-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: USGS Monographs and Coordination of Services
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:12:33 -0600
From: Hadden, Robert L ERDC-TEC-VA <[log in to unmask]>
To: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>
CC: <[log in to unmask]>
References: <[log in to unmask]>
Regretfully, the USGS Library is actually moving away from this
project. Although the USGS distribution center and the library are in the
same division, they do not coordinate their efforts. So items which have been
scanned and are available for free on the Internet through distribution, are
not hot linked in the USGS Library catalog. Thus, a desired item may be
available instantly at one USGS office, but unknown to the USGS library user.
The user can then go to the publications warehouse and look for the
item, but they can only do this if they know how to, and that this may or may
not be a secondary resource. Nor does the distribution center refer the user
to the USGS Library for other resources. Ordinary coordination is not
ordinarily coordinated.
Also, starting next year, the USGS Library will no longer catalog
electronic USGS publications. I'm not sure if the pubs warehouse will note
the new electronic USGS publications either. The new electronic publications
will appear, and disappear, with no organized cataloging or central control
or preservation. Rather than coordinate resources and use the USGS Library as
the center for information and as the authority on past and current USGS
publications, every one and every office at the USGS seems to be going their
own way.
Ever since the USGS Library was removed from the research area of the
Geologic Division and placed in the GIO some years ago, the library has lost
resources, personnel and authority. As more and more items become electronic,
there is more and more division, eccentricity and confusion in locating,
finding and using the geological literature at the USGS.
As resources contract, coordination of the already existing resources
needs to be improved. I hope the plans of Richard Huffine as National Library
Coordinator described below will come to fruition. However, with the past
history of USGS Library staff reductions (from 50 library staff to 17 at the
Reston library between 1995 and 2000) and budget cuts (for almost four months
this year they were unable to purchase any paper publications), I don't know
when this basic need will be filled. I hope it will be sooner, rather than
later.
Lisa Dunn said recently, "...the external user community was not
generally perceived as significant to the Library's mission." and "...neither
the external user community nor the other libraries that shared their own
collections with the USGS were surveyed about the proposed budget cuts."
(Dunn, Lisa. 2008 "The US Geological Survey Library." GSIS Proceedings,
Volume 37, 2006, pages 73-74). Maybe we need to form a Friends of the USGS
Library group to apply some outside pressure from the geological "external
user's" community to fight for the library's mission and to help convince the
USGS administrators to support their own library. There has been little
support from within the USGS administration.
They need something.
Lee
R. Lee Hadden
Geospatial Information Library (GIL)
Topographic Engineering Center
ATTN: CEERD-TO-I (Hadden)
7701 Telegraph Road
Alexandria, VA 22315-3864
(703) 428-9206
[log in to unmask]
"Curiosity is not a nice virtue- and it never leads to innocence." -Donna
Haraway
See some of my writings, both online and on paper, at my author page at:
http://www.librarything.com/author/haddenrobertlee
-----Original Message-----
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:29:58 -0600
From: Maps-L Moderator <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: USGS Monographs
I'm forwarding this from the Geonet discussion list. There was a discussion
as to why USGS doesn't collect information about local scanning efforts and
organize an online index to those sources. WAML and MAGERT have their
clearinghouses - but this is specific to USGS pubs only. Just thought I'd
share.
Angie
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Geonet] USGS Monographs
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:38:13 -0500
From: Richard L Huffine <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
I've been following this string with interest and I feel like I need to chime
in here just to let you all know what the USGS Library wants to do in the
future. It is our desire to create a digital repository for all USGS
publications - a resource that would compliment the USGS Publications
Warehouse. We plan on assigning persistent links to USGS publications. We
plan on restarting the scanning efforts that were initiated under Nancy Blair
as well as converting all of the LizardTech/DejaVu files to PDF format for
easier downloading and for full-text indexing and search. Our plans also
include creating a "digital deposit" program where libraries can collect,
archive or serve copies of USGS documents in their own digital repositories.
At this time, we are still in the planning phases for this effort but we hope
to move quickly to pilot technologies and approaches and to fully articulate
the costs and benefits this approach would have for both the USGS and its
public users. The scope of our interest is not only USGS-published reports
but also USGS-published maps, USGS-authored journal articles, images, data
sets, satellite imagery, and ultimately materials held by the USGS Library
that are in the public domain. This would definitely include the early
surveys that were done prior to the creation of the USGS under the authority
of the War Department.
Much of the infrastructure necessary to achieve this vision is not in place
today and the USGS Library has not been able to secure any additional funding
to make these goals a reality. We have, however, been able to hire some
excellent new staff members to compliment the already dedicated and talented
staff currently supporting the USGS Library. We are looking for partners and
would love to receive assistance from academic institutions that might be
able to contribute the time of student assistants, access to
scanning/digitization labs, and access to copies of USGS publications that we
haven't been able to scan to date.
Of course, without a repository system in place, we really don't have a good
place to put scanned materials yet.
I hope this gives you all some perspective on the challenges the USGS Library
sees before itself. We want to serve your libraries and your patrons as an
authoritative resources for USGS-published materials and we are working hard
to make that a reality.
Richard Huffine
National Library Coordinator
U.S. Geological Survey (MS 159)
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192 Tel 703-648-7182
Email: [log in to unmask]
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