or submit a list of documents known to be missing from the regional collection. 

9/93 Presented in draft form to federal depository librarians, who agreed to its adoption.

6/95 Amended to include new microfiche policy.

9/2009 Amended to include electronic substitution policy and extraordinary circumstances policy.