Nebraska State Depository Library Program Transforms to Electronic Distribution

James T. Shaw

The Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse of the Nebraska Library Commission provides online access to many state publications, and any library can export catalog records from OCLC to link patrons to them. Electronic distribution has replaced the production of microfiche, and the transformed depository program will offer much wider and more convenient access to Nebraska documents.

The Clearinghouse harvests electronic documents from agency websites and mounts them on a NLC server. The Clearinghouse also scans and creates electronic copies of some documents. Devra Dragos, the NLC's cataloger, installs records in OCLC which include MARC 856 fields that link to the documents.

Several times each year the Clearinghouse will post a list of titles, call numbers, OCLC control numbers, and URLs at its webpage for "E-Docs Alerts":

http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/docs/ShippingLists/edocsalerts.html

The Clearinghouse also maintains an E-mail list to send a message when a new list is posted. One can subscribe to the E-mail list at:

http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/scripts/lists/subscribe.asp

At the time of this writing three lists spanning July-October 2005 are available.

The UNO Library has cataloged its Nebraska microfiche collection, so I check the "E-Docs" titles against our database and add links and revise holdings information when necessary. If we have no record for a document, I export the "E-Docs" record from OCLC, usually with just one or two small edits. For example, the MARC 530 field typically begins "Also available via the World Wide Web...," which is the appropriate wording for the Commission, because it still retains a tangible copy. For our catalog, however, I adjust the note to just say "Available..." when we do not have a tangible version. I very much appreciate having OCLC control numbers in the "E-Docs Alerts," because they provide the most precise and fastest way to find records in OCLC.

The "E-Docs" records link directly to monographic documents, which are formatted as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. Records for serials link to a directory in which files accumulate as new issues are added. I am impressed by the directory structure on the "E-Docs" server, which should prove quite stable over the longer haul. The Clearinghouse is arranging for microfilm and CD-ROM copies of electronic documents to help address archival concerns, and the entire "E-Docs" program shows evidence of careful planning.

Here are a few titles sampled from the "E-Docs" list for September/October 2005:

  • Accelerating Wind-Power Development in Nebraska
  • Benefit and Resource Guide for Older Nebraskans
  • Minimum Regulations for Licensing Foster Homes
  • Health Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Nebraska
  • Annual Report of the Nebraska Board of Parole
  • Rural Nebraska: Looking Back at a Decade of Change and Progress
  • Business in Nebraska

These Nebraska publications are all likely to be of interest in libraries across the state. Any library can install the catalog records which best match the interests of its community; even depository libraries are under no obligation to install all the records. Should a catalog not manage the MARC 856 field well, the URLs can be placed in a note field from which they may be copied and pasted into the browser's address bar. In any event, the Clearinghouse's program of electronic distribution shows great potential for expanded access to Nebraska state publications.

I extend my thanks to Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director at the NLC, for several gracious conversations about the "E-Docs" program. Beth is very happy to respond to questions or concerns, and she may be reached via E-mail at bgoble@nlc.state.ne.us or by telephone at 402-471-4017.