January 8, 2009
 
Hi all in Gov Docs land,
 
I apologize for duplicate messages. I am polling three Gov Docs listservs.
 
Our Library Director is working with our Librarians, Technical Services Staff, and Gov Docs staff to make some changes to how our library has handled our overall valuation of the Gov Docs collection in the past for insurance reports and are exploring options. My Library Director shared a link with me she had been given from a Gov Docs Librarian at another depository library for an October 2001 document entitled "Resources on Costs of Replacing a Federal Document Depository Library Collection" located at GPO Access at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/council/drepcost.html . At the time of this 2001 document, I had only been at HCC Library for 6 months and was not doing Gov Docs yet. I came into the duties of cataloging and managing our Gov Docs collection between 2003-2004, still learning the ropes while later transitioning our ILS from DRA to Horizon Dynix, and am still learning. In all that time, I had not been aware of this document. Another suggestion was to poll Gov Docs listservs to see how other depository libraries handle assigning monetary values to their Gov Docs collections for insurance reports, so that is what I am doing now.
 
I started looking through the new FDLP Handbook (http://www.fdlp.gov/handbook/index.html ), and decided to start with Chapter 14 Disaster Preparedness and Recovery in the section for "Insurance". I also had some questions posed to me here about how or why to assign a monetary value to items we acquire through the FDLP, since we receive them at no cost. When something would need to be replaced, I am aware of the steps to take to submit a Web Claim to GPO, and if all items are exhausted then that's where the Need and Offers process comes into play to request from other depository libraries who may have extras or are weeding. Also, some tangible items can be substituted with electronic versions -  according to the document at http://www.fdlp.gov/subguide.html . After those free steps, then the alternative would be to buy replacement copies (if available) through a vendor like the GPO Bookstore or other vendors, or even checking with federal agencies.
 
In this "Insurance" section of Chapter 14 of the FDLP Handbook, it states "According to the Principle of Comparable Treatment, your depository collection should be given the same level of insurance protection as the rest of the larger library's collections.".... "It is incumbent on your library's administration to make certain the policy covers materials entrusted to the care of the library as well as materials owned by the library." It seems to me that the revised FDLP Handbook is making it clear that a library's FDLP collection (which we didn't buy and don't own and are entrusting in our library through the FDLP program - they are still the property of the Federal Government) needs to be insured with monetary value just as the collections we buy through acquisitions.
 
As I have been cataloging, I must admit that I have been going by what I have seen in previous item levels (what was done before me and what I have been doing) when I am adding new items and/or new bibs, and have been trying to keep this consistent as I can (which means "fixing" values I did not see in place when I come across them). There are still items which have no values listed - at some point a prior staff member wasn't imputing values, and I don't know why. Here's what I've been doing to match what I've found before me here at HCC Library:
$25.00 = books
$10.00 = pamphlets
$10.00 = microfiche
$10.00 = maps
$!0.00 = posters
$50.00 = CD computer file, VHS, DVD
 
I'm not finding any kind of suggested values in my digging at the FDLP Desktop, so I am now polling the  GOVDOC-L listserv, so hopefully for some good feedback on what sources you may use to assign values (GPO Bookstore, Bowker, etc), and what kind of values in today's 2009 economics I should be assigning to the above item types or any other item types.
 
You may respond back to just me at my email of [log in to unmask] if you don't wish to post to the listservs.
 
Thanks in advance for your feedback and insight!
Andie Craley
Harford Community College Library
Government Documents
 
 
 
Andie Craley, MS/ILS
Library Technician - Specialist IV
Government Documents
Interlibrary Loan Borrowing Contact
Harford Community College Library
401 Thomas Run Road
Bel Air, MD 21015-1698
NEW PHONE:  (443)-412-2042
NEW FAX:  (443)-412-2137
EMAIL:  [log in to unmask]