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Article
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Managing Government Document Collections in a Digital World
Staff publications, research, and presentations
  • Steven L. Sowell
  • Michael H. Boock
  • Lawrence A. Landis
  • Jennifer E. Nutefall, Santa Clara University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-12-2012
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract

An Oregon State University Libraries (OSUL) study group's review of its current policies, practices, and costs provides an illustrative case study of the challenges in managing government documents during this period of transition from print to digital. In its exploration of more aggressive approaches to greatly increasing access to electronic collections and reducing the size of the print footprint, OSUL learned that the current requirements of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) hamper such efforts. This case study provides background on prior internal studies, OSUL's participation in a shared housing agreement, statistics on size and current usage of its government documents, and the costs to receive, process, and provide access to its document collection. It concludes with the recommendations for OSUL to be as proactive as it can be under the current FDLP rules and regulations while bringing projected costs to manage government documents more in line with higher priorities.

Citation Information
Steven L. Sowell, Michael H. Boock, Lawrence A. Landis & Jennifer E. Nutefall (2012): Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Managing Government Document Collections in a Digital World, Collection Management, 37:2, 98-109