Mission Statement

The Odum Library Government Documents Collection of the Eighth Congressional District of Georgia was established in 1956 as a Selective Federal Depository Library. The primary mission of the Depository is to collect, organize, and provide free and unimpeded public access to United States Government publications and Georgia State publications in support of the University's mission and the curricular needs of the students, faculty, and staff at Valdosta State University. The depository also serves the general public, including members of the business and agricultural community, and elementary and secondary school communities, as well as referrals from the South Georgia Regional Library.

Selection Responsibility 

The primary responsibility for the selection of document publications resides with the Documents Librarian. The Documents Librarian, as a member of the Reference Department, consults with the other Reference Librarians to identify information needs of the University and District communities. Suggestions from other library departments, as well as directly from members of the depository community, are also taken into consideration.

Subject Areas and Collection Arrangement 

A. Subject Areas

The Depository maintains the titles listed in the "Basic Collection" and makes them available for immediate use. Items are selected based on the current and perceived curricular support needs for the academic community and the general informational needs of the District community.

Subject area concentrations include the following:

  • Agriculture
  • Business and Commerce
  • Demographics
  • Education
  • Environment 
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Health
  • History and Culture
  • Labor and Occupational Safety
  • Library Science
  • Public Policy
  • Science and Technology

Odum Library is an FDLP Print Distribution Title selector for the Forest Atlas of the United States (A 13.182: ) in paper format; this title will be permanently retained. 

Publications not normally selected include:

  • Administrative materials for the U.S. Government (i.e., agency phone books, federal employee benefits, procurement specifications, standards, and in-house training materials)
  • Foreign Language Materials, with the exception of Spanish
  • Posters

Multiple Copies

  1. Duplicate documents are occasionally acquired to support the information needs of the University and District communities.
  2. Gift items that duplicate current holdings will not be accepted, in accordance with the University Library's Gift Policy.

Collection Arrangement

The majority of the documents are classified using the Superintendent of Documents classification system. Titles better suited for a reference collection are arranged using the Library of Congress classification system and housed in the Reference Collection. A selected number of government documents in the form of journals are shelved alphabetically by title along with the non-governmental journals. Some documents, mainly in science and technology, are shelved in the 3rd floor library stacks according to Library of Congress classification. Most documents since 1976 are cataloged in the library's online catalog. Pre-1976 documents are inventoried via shelflist.

Formats 

A. Online is the preferred format for documents, with available print documents received and retained for historic value and ease of use. 

B. Microform titles will be retained using the following criteria:

  1. Available only in that format.
  2. Too voluminous to accommodate on the shelves.

Selection Tools 

Government Documents are recognized as essential primary sources of information. In order to support the curricular areas of the University, the Depository selects documents that will enhance and extend the University Library's main collection. This is accomplished with a variety of selection tools.

The following is a list of resources consulted for selection purposes:

Non-Depository Items 

The Depository acquires materials not currently received via the Federal Depository Library Program that enhance and/or extend the existing University Library's collections.

A. Related reference material

The Library occasionally purchases convenient compilations of government information, such as those produced by Bernan.  

B. Gifts

The Depository does not initiate the acquisition of gift materials for the University Library. All gift items received by the University are unsolicited. Gift items are retained if the items enhance and/or extend the existing collection based on need and space. Decisions concerning the retention of gifts are made at the discretion of the Documents Librarian and/or the Collection Development Librarian.

Resource Sharing

Titles not selected through the Program are obtained through the cooperation with other depositories via interlibrary loan. Documents requested by University patrons are located and borrowed from other depositories and libraries. Non-university patrons are referred to the South Georgia Regional Library for Interlibrary Loan.

Collection Evaluation

Selections in the current active item list are reviewed to ensure that the collection remains responsive to the needs of its users. Item numbers may be canceled at any time. The Documents Librarian continually evaluates the collection in light of the evolving curricular areas of the University. The Documents Librarian also keeps abreast of the changes within the District and local community. 

Weeding, Binding, and Maintenance

Depository publications are withdrawn and discarded in accordance with policies outlined on the Federal Depository Library Program website and the University of Georgia Regional Information for Federal Depository Libraries in Georgia site. Superseded documents are discarded as soon as updates or final versions are received. Documents being deaccessioned are listed in the ASERL Documents Database in order to be claimed by interested other depository libraries. Withdrawn items requested by other depositories in the state are shipped immediately, and those not requested are discarded after the deadline given by the Regional Depository.

A. Criteria for weeding

  1. Item is damaged beyond repair.
  2. Item has been superseded.
  3. Item is not current or of historical importance or no longer of value for the curricular and community needs of the collection. 

B. Criteria for binding

  1. Item is falling apart.
  2. Items is judged to be heavy-use or of lasting value.

Access 

All documents housed in open stacks are available for patron browsing during the times the University Library is open. Circulation of documents is as follows:

  1. Publications shelved in the General Documents collection circulate for four weeks. Four weeks is the regular loan period for the Library's main collection.
  2. Publications marked as "Reference" do not circulate, regardless of location.
  3. Journals do not circulate, regardless of location.

The University also participates with the Galileo initiatives that allow the additional access to electronic forms of resources, such as:

  1. ERIC
  2. Georgia Government Publications

The Documents collection, identified by appropriate signage, is located on the main (second) floor of the Odum Library, east side of the atrium. This location is on the same floor as the Reference Desk, which is staffed 59 hrs/wk. Assistance with government information needs is available from the Reference department. 

Microfiche titles are housed in a central location on the first floor of Odum Library. Microform readers are located on the first floor northwest corner.  Assistance with the microform readers is available from service desk staff. 

Internet resources can be accessed from any of the Library's public workstations. Two computers for visitors are located in the back of the reference area on the second floor of Odum Library.

Policy Originally Developed September 1992 
Last updated April 2025