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Colorado Depository Library Resources: Needs & Offers Instructions

 

This section of the website provides detailed information on the Needs and Offers procedure. These instructions reflect both the Legal Requirements for federal depository libraries, and local best practices and preferences of the Regional federal depository library at CU Boulder.

Any and all questions and comments may be directed to Phil Wrede and/or Kate Tallman. You may also call the Government Information Library at 303-492-3900 during normal business hours.

Our Approach

CU Boulder is working hard to standardize the Needs and Offers procedure to ensure that each project complies with Legal Requirements while also receiving the individual attention that it deserves. The following procedure or check-list is our preferred workflow for Needs and Offers projects. However, if you are facing a large and challenging weeding project, please contact Phil or Kate to start discussing alternative methods for withdrawal.

Tips & Reminders

Needs & Offers Instructions

STEP 1: WITHDRAW ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE A LIST

Are you withdrawing microfiche?

If you’re discarding a significant run, send a courtesy message to cogopub-l@colorado.edu. Someone else may want your run. Otherwise, you may withdraw.

Are you withdrawing CD-Rom’s?

Send CD-ROMs with the following SuDocs stems to CU-Boulder:  C3, I, EP, NAS, or items with the words “Colorado” in the title to the attention Phil Wrede via courier or US Mail.

The rest can be discarded. If you’re discarding a significant number with SuDocs stems other than the ones mentioned above, send a courtesy message to cogopub-l@colorado.edu  

Are you withdrawing the following stems/series?

As a result of a significant project to condense our federal documents collection on site, we’ve moved a large number of pieces to Pascal. In doing so, we’ve added hundreds of serial titles to the “Stems and Serials Not Requiring Listing” list. Selective depositories in Colorado can discard series titles listed in this file without following formal needs & offers procedures.

Series to Withdraw without Listing

  • Check the holding in the CU Boulder catalog by clicking on CU in Column D (if available). Click "View additional copies or search for a specific volume/copy" button under the item records, If the status says MISSING" or "TRACE LOST", please send the item to CU Boulder.
  • If Column G contains the acronym for another Colorado depository, please go to their library catalog to check their holdings, or contact the depository coordinator
  • If you've followed step one and two, and the volume is still not needed by another library, check Column F for the "Years You Can Discard”. If the volume is included here, feel free to discard your copy.

Master Needs & Offers spreadsheet - compiled from lists of discarded material that have been searched and processed at CU Boulder, and under consistent revision and addition. Materials on this list can be assumed to be in CU Boulder's collection, and if desired to discard, can be discarded.

Are you withdrawing Congressional hearings or the Serial Set?

CU Boulder is a Preservation Steward for Congressional publications. There are a number of options for weeding hearings & serial set volumes. Contact Phil Wrede to discuss these options. For example, we can provide a spreadsheet of Hearings that are missing/lost, but the spreadsheet is incomplete, so we may also ask you to check CU Boulder’s Library Catalog for the hearing.

Have you confirmed that the items are not superseded?

Check the superseded guidelines to ensure that you aren't holding on to anything that is dated, revised, reprinted, replaced, or corrected. You may also check the 2002 superseded list for titles, and the 1996 superseded list for additional background information.

STEP 2: CREATE OFFERS LISTS for FDLP eXchange

If you still have material left after completing step one, you may contact Phil Wrede with the stems you want to withdraw, the approximate number of items/shelves, and the date range. He and the Regional Coordinator will determine if you need to create a list and upload your offers to FDLP eXchange

If you are asked to create a list

Colorado depositories are asked to use the FDLP eXchange tool for Needs and Offers. Offers can be put into FDLP eXchange two ways:

  • You can upload a spreadsheet using the template provided by GPO. You are encouraged to use the FDLP eXchange Data Dictionary for help with terminology
  • You can also input your offers manually. Here are the instructions

More instructions and guidance can be found on the (now archived) FDLP eXchange project page

FDLP eXchange review timeframe

After you submit your offers to the FDLP eXchange, it will take anywhere from 15-30 days for items to go through review. You may decide whether or not to offer shipping.

  • Regional review period– 90 days (extended to 180 during the pandemic/post-pandemic period)
  • Colorado review period – 15 days
  • National review period – Not required, but strongly encouraged
  • If this timeframe is too long, please contact Kate Tallman or Phil Wrede
  • After the material has gone through step one, step two, and all reviews, you may discard.

GPO Needs - digitization & preservation

GPO is actively looking for long runs of ceased agency serials or historic documents that may not have been received or preserved by many libraries in the depository system. If you believe that you might be weeding a significant collection of historic documents, please contact Kate Tallman or Phil Wrede to discuss options for working with GPO!

Although CU Boulder has a strong preference for selective depositories to use FDLP eXchange to post offers lists, some projects are simply too large and complex to follow the standard procedure. If you believe this to be the case at your own institution, please contact Phil Wrede with the estimated size and scope of your project. In the past, alternative solutions have included:

  • measuring the collection and comparing the size to CU Boulder's collection
  • on-site visits and evaluations by the regional
  • on-site visits and selections by other depository coordinators
  • shipping entire collections (not preferred)
  • creating minimal lists (Sudoc numbers only, for example)

As always, your Regional is here to help! Contact us for guidance on any large weeding project.

Librarian