As a Federal Depository Library, the Government Documents Library is committed to free public access to government information, as mandated by 44 U.S.C. §1911. The Government Documents Library’s collections and services are available to the public as well as to persons affiliated with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Service for government information in electronic formats at the UIUC Government Documents Library is governed by the federal government’s Depository Library Public Service Guidelines for Government Information in Electronic Formats (1998) and by the UIUC Library’s Electronic Information Policy for Library Users (1997), as well as by all applicable laws and UIUC policies. Where UIUC policies conflict with the Depository Library Public Service Guidelines, the Public Service Guidelines shall be considered in accordance with the Government Documents Library’s obligations as a Federal Depository Library.
The Government Documents Library provides seven public computer workstations for accessing government information in electronic formats. No password, sign-up, or University of Illinois identification is required to use these workstations, and no Internet filters are installed. DVD/CD-ROM drives are available in two of the workstations; the other five workstations have CD-ROM drives. All workstations have USB ports, and downloading of electronic data to disk is encouraged, subject to applicable laws.
Six of the public workstations have internet access and telnet; two of these have Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel for manipulation of downloaded data. Several commonly requested CD-ROMs are loaded on CD-ROM towers attached to the public workstations. Printing from these six public workstations is available for a fee set by Library Administration for all public printers in the library, currently 10 cents per page for black and white printing.
The Government Documents Library’s CD-ROM collection is located in cabinets next to the public workstations. If a CD-ROM is not loaded in one of the CD-ROM towers and requires special software to run, government documents staff will load the CD and any necessary software on a public workstation within one business day, if possible. Most CD-ROMs can also be checked out by users for use on their own workstations. A manual of instructions for loading the library’s CD-ROMs is available on top of the CD-ROM cabinets.
The Government Documents Library maintains a web site designed to facilitate access to government information on the Internet as well as to guides for finding and using government information on the Internet (http://www.library.uiuc.edu/doc). Some Internet sites containing government information require a password which will be provided for use at the Government Documents Library. Reference service, including assistance with government information in electronic formats, is available by e-mail at gdoclib@library.uiuc.edu. If necessary, documents shorter than ten pages in length can be sent to library users via fax; longer documents can be mailed. Personal or telephone assistance with using government information in all formats is available at the Government Documents Library reference desk from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. , Monday through Friday except for University holidays (phone 217-244-6445). Assistance is available at the general information desk at other times the library is open.
The Government Documents Library provides training in the use of government information in electronic formats. Training can take place at the library for small groups and individuals, or in a classroom with Internet access for larger groups. Contact Mary Mallory at 217-244-4621 for more information or to schedule training.
References
1.
U.S. Government Printing Office. Depository Library Public Service
Guidelines for Government Information in Electronic Formats. Administrative
Notes 19(11),
2.
3.
University Library,
4.
Office of the Chief Information Officer.
University of Illinois Libraries
University of Illinois