National Collection Service Areas (NCSA) group Federal depository libraries into four regions as a means of ensuring geographically-dispersed permanent public access to Federal Government information products, sharing resources among depository libraries, and receiving services from GPO’s Library Services and Content Management (LSCM). In 2015, Joint Committee on Printing (JCP) specified there be no fewer than four geographically-dispersed tangible copies of a publication in the FDLP.
The Superintendent of Documents used a modified Census region map to create four National Collection Service Areas: Midwest, Northeast, South, and West.
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Goals for an NCSA Approach to the FDLP: |
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Impacts of the National Collection Service Area Approach to the FDLP
Selective Federal depository libraries:
- Provide the potential for more targeted collecting of Federal information to meet local needs as a result of a greater emphasis on cooperative collection development in each region and NCSA.
- Redefine “local” for Federal information collections.
- Strengthen the safety net for tangible materials across a wider area, reducing the need for “just-in-case” collecting.
- Assist selective depository library coordinators in the maintenance of their Federal depository collections.
Regional Federal depository libraries:
- Facilitate management of Federal depository collections in their regions.
- Increase coordination of collections between regional depositories.
- Enable flexibilities for regionals to weed and deselect tangible formats of some titles covered by Superintendent of Document’s authorization of Regional Online Selection or Regional Discard.
- Increase potential for resource sharing to ease the burden of space planning as microfiche is phased out.
Library Services & Content Management:
- More active role in managing tangible National Collection materials across the FDLP.
- Localized service to depository libraries and to the service area, including targeted preservation and training opportunities.
- Addresses safety net concerns for guaranteeing permanent public access.
- Provides a framework for monitoring collection levels to ensure an adequate number of copies to meet JCP criteria.
- Provides more flexibility for the authorization of policies to alleviate space and processing pressure on regional depositories.
Seeking Print Selector and Preservation Steward Agreements
Due to the discontinuation of the microfiche format, LSCM is currently prioritizing Print Selector and Preservation Steward print retention agreements for the following titles. Please contact LSCM via askGPO to discuss these important National Collection opportunities.
| Title | SuDoc Stem | Agreements Sought |
|---|---|---|
| Code of Federal Regulations | AE 2.106/3: | Preservation Steward |
| House Journal | XJH: | Preservation Steward |
| Senate Journal | XJS: | Preservation Steward |
| Congressional Hearings and Prints, all or select committees | Y 4 | Preservation Steward |
If you would like to volunteer your library to be either a Preservation Steward or a Print Selector for any title, SuDoc class, or subject area, please reach out to LSCM via askGPO. Select the category, ‘Other depository library question or issue.’
Related Resources
Webinar Recordings
- National Collection Service Area Meetings (held February, 2022)
Handouts
- National Collection Service Areas and the Number of Depository Libraries
- FDLP Definitions and Acronyms
Related web pages
- Partnerships page for information on Preservation Stewards
- Regional Depository Libraries (guidance article)
- Regional Discards
- Regional Online Selection
- Selective Housing Agreements (SHAs) (guidance article)
Questions or comments?
- Contact LSCM via askGPO. Use the category, ‘Other depository library question or issue.’