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National Library News |
Anne Draper,
Chief, Government Publications and Serials Cataloguing Division,
Acquisitions and Bibliographic Services
October 31, 1999, marked the fifth anniversary of the National Library of Canada’s initiative to provide expedited MARC records for federal government publications distributed by the Depository Services Program of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). This cooperative initiative between the National Library of Canada (NLC) and PWGSC was introduced in 1994 in response to the federal government’s objective to improve access to its publications.
Items appearing on PWGSC’s Weekly Checklist of Canadian Government Publications are sent to NLC before general distribution of the materials to depository libraries to enable staff of the Government Acquisitions Unit and the Government Publications and Serials Cataloguing Division to process the material as high-priority items prior to their being distributed. This expedited process ensures that final cataloguing records for monographs, pamphlets, new serials and current serial title changes are available online by the time libraries across Canada receive the documents.
Bibliographic records created for Depository Services Program (DSP) items are added to and available via the AMICUS database within 10 days of the item being received by NLC. Within one week of their input, the records are distributed through file transfer. They are also made available via Canadiana CD-ROM and the monthly issues of Canadiana on microfiche. Since April 1997, each record bears a note in the MARC 500 field which states "Distributed by the Government of Canada Depository Services Program."
DSP materials received at NLC are catalogued according to our standard levels of cataloguing (see the January 1998 issue of National Library News or consult the Library’s Web site at <http://www.nlc-bnc.ca> for information on levels of cataloguing).
In November 1997, in consultation with the depository library community, NLC decided to expand the definition of what constitutes material relating to Canadian history. This is the National Library’s area of special emphasis most applicable to government documents. This resulted in an increase in the number of titles catalogued at full level. Of the 4 000 DSP titles given expedited cataloguing by NLC up until October 31, 1999, approximately 45 percent were catalogued at full level.
Staff of the Government Acquisitions Unit and Government Publications and Serials Cataloguing Division are constantly seeking to improve internal workflows and methods of processing in order to make records for DSP materials available to Canadians in the most timely way possible.
This positive and practical initiative furthers the National Library’s mandate of resource sharing within the Canadian library community. Over the last five years, there has been much positive feedback from librarians across the country regarding this service initiative and its usefulness.
For more information, or to comment on this initiative, please contact
Anne Draper
Chief, Government Publications and Serials Cataloguing Division
Acquisitions and Bibliographic Services
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0N4
Telephone: (819) 994-6894
Fax: (819) 953-0291
E-mail: anne.draper@nlc-bnc.ca