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Recent literature on government information
Government Publications Review, Vol. 13, pp. 265-275, 1986 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
0277-9390/86 $3.00 + .OO Copyright m 1986 Pergamon Press Ltd
RECENT LITERATURE ON GOVERNMENT INFORMATION PAULETTE
M. BOCHNIG
Outreach Services Librarian, Savitt Medical Library, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 895574046
This column is designed as a current awareness source for professionals who work with government information. It appears regularly in Government Publications Review and provides citations to literature of interest to documents librarians and researchers. The listing is prepared from a manual scan of library and information science journals; Current Contents; and printed indexes such as Library Literature, Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin, and Government Reports Announcements; supplemented with online searches in a variety of relevant databases available through DIALOG. Citations to recently released books and reports, ERIC documents, essays from collected works, and journal articles are included here. Book reviews and short news items are generally excluded. Items are listed once under their primary topic. Previous issues of Government Publications Review (Volume 4, Number 2; and Volume 7A, Number 6) have contained retrospective bibliographies of periodical literature in the field. Contributions to the column are welcome. GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
POLICY
Baldwin, J. Norman and Dan Siminoski. “Perceptions of the Freedom of Information Act (F.O.I.A.) and Proposed Amendments by the F.O.I.A. Administrators.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 131-142. Results of a survey of F.O.I.A. unit directors and their chief legal counsels to assess their perceptions of the value of the Act and its impact on their agencies, and to measure their support for proposed amendments to the Act. Bolner, James. “The Reagan Administration Versus the Joint Committee on Printing: Constitutional Reflections.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 97-110. The text, history, and judicial interpretation of provisions of the U.S. Constitution dealing with parliamentary privileges, journals, accounts, and receipts are analyzed as background for a study of the Reagan administration’s attempts to limit the publication programs of federal agencies. Bortnick, Jane. “National and International Information Policy.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science 36 (May 1985): 164-168. Describes three aspects of transborder data flow, privacy protection, national and cultural sovereignty, and economic development, to illustrate the effect that national concerns have on the formulation of international information policies. Coughlin, Ellen K. “Proposed Rules on Government Data Worry Librarians and Scholars.” Chronicle of Higher Education 30 (June 12, 1985): 11 265
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Both groups fear the new OMB regulations would greatly reduce the amount of information available to the public without charge. Fredell, Eric. “Bill Would Curb Computer Crime Law.” Government Computer News 4 (April 26, 1985): 6. Proposed legislation would make unauthorized disclosure of information from a government computer criminal only if that information were covered by standards of the Privacy Act. Hernon, Peter. “Discussion Forum: Provision of Federal Government Publications in Electronic Format to Depository Libraries.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 23 l-234. A review of the major conclusions and recommendations of the December 1984 report of the Ad Hoc Committe on Depository Library Access to Federal Automated Data Bases. Hernon, Peter and Charles R. McClure. “Impact from US Government Printing on Public Access to Information.” Drexel Library Quarterly 20 (Summer 1984): 42-62. An overview of public access and government publications in terms of policy set by the Reagan administration and Congress as both executive and legislative branches of government monitor publishing programs and seek to identify and eliminate needless and duplicative publishing. Kadec, Sarah. “A New Home for the U.S. GPO Library Programs Service?” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 95-96. Advocates moving the Library Programs Service from the Government Printing Office to the National Archives and Records Service. Kirby, M.D. “The Morning Star of Informatics Law and the Need for a Greater Sense of Urgency.” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 203-214. Explores the need for the development of international law to provide an atmosphere in which trans-border data flow transactions can flourish. Identifies a core list of priority issues to be covered in such rules, including privacy protection, freedom of information, crime and infofraud, the legal concept of sovereignty, and international property and business law. Law, Ellen. “Zurkowski: Info. Industry Sets the Pace.” Government Computer News 4 (June 21, 1985): 28-31. An interview with Paul G. Zurkowski, president of the Information Industry Association, who comments on the state of the information industry and some of the concerns of IIA’s membership, including fees for government publications. “Less Access to Less Information by and about the U.S. Government.” Special Libraries 76 (Spring 1985): 138-155. A chronology of events occurring between April 1981 and December 1984, highlighting the federal government’s increasing restriction of access to public documents. Compiled by the American Library Association Washington Office. Levine, Arnold S. “OMB Draft Circular Stresses Private Sector Work.” Government Computer News 4 (April 26, 1985): 4. An overview of the long-awaited OMB circular on the management of federal information resources, examining the philosophy behind the policy and future questions it raises.
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Michel J. “An Information System for Decision Support in National Information Policy-Making and Planning.” Information Processing & Management 21 (1985): 321-361. Describes a pilot project sponsored by UNESCO/PGI and a subsequent application project at the Brazilian Institute for Information in Science and Technology aimed at developing a national information system that provides timely and relevant data to support decision-making. The system developed consists of several related modules for the control of the internal production at the national agency and of the development projects and their related contracts, and for the monitoring of the information scene, both national and international.
Menou,
Mitchell, Heather. Using the Access to Information Act: How to Cut through Government Red Tape. North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: International Self-Counsel Press, 1984. 160~. $5.95 (Canada). A step-by-step practical guide on how to use Canada’s Access to Information and Privacy Act, including some of the stumbling blocks a requestor might be confronted with when using the Act. Morehead, Joe. Chadha Decision 33-43. Details the distribution
“Into the Hopper: Government Information in Electronic Form: The and the Joint Committee on Printing.” Serials Librarian 9 (Summer 1985): negative impact of the Chadha decision on Title 44 depository and on the definition of a government publication.
library
O’Connell, Marie Veronica. “A Control Test for Determining ‘Agency Record’ Status under the Freedom of Information Act.” Columbia Law Review 85 (April 1985): 611-631. Examines FOIA’s statutory scheme, focusing on problems that have arisen in defining the elements of an agency record. Owens, Major R. “The Report of the First Librarian in Congress.” Library Journal 110 (September 15, 1985): 33-37. Outlines strategies for a counterattack in the Executive Branch “war on libraries,” especially issues such as the revision of OMB circular A-76, which “proposes nothing less than a total revamping of the federal information function to achieve greater control while providing less information to the public.” Peck, Keenen. “A Freeze on Facts.” The Progressive 49 (April 1985): 28-30. Explores the implications of new Energy and Defense Department regulations providing for stricter limitations on the dissemination of unclassified information. Pyper, Robert. “Sarah Tisdall, Ian Willmore, and the Civil Servant’s ‘Right to Leak’.” Political Quarterly 56 (January-March 1985): 72-81. Two present-day cases of British civil servants who disclosed official information to the news media and defended their actions by claiming ultimate accountability to the public interest. Rendell, Kenneth W. “Ownership of Papers of Public Officials.” AB Bookman’s Weekly 75 (February 4, 1985): 707, 712-722. A bookdealer’s point of view concerning the problems that arise in the absence of specific legislation defining ownership of papers created by government employees. Relyea, Harold C. “Public Access to Congressional Records: Present Policy and Reform Considerations.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 235-256. An overview of policy and reform considerations to make Congressional records accessible by applying the Freedom of Information Act to Congress.
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Schnapper, M.B. “Discussion Forum: Copyright Camouflage-Its Role in Governmental Manipulation of Public Opinion.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 127-130. Guest editorial concerning the manipulation of public opinion via privately published books secretly funded into existence by government agencies, typically under arrangements enabling the agencies to control the contents of works ostensibly authored by independent writers. Schuman, Patricia. “Social Goals vs. Private Interests: Players in the Information Arena Clash.” Publisher’s Week& 226 (November 23, 1984): 56-58. Summarizes both sides of the debate over whether government information should be treated as an economic commodity to be sold for profit or as a public good available to all citizens. Sheinfeld, Lois P. “Washington vs. the Right to Know.” The Nation 240 (April 19, 1985): 426-428. Editorial concerning Reagan Administration secrecy and censorship tactics. “To Provide or Not to Provide?” Library Journal 110 (September 15, 1985): 14, 16. Brief report of “Electronic Federal Information to Depository Libraries,” an open forum held June 26, 1985 by the Joint Committee on Printing. U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
PUBLICATIONS
Alonso, William and Starr, Paul. “Statistics: A Nation of Numbers Watchers.” Quarterly 9 (Summer 1985): 93-96. Discusses the role of official statistics in American daily life.
Wilson
Ashton, Jean. “Into the Swamp: Government Documents for the Literary Historian.” RQ 24 (Summer 1985): 391-395. Suggests that U.S. documents collections may be of use to scholars and researchers who are interested in the works and careers of literary figues. In addition to providing significant biographical details about many American writers, such collections often contain material that will provide insights into their imaginative work. Bounpane, Peter A. “Looking Toward 1990: Planning the Next United States Census of Population and Housing.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 111-130. Discusses current Census Bureau thinking in the areas of basic methodology; automation; personnel management; outreach and publicity; coverage improvement, coverage measurement, and adjustment; census content; and data products. Bowling, Mary B. “Another New Frontier: Archives and Manuscripts in the National Park Service.” Special Libraries 76 (Summer 1985): 164-176. Offers examples of how documentary collections of the National Park Service have been handled in the past and explores ways in which these collections could be better arranged, described, preserved, accounted for in NPS cataloging, and integrated with public programs. Carlborg, Ken. “A Recent History of the Pricing of Government Publications.” Law Library Journal 77 (1984-85): 223-241. Traces the recent history of the GPO Sales Program and its influence on the rise in prices charged for government documents. Special attention is given to relations be-
Recent literature on government information tween GPO and Congress, particularly
as evidenced in the annual appropriations
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hear-
ings. Nancy Carol. “American Indian Law: Research and Sources.” Legal Reference Services Quarterly 4 (Winter 1984/1985): 5-71. An annotated guide to both primary (including treaties, statutes and legislation, case law, Indian claims, executive actions, and administrative law) and secondary (including books, periodicals, looseleaf services, and encyclopedias) sources of Indian law.
Carter,
Copeland, Nora S., Fred C. Schmidt, and James Stickman. “Fugitive U.S. Government Publications: Elements of Procurement and Bibliographic Control.” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 227-237. From 1978 to 1981 the Colorado State University Libraries received Higher Education Act Title II-C funding to catalog federal government publications in its collection that had not been indexed in the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications. Details of acquisition, staffing, and cataloging are provided here. Douglass, William A. “Ethnic Categorization in the 1980 U.S. Census: The Basque Example.” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 289-296. In the 1980 U.S. census, the Census Bureau included for the first time a question regarding ancestry. This article analyzes the results for Basque-Americans, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of both the way in which the question was framed and the subsequent aggregation of the responses. Florance, Valerie. “Published Proceedings of Conferences in Health and Medical Sciences: A Selected Bibliography of 1984 Issuances.” Government Publications Review 12 (MayJune 1985): 253-258. An annotated selection of conference publications received and entered into MEDOC: Index to U.S. Government Publications in the Medical and Health Sciences during the 1984 publication year and made available to depository libraries. Harris, Maureen. “Nuclear Power Information from Federal Documents: Selected DOE and NRC Publications for General Library Collection.” Southeastern Librarian 34 (Winter 1984): 104-107. A selective list of relevant publications of the two federal agencies most closely related to nuclear power issues, the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Agency. Items listed are nontechnical in nature and are readily available to libraries as depository items, for sale from GPO or NTIS, or free from the issuing agency. Holterhoff, Sarah. “Depository Document Selection in Academic Law Libraries: A Core List of Items Selected.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 275-289. Reports the results of a study done of the item selection patterns of selective federal depositories in academic law libraries. The study proposes a new core list of documents for law school collections, derived from research using data from the GPO Automated Item Number File. Larson, Donna Rae. Guide to U.S. Government Directories, Volume 2: 1980-1984. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1985. 160~. $55.00. An annotated bibliography of 796 recently-published U.S. government directories, including directories that were published as parts of other U.S. government publications. Extensive subject index. Continues Larson’s Guide to U.S. Government Directories, 1970-1980.
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Moody, Marilyn. “A Nation at Risk: Commissioned Papers and State Reports.” Collection Building 6 (Winter 1985): 39-43. Provides bibliographic and ordering information for A Nation at Risk and the accompanying commissioned papers; contains a sampling of state reports dealing with the study. Morton, Bruce. “U.S. Government Documents as History: The Intersection of Pedagogy and Librarianship.” RQ 24 (Summer 1985): 474-481. Reaffirms the need to instruct researchers in history in the use of U.S. government documents and suggests that government documents must be viewed by both instructor and student in terms of a historical problem or situation rather than in terms of the bibliographical apparatus that provides access. O’Hara, F.M. and L. O’Hara. Sourcebook: Gaining Access to U.S. Government Information on the Environment and Natural Resources. Washington, DC: Department of Energy, 1984. 127~. Acquaints the reader with sources of information on environment and natural resources offered by the U.S. government, including referral services, publicinformation offices, computerized data banks, and publication-distribution systems, as well as published sources like bibliographies, journals, and reports. Pagel, Scott B. “Research Guide to Immigration, Aliens, and the Law.” Law Library Journal 77(3) (1984-85): 465-519. Describes and evaluates primary and secondary source materials in immigration law. Reviews official and commerical sources for locating legislative, judicial, and administrative materials, treatises, forms, and practitioner materials. Includes a bibliography of periodical articles and information on special interest organizations. Petersen, William. “Statistics-Who’s What: 1790-1980.” Wilson Quarterly 9 (Summer 1985): 97-123. A detailed look at how the politics of numbers have affected the U.S. census. Rucker, Newton W. “Defense Mapping Agency Libraries.” Science & Technology Libraries 5 (1985): 39-44. Includes a description of the extensive depository program operated by the Defense Mapping Agency, as well as its sales offices for certain items. Schulze, Suzanne. Population Information in Twentieth Century Census Volumes: 1900-1940. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1985. 496~. $74.50. Covers reports from decennial censuses in the first half of the century; a companion to Schultze’s Population Information in Nineteenth Century Census Volumes. Sears, Jean L. and Marilyn K. Moody. Using Government Publications, Volume I: Searching by Subjects and Agencies: Volume 2: Finding Statistics and Using Special Techniques. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1985. 512~. $135.00. Designed for librarians who need a quick guide to help them respond to specific information requests. Provides annotated checklists of frequently used sources, describes indexes and online databases, and suggests search strategies. FOREIGN AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL
PUBLICATIONS
Hinds, Thomas S. “The United Nations As a Publisher.” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 297-303. An overview of the production, distribution, and sales of UN publications.
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Kearley, Timothy. “International Trade Law: Publications and Activities of Selected IGOS and NGOS.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 251-213. Describes the activities and selected law and law-related publications of GATT, the OECD, and the European Community, as well as other international intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations that have an impact on international trade law. Leich, Harold M. “Bibliographic Systems of the Soviet Republics: Moldavia and Tajikistan.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 291-298. Describes the bibliographic systems of two smaller Soviet republics, Modavia and Tajikistan, and discusses the current, ongoing book registration and serial indexing activities in each republic. Parker, J. Stephen. “Unesco Documents and Publications in the Field of Information: A Summary Guide.” IFLA Journal 10 (1984): 251-272. A former editor of the Unesco Journal of Information Science, Librarianship and Archives Administration reviews in detail some of the sources of information produced by Unesco which are available to General Information Programme consultants. Richard, Stephen. Directory of British Official Publications: A Guide to Sources. 2d ed. New York: Mansell, 1984. 413~. $60 cloth. LC 84-12559. ISBN o-7201-1706-2. UNESCO. Guide to the Records Relating to Science and Technology in the British Public Record Office: A RAMP Study. (PGI-84/WS/9) Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 250003, 1984. 319p. Provides descriptions of all classes of public records held by the British Public Record Office which are likely to contain scientific or technical information. Intended to serve as a model guide and an example for other countries which are still unaware of the unique information resource represented by their government’s archives.
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
PUBLICATIONS
Chestnut, Paul I. “Appraising the Papers of State Legislators.” American Archivist 48 (Spring 1985): 159-172. Identifies the kinds of papers most likely to appear in state legislators’ files, discusses the conditions of their creation and official use, and points out their usefulness to a variety of potential researchers. Dearstyne, Bruce W. “Documenting America: Report Assesses the Management of the Nation’s Historical Records.” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 315-320. Documenting America summarizes the findings and recommendations of extensive, statewide studies of historical records programs carried out in about half of the states. The report is expected to provide the basis for improvement of historical records programs. Duszak, Thomas. “The Appendixes of the Pennsylvania Legislative Journals: A Bibliography and Index.” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 239-251. A cumulative bibliography and index to the reports found in the Legislative Journals of the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives from 1967 to date. Moody, Marilyn. “State Documents: Basic Selection Sources.” Collection Building 7 (Spring 1985): 41-44. Reviews state document selection tools, including Statistical Reference Index, State
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Government Research Checklist, and Monthly Checklist of State Publications, suggests strategies for the selection of state documents. Stewart, Byron. “The Development 1971-1977.” Government Publications Presents a historical account of achieve a distribution system for passage, and implementation of dressed. TECHNOLOGY
and
of the Missouri Documents Depository System: Review 12 (July-August 1985): 321-344. the various steps taken by Missouri librarians to Missouri state documents. Planning, development, Missouri documents depository legislation are ad-
AND AUTOMATED
PROCESSES
Aleshire, Keith. “New Data Base Aids Minnesota Legislature.” Government Computer News 4 (June 7, 1985): 76, 78. “Capitol Connection” allows subscribers to monitor bills introduced into the Minnesota legislature as well as obtain candidate biographies and political opinions on issues during elections. English, Glenn. “Electronic Filing of Documents with the Government: New Technology Presents New Problems.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 183-186. Statement of U.S. Representative English, reprinted from the Congressional Record (March 14, 1984, pp. H1614-H1615), including a list of questions designed to identify the issues that are raised by electronic filing. Finlay, Constance and Carla Weiss. “Database Search Aids Review: BNA Laborlaw Database and User’s Manual.” Database 8 (February 1985): 88-91. A brief description of the contents, use, and documentation of “Laborlaw,” a Bureau of National Affairs database covering labor-management decisions, labor arbitration awards, fair employment practice decisions, and wage and hour decisions. Freedman, Eric. “High-Tech Government: PCs Mean Power on the State and Local Level.” PC Week 2 (May 21, 1985): 83-86. A sampling of the ways in which government units across the country rely on their PCs. Garner, Diane and Diane Smith. “Government Databases: A Sampler.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 143-154. Includes databases from U.S. federal and state governments, other national governments, and international organizations. Bibliographic, textual, and numeric databases on diskettes, as well as those online, are noted. Hincherick, William. “Automated Composition: The Development and Utilization of a Unique System for the U.S. Government Printing Office.” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 215-225. Reports on the success of the GPO’s research and development activities to fully implement a sophisticated system that takes full advantage of the many different uses and products that can be produced via logically structured full text data bases. The text processing and photocomposition of the Congressional Records and Federal Register using this system are described in detail. Kadec, Sarah. “The U.S. Government Printing Office’s Library Programs Service and Automation: An Insider’s Commentary.” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 283-288. A former director of the GPO Library Programs Service offers suggestions to instigate planning of LPS automation.
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Mandell, Patricia. “Census Bureau Automation Will Make Counting Americans As Easy As 1, 2, 3.” PC Week 2 (May 7, 1985): 47-51. Details the implementation of microcomputers in the U.S. Bureau of the Census, in areas ranging from the decennial population census and agricultural survey to its publication processes. Murphy, Cynthia E. “A Comparison of Manual and Online Searching of Government Document Indexes.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 169-l 81, The online and printed equivalents of the GPO’s Monthiy Catalog, The National Technical Information Service’s Government Reports Announcements & Index, and Congressional Information Service’s CIS Index were examined to compare the recall, precision, overlap, and cost-effectiveness of online and manual searching. Peay, Wayne J. and others. “MEDOC: An Index for the Health Sciences.” Government Znformation Quarterly 2 (1985): 193-205. Describes the development of MEDOC: Index to U.S. Government Publications in the Medical and Health Sciences, the impact of technology on the production of the index, and the influence of MEDOC’s readers on the current status of the index. Porter, Martin. “Tapping into the FDA.” PC Magazine 4 (July 9, 1985): 239-241. A discussion of the Food and Drug Administration’s on-line bulletin board network, available by subscription through ITT Dialcom, featuring timely news about new drugs, recalls, and approvals. Rubio, John and Gary S. Lawrence. Federal Documents on Optical Disks. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 1985. Proceedings of a discussion meeting of librarians, suppliers of federal information, publishers, and others, held in Washington, DC in January 1985. Summarizes issues regarding the publishing of federal information on optical disks and addresses the development of a prototype pilot project to evaluate the impact of optical disk publications on libraries and their users. Swanbeck, Jan. “Federal Documents in the Online Catalog: Problems, Options, and the Future.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 187-192. Describes how existing problems with the Government Printing Office Cataloging Tapes severely limit the options available to a library attempting to add bibliographic records for its U.S. documents collection to an online catalog. Veatch, James R. “Automating Government Documents Orders with a Microcomputer.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 137-141. Describes the “Library GPO Form Printer,” a microcomputer-based program designed to expedite the ordering of documents from the U.S. Government Printing Office Sales Program and to facilitate the cataloging of these documents at Nashville State Technical Institute.
INTELLECTUALPROPERTY Bolton, Craig and Stephen A. Becker. “Computer Searching for Patent Information.” World Patent Information 7 (1985): 5-32. Acquaints the reader with the use of commercial databases for searching prior art. Differences among database systems are summarized in tables for translating common search expressions from the format conventions of one search system to those of another.
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Hill, Michael W. “Recent Developments in Patent Documentation.” International Forum on Information and Documentation 10 (April 1985): 3-10. Reviews the extensive range of activities currently underway in the field of industrial property documentation, highlighting improvements in the classification and indexing of patent documents and increasing awareness of their potential as sources of information for development. Describes storage, retrieval, searching and delivery to computer and telecommunications channels. Jordan, Anne S. “Trademark Research with the Computer.” Special Libraries 76 (Spring 1985): loo-l 14. A practical discussion of the use of various databases offered through Dialog, Orbit, and Pergamon-Infoline to track previous use of a trademark, to trace possible conflicts,and to assist in their resolution. Simmons, Edlyn S. “Patent Family Databases.” Database 8 (February 1985): 49-55. Answers the basic questions: “What is a patent family” and “What can a patent family database do for an information specialist who is not a patent specialist?” Details of specific patent databases are supplied. Simmons, Edlyn S. and Francine C. Rosenthal. “Patent Databases: A Survey.” World Patent Information 7 (1985): 33-67. Presents in tabular form the results of a comprehensive survey of patent-containing databases. Both exclusively and non-exclusively patent databases are described in terms of their subject and patent content, their availability, and the data elements that are searchable and printable online. Walker, Richard D. “The Dual Utility of Patents; Strength or Weakness?” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 305-314. Explores the use of patent literature both as an announcement service of what is newly invented and as an historical record of the development of technology. Contrasts patent literature with the more widely accepted scientific journal. GENERAL
Cook, Kevin L. “Circulation and In-Library Use of Government Publications.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 11 (July 1985): 146-150. After analyzing circulation data and sampling in-library use at a GPO Depository, the author found no strong association between documents circulation and in-library use. The methodology used allows gathering of useful collection management data, yet requires little effort. Cook, Kevin L. “Resource Allocation to Government Documents Departments in Academic Libraries.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 143-155. Demonstrates the wide variation in local levels of support upon which the GPO depository system depends and suggests how documents librarians may change the levels of support their departments receive from sources within and beyond their libraries. Faull, Sandra K. “ ‘State Plans’: Their Development and Potential for Regional Depository Libraries Participating in the GPO Depository Program.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 157-167. Examines the development of the state plan concept, the current status of these plans,
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and their possible use as a catalyst to solve the staff, space, and monetary problems of regional depository libraries. Heim, Kathleen M. “Attitudinal and Operational Considerations for Education in the Provision of Government Information.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 131-136. Presents goals for the education of government information professionals: development of political awareness, skill in identifying sources, ability to elicit information, capacity to convey information, and commitment to disseminate information with an advocacy stance. Lesko, Matthew. “An Interview with Matthew Lesko, Best-Selling Author and ‘Washington Answer Man.’ ” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 181-201. Successful government information entrepreneur Matthew Lesko covers many subjects dealing with the business, distribution, and production of government information in the United States. He recounts his success in making the public aware of the value of government information and discusses the roles of the GPO Sales Program, the private sector, and librarians in the distribution of government information. Ryoo, Heija B. “Documents Librarianship: Managing an Integrated Depository Documents Collection.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 299-313. A description of the practices of managing an integrated documents collection including technical processing of paper and microfiche documents, collection development and maintenance, and reference service.
0277-9390/86 $3.00 + .OO Copyright m 1986 Pergamon Press Ltd
RECENT LITERATURE ON GOVERNMENT INFORMATION PAULETTE
M. BOCHNIG
Outreach Services Librarian, Savitt Medical Library, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 895574046
This column is designed as a current awareness source for professionals who work with government information. It appears regularly in Government Publications Review and provides citations to literature of interest to documents librarians and researchers. The listing is prepared from a manual scan of library and information science journals; Current Contents; and printed indexes such as Library Literature, Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin, and Government Reports Announcements; supplemented with online searches in a variety of relevant databases available through DIALOG. Citations to recently released books and reports, ERIC documents, essays from collected works, and journal articles are included here. Book reviews and short news items are generally excluded. Items are listed once under their primary topic. Previous issues of Government Publications Review (Volume 4, Number 2; and Volume 7A, Number 6) have contained retrospective bibliographies of periodical literature in the field. Contributions to the column are welcome. GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
POLICY
Baldwin, J. Norman and Dan Siminoski. “Perceptions of the Freedom of Information Act (F.O.I.A.) and Proposed Amendments by the F.O.I.A. Administrators.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 131-142. Results of a survey of F.O.I.A. unit directors and their chief legal counsels to assess their perceptions of the value of the Act and its impact on their agencies, and to measure their support for proposed amendments to the Act. Bolner, James. “The Reagan Administration Versus the Joint Committee on Printing: Constitutional Reflections.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 97-110. The text, history, and judicial interpretation of provisions of the U.S. Constitution dealing with parliamentary privileges, journals, accounts, and receipts are analyzed as background for a study of the Reagan administration’s attempts to limit the publication programs of federal agencies. Bortnick, Jane. “National and International Information Policy.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science 36 (May 1985): 164-168. Describes three aspects of transborder data flow, privacy protection, national and cultural sovereignty, and economic development, to illustrate the effect that national concerns have on the formulation of international information policies. Coughlin, Ellen K. “Proposed Rules on Government Data Worry Librarians and Scholars.” Chronicle of Higher Education 30 (June 12, 1985): 11 265
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Both groups fear the new OMB regulations would greatly reduce the amount of information available to the public without charge. Fredell, Eric. “Bill Would Curb Computer Crime Law.” Government Computer News 4 (April 26, 1985): 6. Proposed legislation would make unauthorized disclosure of information from a government computer criminal only if that information were covered by standards of the Privacy Act. Hernon, Peter. “Discussion Forum: Provision of Federal Government Publications in Electronic Format to Depository Libraries.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 23 l-234. A review of the major conclusions and recommendations of the December 1984 report of the Ad Hoc Committe on Depository Library Access to Federal Automated Data Bases. Hernon, Peter and Charles R. McClure. “Impact from US Government Printing on Public Access to Information.” Drexel Library Quarterly 20 (Summer 1984): 42-62. An overview of public access and government publications in terms of policy set by the Reagan administration and Congress as both executive and legislative branches of government monitor publishing programs and seek to identify and eliminate needless and duplicative publishing. Kadec, Sarah. “A New Home for the U.S. GPO Library Programs Service?” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 95-96. Advocates moving the Library Programs Service from the Government Printing Office to the National Archives and Records Service. Kirby, M.D. “The Morning Star of Informatics Law and the Need for a Greater Sense of Urgency.” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 203-214. Explores the need for the development of international law to provide an atmosphere in which trans-border data flow transactions can flourish. Identifies a core list of priority issues to be covered in such rules, including privacy protection, freedom of information, crime and infofraud, the legal concept of sovereignty, and international property and business law. Law, Ellen. “Zurkowski: Info. Industry Sets the Pace.” Government Computer News 4 (June 21, 1985): 28-31. An interview with Paul G. Zurkowski, president of the Information Industry Association, who comments on the state of the information industry and some of the concerns of IIA’s membership, including fees for government publications. “Less Access to Less Information by and about the U.S. Government.” Special Libraries 76 (Spring 1985): 138-155. A chronology of events occurring between April 1981 and December 1984, highlighting the federal government’s increasing restriction of access to public documents. Compiled by the American Library Association Washington Office. Levine, Arnold S. “OMB Draft Circular Stresses Private Sector Work.” Government Computer News 4 (April 26, 1985): 4. An overview of the long-awaited OMB circular on the management of federal information resources, examining the philosophy behind the policy and future questions it raises.
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Michel J. “An Information System for Decision Support in National Information Policy-Making and Planning.” Information Processing & Management 21 (1985): 321-361. Describes a pilot project sponsored by UNESCO/PGI and a subsequent application project at the Brazilian Institute for Information in Science and Technology aimed at developing a national information system that provides timely and relevant data to support decision-making. The system developed consists of several related modules for the control of the internal production at the national agency and of the development projects and their related contracts, and for the monitoring of the information scene, both national and international.
Menou,
Mitchell, Heather. Using the Access to Information Act: How to Cut through Government Red Tape. North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: International Self-Counsel Press, 1984. 160~. $5.95 (Canada). A step-by-step practical guide on how to use Canada’s Access to Information and Privacy Act, including some of the stumbling blocks a requestor might be confronted with when using the Act. Morehead, Joe. Chadha Decision 33-43. Details the distribution
“Into the Hopper: Government Information in Electronic Form: The and the Joint Committee on Printing.” Serials Librarian 9 (Summer 1985): negative impact of the Chadha decision on Title 44 depository and on the definition of a government publication.
library
O’Connell, Marie Veronica. “A Control Test for Determining ‘Agency Record’ Status under the Freedom of Information Act.” Columbia Law Review 85 (April 1985): 611-631. Examines FOIA’s statutory scheme, focusing on problems that have arisen in defining the elements of an agency record. Owens, Major R. “The Report of the First Librarian in Congress.” Library Journal 110 (September 15, 1985): 33-37. Outlines strategies for a counterattack in the Executive Branch “war on libraries,” especially issues such as the revision of OMB circular A-76, which “proposes nothing less than a total revamping of the federal information function to achieve greater control while providing less information to the public.” Peck, Keenen. “A Freeze on Facts.” The Progressive 49 (April 1985): 28-30. Explores the implications of new Energy and Defense Department regulations providing for stricter limitations on the dissemination of unclassified information. Pyper, Robert. “Sarah Tisdall, Ian Willmore, and the Civil Servant’s ‘Right to Leak’.” Political Quarterly 56 (January-March 1985): 72-81. Two present-day cases of British civil servants who disclosed official information to the news media and defended their actions by claiming ultimate accountability to the public interest. Rendell, Kenneth W. “Ownership of Papers of Public Officials.” AB Bookman’s Weekly 75 (February 4, 1985): 707, 712-722. A bookdealer’s point of view concerning the problems that arise in the absence of specific legislation defining ownership of papers created by government employees. Relyea, Harold C. “Public Access to Congressional Records: Present Policy and Reform Considerations.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 235-256. An overview of policy and reform considerations to make Congressional records accessible by applying the Freedom of Information Act to Congress.
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Schnapper, M.B. “Discussion Forum: Copyright Camouflage-Its Role in Governmental Manipulation of Public Opinion.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 127-130. Guest editorial concerning the manipulation of public opinion via privately published books secretly funded into existence by government agencies, typically under arrangements enabling the agencies to control the contents of works ostensibly authored by independent writers. Schuman, Patricia. “Social Goals vs. Private Interests: Players in the Information Arena Clash.” Publisher’s Week& 226 (November 23, 1984): 56-58. Summarizes both sides of the debate over whether government information should be treated as an economic commodity to be sold for profit or as a public good available to all citizens. Sheinfeld, Lois P. “Washington vs. the Right to Know.” The Nation 240 (April 19, 1985): 426-428. Editorial concerning Reagan Administration secrecy and censorship tactics. “To Provide or Not to Provide?” Library Journal 110 (September 15, 1985): 14, 16. Brief report of “Electronic Federal Information to Depository Libraries,” an open forum held June 26, 1985 by the Joint Committee on Printing. U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
PUBLICATIONS
Alonso, William and Starr, Paul. “Statistics: A Nation of Numbers Watchers.” Quarterly 9 (Summer 1985): 93-96. Discusses the role of official statistics in American daily life.
Wilson
Ashton, Jean. “Into the Swamp: Government Documents for the Literary Historian.” RQ 24 (Summer 1985): 391-395. Suggests that U.S. documents collections may be of use to scholars and researchers who are interested in the works and careers of literary figues. In addition to providing significant biographical details about many American writers, such collections often contain material that will provide insights into their imaginative work. Bounpane, Peter A. “Looking Toward 1990: Planning the Next United States Census of Population and Housing.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 111-130. Discusses current Census Bureau thinking in the areas of basic methodology; automation; personnel management; outreach and publicity; coverage improvement, coverage measurement, and adjustment; census content; and data products. Bowling, Mary B. “Another New Frontier: Archives and Manuscripts in the National Park Service.” Special Libraries 76 (Summer 1985): 164-176. Offers examples of how documentary collections of the National Park Service have been handled in the past and explores ways in which these collections could be better arranged, described, preserved, accounted for in NPS cataloging, and integrated with public programs. Carlborg, Ken. “A Recent History of the Pricing of Government Publications.” Law Library Journal 77 (1984-85): 223-241. Traces the recent history of the GPO Sales Program and its influence on the rise in prices charged for government documents. Special attention is given to relations be-
Recent literature on government information tween GPO and Congress, particularly
as evidenced in the annual appropriations
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hear-
ings. Nancy Carol. “American Indian Law: Research and Sources.” Legal Reference Services Quarterly 4 (Winter 1984/1985): 5-71. An annotated guide to both primary (including treaties, statutes and legislation, case law, Indian claims, executive actions, and administrative law) and secondary (including books, periodicals, looseleaf services, and encyclopedias) sources of Indian law.
Carter,
Copeland, Nora S., Fred C. Schmidt, and James Stickman. “Fugitive U.S. Government Publications: Elements of Procurement and Bibliographic Control.” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 227-237. From 1978 to 1981 the Colorado State University Libraries received Higher Education Act Title II-C funding to catalog federal government publications in its collection that had not been indexed in the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications. Details of acquisition, staffing, and cataloging are provided here. Douglass, William A. “Ethnic Categorization in the 1980 U.S. Census: The Basque Example.” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 289-296. In the 1980 U.S. census, the Census Bureau included for the first time a question regarding ancestry. This article analyzes the results for Basque-Americans, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of both the way in which the question was framed and the subsequent aggregation of the responses. Florance, Valerie. “Published Proceedings of Conferences in Health and Medical Sciences: A Selected Bibliography of 1984 Issuances.” Government Publications Review 12 (MayJune 1985): 253-258. An annotated selection of conference publications received and entered into MEDOC: Index to U.S. Government Publications in the Medical and Health Sciences during the 1984 publication year and made available to depository libraries. Harris, Maureen. “Nuclear Power Information from Federal Documents: Selected DOE and NRC Publications for General Library Collection.” Southeastern Librarian 34 (Winter 1984): 104-107. A selective list of relevant publications of the two federal agencies most closely related to nuclear power issues, the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Agency. Items listed are nontechnical in nature and are readily available to libraries as depository items, for sale from GPO or NTIS, or free from the issuing agency. Holterhoff, Sarah. “Depository Document Selection in Academic Law Libraries: A Core List of Items Selected.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 275-289. Reports the results of a study done of the item selection patterns of selective federal depositories in academic law libraries. The study proposes a new core list of documents for law school collections, derived from research using data from the GPO Automated Item Number File. Larson, Donna Rae. Guide to U.S. Government Directories, Volume 2: 1980-1984. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1985. 160~. $55.00. An annotated bibliography of 796 recently-published U.S. government directories, including directories that were published as parts of other U.S. government publications. Extensive subject index. Continues Larson’s Guide to U.S. Government Directories, 1970-1980.
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Moody, Marilyn. “A Nation at Risk: Commissioned Papers and State Reports.” Collection Building 6 (Winter 1985): 39-43. Provides bibliographic and ordering information for A Nation at Risk and the accompanying commissioned papers; contains a sampling of state reports dealing with the study. Morton, Bruce. “U.S. Government Documents as History: The Intersection of Pedagogy and Librarianship.” RQ 24 (Summer 1985): 474-481. Reaffirms the need to instruct researchers in history in the use of U.S. government documents and suggests that government documents must be viewed by both instructor and student in terms of a historical problem or situation rather than in terms of the bibliographical apparatus that provides access. O’Hara, F.M. and L. O’Hara. Sourcebook: Gaining Access to U.S. Government Information on the Environment and Natural Resources. Washington, DC: Department of Energy, 1984. 127~. Acquaints the reader with sources of information on environment and natural resources offered by the U.S. government, including referral services, publicinformation offices, computerized data banks, and publication-distribution systems, as well as published sources like bibliographies, journals, and reports. Pagel, Scott B. “Research Guide to Immigration, Aliens, and the Law.” Law Library Journal 77(3) (1984-85): 465-519. Describes and evaluates primary and secondary source materials in immigration law. Reviews official and commerical sources for locating legislative, judicial, and administrative materials, treatises, forms, and practitioner materials. Includes a bibliography of periodical articles and information on special interest organizations. Petersen, William. “Statistics-Who’s What: 1790-1980.” Wilson Quarterly 9 (Summer 1985): 97-123. A detailed look at how the politics of numbers have affected the U.S. census. Rucker, Newton W. “Defense Mapping Agency Libraries.” Science & Technology Libraries 5 (1985): 39-44. Includes a description of the extensive depository program operated by the Defense Mapping Agency, as well as its sales offices for certain items. Schulze, Suzanne. Population Information in Twentieth Century Census Volumes: 1900-1940. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1985. 496~. $74.50. Covers reports from decennial censuses in the first half of the century; a companion to Schultze’s Population Information in Nineteenth Century Census Volumes. Sears, Jean L. and Marilyn K. Moody. Using Government Publications, Volume I: Searching by Subjects and Agencies: Volume 2: Finding Statistics and Using Special Techniques. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1985. 512~. $135.00. Designed for librarians who need a quick guide to help them respond to specific information requests. Provides annotated checklists of frequently used sources, describes indexes and online databases, and suggests search strategies. FOREIGN AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL
PUBLICATIONS
Hinds, Thomas S. “The United Nations As a Publisher.” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 297-303. An overview of the production, distribution, and sales of UN publications.
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Kearley, Timothy. “International Trade Law: Publications and Activities of Selected IGOS and NGOS.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 251-213. Describes the activities and selected law and law-related publications of GATT, the OECD, and the European Community, as well as other international intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations that have an impact on international trade law. Leich, Harold M. “Bibliographic Systems of the Soviet Republics: Moldavia and Tajikistan.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 291-298. Describes the bibliographic systems of two smaller Soviet republics, Modavia and Tajikistan, and discusses the current, ongoing book registration and serial indexing activities in each republic. Parker, J. Stephen. “Unesco Documents and Publications in the Field of Information: A Summary Guide.” IFLA Journal 10 (1984): 251-272. A former editor of the Unesco Journal of Information Science, Librarianship and Archives Administration reviews in detail some of the sources of information produced by Unesco which are available to General Information Programme consultants. Richard, Stephen. Directory of British Official Publications: A Guide to Sources. 2d ed. New York: Mansell, 1984. 413~. $60 cloth. LC 84-12559. ISBN o-7201-1706-2. UNESCO. Guide to the Records Relating to Science and Technology in the British Public Record Office: A RAMP Study. (PGI-84/WS/9) Bethesda, MD: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 250003, 1984. 319p. Provides descriptions of all classes of public records held by the British Public Record Office which are likely to contain scientific or technical information. Intended to serve as a model guide and an example for other countries which are still unaware of the unique information resource represented by their government’s archives.
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
PUBLICATIONS
Chestnut, Paul I. “Appraising the Papers of State Legislators.” American Archivist 48 (Spring 1985): 159-172. Identifies the kinds of papers most likely to appear in state legislators’ files, discusses the conditions of their creation and official use, and points out their usefulness to a variety of potential researchers. Dearstyne, Bruce W. “Documenting America: Report Assesses the Management of the Nation’s Historical Records.” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 315-320. Documenting America summarizes the findings and recommendations of extensive, statewide studies of historical records programs carried out in about half of the states. The report is expected to provide the basis for improvement of historical records programs. Duszak, Thomas. “The Appendixes of the Pennsylvania Legislative Journals: A Bibliography and Index.” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 239-251. A cumulative bibliography and index to the reports found in the Legislative Journals of the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives from 1967 to date. Moody, Marilyn. “State Documents: Basic Selection Sources.” Collection Building 7 (Spring 1985): 41-44. Reviews state document selection tools, including Statistical Reference Index, State
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Government Research Checklist, and Monthly Checklist of State Publications, suggests strategies for the selection of state documents. Stewart, Byron. “The Development 1971-1977.” Government Publications Presents a historical account of achieve a distribution system for passage, and implementation of dressed. TECHNOLOGY
and
of the Missouri Documents Depository System: Review 12 (July-August 1985): 321-344. the various steps taken by Missouri librarians to Missouri state documents. Planning, development, Missouri documents depository legislation are ad-
AND AUTOMATED
PROCESSES
Aleshire, Keith. “New Data Base Aids Minnesota Legislature.” Government Computer News 4 (June 7, 1985): 76, 78. “Capitol Connection” allows subscribers to monitor bills introduced into the Minnesota legislature as well as obtain candidate biographies and political opinions on issues during elections. English, Glenn. “Electronic Filing of Documents with the Government: New Technology Presents New Problems.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 183-186. Statement of U.S. Representative English, reprinted from the Congressional Record (March 14, 1984, pp. H1614-H1615), including a list of questions designed to identify the issues that are raised by electronic filing. Finlay, Constance and Carla Weiss. “Database Search Aids Review: BNA Laborlaw Database and User’s Manual.” Database 8 (February 1985): 88-91. A brief description of the contents, use, and documentation of “Laborlaw,” a Bureau of National Affairs database covering labor-management decisions, labor arbitration awards, fair employment practice decisions, and wage and hour decisions. Freedman, Eric. “High-Tech Government: PCs Mean Power on the State and Local Level.” PC Week 2 (May 21, 1985): 83-86. A sampling of the ways in which government units across the country rely on their PCs. Garner, Diane and Diane Smith. “Government Databases: A Sampler.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 143-154. Includes databases from U.S. federal and state governments, other national governments, and international organizations. Bibliographic, textual, and numeric databases on diskettes, as well as those online, are noted. Hincherick, William. “Automated Composition: The Development and Utilization of a Unique System for the U.S. Government Printing Office.” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 215-225. Reports on the success of the GPO’s research and development activities to fully implement a sophisticated system that takes full advantage of the many different uses and products that can be produced via logically structured full text data bases. The text processing and photocomposition of the Congressional Records and Federal Register using this system are described in detail. Kadec, Sarah. “The U.S. Government Printing Office’s Library Programs Service and Automation: An Insider’s Commentary.” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 283-288. A former director of the GPO Library Programs Service offers suggestions to instigate planning of LPS automation.
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Mandell, Patricia. “Census Bureau Automation Will Make Counting Americans As Easy As 1, 2, 3.” PC Week 2 (May 7, 1985): 47-51. Details the implementation of microcomputers in the U.S. Bureau of the Census, in areas ranging from the decennial population census and agricultural survey to its publication processes. Murphy, Cynthia E. “A Comparison of Manual and Online Searching of Government Document Indexes.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 169-l 81, The online and printed equivalents of the GPO’s Monthiy Catalog, The National Technical Information Service’s Government Reports Announcements & Index, and Congressional Information Service’s CIS Index were examined to compare the recall, precision, overlap, and cost-effectiveness of online and manual searching. Peay, Wayne J. and others. “MEDOC: An Index for the Health Sciences.” Government Znformation Quarterly 2 (1985): 193-205. Describes the development of MEDOC: Index to U.S. Government Publications in the Medical and Health Sciences, the impact of technology on the production of the index, and the influence of MEDOC’s readers on the current status of the index. Porter, Martin. “Tapping into the FDA.” PC Magazine 4 (July 9, 1985): 239-241. A discussion of the Food and Drug Administration’s on-line bulletin board network, available by subscription through ITT Dialcom, featuring timely news about new drugs, recalls, and approvals. Rubio, John and Gary S. Lawrence. Federal Documents on Optical Disks. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 1985. Proceedings of a discussion meeting of librarians, suppliers of federal information, publishers, and others, held in Washington, DC in January 1985. Summarizes issues regarding the publishing of federal information on optical disks and addresses the development of a prototype pilot project to evaluate the impact of optical disk publications on libraries and their users. Swanbeck, Jan. “Federal Documents in the Online Catalog: Problems, Options, and the Future.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 187-192. Describes how existing problems with the Government Printing Office Cataloging Tapes severely limit the options available to a library attempting to add bibliographic records for its U.S. documents collection to an online catalog. Veatch, James R. “Automating Government Documents Orders with a Microcomputer.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 137-141. Describes the “Library GPO Form Printer,” a microcomputer-based program designed to expedite the ordering of documents from the U.S. Government Printing Office Sales Program and to facilitate the cataloging of these documents at Nashville State Technical Institute.
INTELLECTUALPROPERTY Bolton, Craig and Stephen A. Becker. “Computer Searching for Patent Information.” World Patent Information 7 (1985): 5-32. Acquaints the reader with the use of commercial databases for searching prior art. Differences among database systems are summarized in tables for translating common search expressions from the format conventions of one search system to those of another.
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Hill, Michael W. “Recent Developments in Patent Documentation.” International Forum on Information and Documentation 10 (April 1985): 3-10. Reviews the extensive range of activities currently underway in the field of industrial property documentation, highlighting improvements in the classification and indexing of patent documents and increasing awareness of their potential as sources of information for development. Describes storage, retrieval, searching and delivery to computer and telecommunications channels. Jordan, Anne S. “Trademark Research with the Computer.” Special Libraries 76 (Spring 1985): loo-l 14. A practical discussion of the use of various databases offered through Dialog, Orbit, and Pergamon-Infoline to track previous use of a trademark, to trace possible conflicts,and to assist in their resolution. Simmons, Edlyn S. “Patent Family Databases.” Database 8 (February 1985): 49-55. Answers the basic questions: “What is a patent family” and “What can a patent family database do for an information specialist who is not a patent specialist?” Details of specific patent databases are supplied. Simmons, Edlyn S. and Francine C. Rosenthal. “Patent Databases: A Survey.” World Patent Information 7 (1985): 33-67. Presents in tabular form the results of a comprehensive survey of patent-containing databases. Both exclusively and non-exclusively patent databases are described in terms of their subject and patent content, their availability, and the data elements that are searchable and printable online. Walker, Richard D. “The Dual Utility of Patents; Strength or Weakness?” Government Publications Review 12 (July-August 1985): 305-314. Explores the use of patent literature both as an announcement service of what is newly invented and as an historical record of the development of technology. Contrasts patent literature with the more widely accepted scientific journal. GENERAL
Cook, Kevin L. “Circulation and In-Library Use of Government Publications.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 11 (July 1985): 146-150. After analyzing circulation data and sampling in-library use at a GPO Depository, the author found no strong association between documents circulation and in-library use. The methodology used allows gathering of useful collection management data, yet requires little effort. Cook, Kevin L. “Resource Allocation to Government Documents Departments in Academic Libraries.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 143-155. Demonstrates the wide variation in local levels of support upon which the GPO depository system depends and suggests how documents librarians may change the levels of support their departments receive from sources within and beyond their libraries. Faull, Sandra K. “ ‘State Plans’: Their Development and Potential for Regional Depository Libraries Participating in the GPO Depository Program.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 157-167. Examines the development of the state plan concept, the current status of these plans,
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and their possible use as a catalyst to solve the staff, space, and monetary problems of regional depository libraries. Heim, Kathleen M. “Attitudinal and Operational Considerations for Education in the Provision of Government Information.” Government Publications Review 12 (March-April 1985): 131-136. Presents goals for the education of government information professionals: development of political awareness, skill in identifying sources, ability to elicit information, capacity to convey information, and commitment to disseminate information with an advocacy stance. Lesko, Matthew. “An Interview with Matthew Lesko, Best-Selling Author and ‘Washington Answer Man.’ ” Government Publications Review 12 (May-June 1985): 181-201. Successful government information entrepreneur Matthew Lesko covers many subjects dealing with the business, distribution, and production of government information in the United States. He recounts his success in making the public aware of the value of government information and discusses the roles of the GPO Sales Program, the private sector, and librarians in the distribution of government information. Ryoo, Heija B. “Documents Librarianship: Managing an Integrated Depository Documents Collection.” Government Information Quarterly 2 (1985): 299-313. A description of the practices of managing an integrated documents collection including technical processing of paper and microfiche documents, collection development and maintenance, and reference service.