-------- 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]