UL > Services and Assistance > Paging System for GID materials

Services and Assistance >Paging System for Circulating Dewey Decimal and Government Information Department materials

Background Information

Chapter 7, Section B of the Instructions to Depository Libraries Revised 2000 states:
“Each year, some depository libraries undergo remodeling, undertake a move or otherwise find their operations disrupted. Even under these circumstances, depositories have a fundamental responsibility to keep depository services fully available to the public.”

Due to the April 30, 2006 fire in the Zimmerman Library basement, the Government Information Department (GID) and Dewey Decimal Classified areas are currently inaccessible to patrons. The GID and Zimmerman reference materials are also boxed and unavailable. The circulating GID/Dewey collection and items in the GID Closed Access area are accessible to public services staff and may be paged at the request of library patrons.

Paging Request Form

Circulating Collection
Dewey classified materials are all in LIBROS as are some items in the GID circulating collection. (GID items received after 1976 should have all have records in LIBROS.) Call number information for older government documents can be obtained using an index such as the GPO Monthly Catalog or the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (found on GPO Access).

GID Closed Access Collection
Closed access materials will only be available during the the following hours: Monday, Thursday, and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

A variety of items are located in closed access. Items classed with LC or SuDocs should have LIBROS records. These records will have a location of “Gov Pubs Closed Area” and a status of “Ask Ref Desk.”

Reading Room items (such as the Freedom of Information Act collections) have their own finding aids, some of which are available on the GID page (under “Reading Room Collections”), others of which are available in print, housed with their associative collections in closed access.

The Congressional Universe provides electronic access to the U.S. Serial Set and other aspects of the GID historical collecton.

Steps for paging:

Patron and reference staff work together to find items of interest.
Patron fills out closed access request form with each item listed
Reference staff will pull items on demand if possible. Note that several trips may be required, especially if indexes must be pulled for the patron first.

Closed Access key will be kept at CSWR service desk with CSWR keys.
Staff must remember to sign in and out with the security guard before and after going to the basement

Reference staff will escort patron, materials, and paging slip to the Anderson Reading Room.
Materials will be viewed in the CSWR Anderson Reading Room under supervision of the CSWR staff.

Patron will abide by all Anderson Reading Room policies and procedures, including the photo ID requirement. Patrons will be provided with CSWR handout.
If the patron has further questions, they will be referred back to reference staff.

When patron is done, CSWR staff will return ID to patron and materials to reference staff for reshelving.