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42-753: The USGS Library is open to the public for in-person research at locations in Reston, Virginia and Lakewood, Colorado. Today , the United States Geological Survey Library's users have access to over 1.7 million items: over 980,000 books and journals, over 600,000 maps, over 8,000 electronic media items (DVDs, CDs), and subscribes to over 113,000 electronic journal titles and eBooks. Materials include USGS publications, as well as those produced by state and foreign geological surveys, scientific societies, museums, academic institutions, and government scientific agencies. The library in Reston participates in

84-522: A class, the library receives all of the documents within that class. Selections made during the year take effect on October 1. The Union List of Item Selections updates the titles in the List of Classes on a semiannual basis. Unlike adding items, selections may be removed at any time; the library stops receiving the documents within 72 hours. Selective depository libraries must keep government documents in their collections for five years minimum, after which time

126-533: A collection of 1,400 books. The Act of Congress establishing the USGS (20 Stat. L., 394-395, 3 March 1879) authorized the creation of a program for exchanging copies of USGS reports for publications of state, national, and international organizations. The exchange program was modeled after a program used by Dr. Ferdinand V. Hayden when he was head of the Interior Department's U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of

168-413: A library may qualify for FDLP status: Libraries with depository status are required to provide the documents received at no cost to their patrons. Though they receive the publications free of charge, depository libraries are responsible for the costs of processing the items and making them available. All depository libraries must make their collections of these documents available to the general public, and

210-569: A retrieval system to access materials through the subject and geographic numbers. It has been developed over the years since 1904 to meet the ever-changing needs of increased specialization and the development of new areas of research in the geosciences, such as remote sensing and planetary geology. The Field Records Collection is an archive of field notes, maps, sample analysis reports, correspondence, manuscripts, and other data created or collected by more than 1500 USGS scientists during geologic field investigations and other project work. The majority of

252-591: A single meeting time, location and format throughout its entire history. Meetings are held at 8:00 pm on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, except during warm-weather months when most geological field work would normally be done. Almost all meetings have been held at the Cosmos Club in downtown Washington, an organization of which most GSW charter members, as well as many subsequent members, have been members. Most meetings have three formal scientific talks, each 20 minutes in length, followed by discussion. Once

294-473: A wide variety of formats, but many government documents are now published exclusively online. Electronic documents positively impact issues such as storage, length of retention, and access, which can be enhanced with library networking. Libraries may substitute electronic documents for tangible documents as the only copy of the item in the collection, as long as the electronic document is complete, official, and permanently accessible. Access to electronic documents

336-560: A year, the society invites a prominent speaker to give a 1-hour "Bradley lecture," named after the late geologist and GSW president, Wilmot H. Bradley . An Annual Meeting is held in December, at which the president of the society gives a 1-hour address. As of the end of 2008, 3871 papers had been read at 1461 meetings of the society since 1893, according to the GSW archives. GSW does not publish scientific papers or give general awards. The philosophy of

378-652: Is a learned society based in the Washington, D.C. area. According to its constitution, "The object of the Society is the increase and diffusion of geological knowledge" The Geological Society of Washington (GSW) was founded in 1893. The core group of organizers was paleontologist C. D. Walcott and geologists S. F. Emmons and J. S. Diller of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and artist/geologist W. H. Holmes and geologist G. P. Merrill of

420-609: Is provided through Persistent Uniform Resources Locators (PURL) and is facilitated by GovInfo and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP). Recently, federal agencies have been bypassing the GPO in lieu of publishing documents directly online. These documents, known as "fugitive documents", are not published through GPO, and hence are not part of the FDLP program. Geological Society of Washington The Geological Society of Washington

462-512: The Congressional Record , Federal Register and other select publications, and operate an electronic storage facility. The electronic service now includes over 2,200 databases and is available via http://www.govinfo.gov . On January 4, 2020, the FDLP website was hacked and defaced with pro-Iranian/anti-US messaging in response to the American airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani ,

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504-555: The Federal Depository Library Program , providing public access to selected U.S. Government publications , including print versions of older publications not available online. Congress authorized a library for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 1879. The library was formally established in 1882, with the naming of the first librarian, Charles C. Darwin, and began with a staff of 3 and

546-540: The Smithsonian Institution . By the end of February, 1893, they had drafted a constitution and attracted a total of 109 geologists, cartographers , geographers , hydrologists , and other scientists interested in earth science to become charter members. Among these were many notable figures, mostly from the Washington area, including John Wesley Powell , G. K. Gilbert , and F. W. Clarke . The main reason for

588-637: The 1880s when the USGS began publishing standard topographic quadrangles, the Archive is the most complete collection of USGS topographic maps. The U.S. Antarctic Resource Collection (USARC) is currently located at the USGS Library in Reston, VA, and contains materials from the former U.S. Antarctic Resource Center. When operational, the Center was a joint effort of the USGS National Mapping Division and

630-523: The National Science Foundation United States Antarctic Program. The Center maintained the nation's most comprehensive collection of Antarctic aerial photography, maps, charts, satellite imagery, and technical reports. The current collection includes materials produced by the following Antarctic Treaty nations: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan,

672-704: The Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay. [1] The USGS Library Photographic Collection is an archive of more than 500,000 still photographs, color transparencies, negatives, glass plate negatives, lantern slides and sketches and color transparencies taken during geologic studies of

714-589: The Territories (1867–1879). The U.S. Geological Survey Library inherited 1,000 volumes of serials from Dr. Hayden's former exchange program, which he had based on the program begun by the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. After Dr. Hayden died in 1887, his widow donated his personal collection to the USGS Library. Other early gifts were made by Major John Wesley Powell , second Director of the USGS, who donated his collection of State Geological Survey reports and

756-468: The Union List of Item Selections . This is a document listing all of the classes of items available for selection through the program and their associated item numbers. Each item with an item number is available through the FDLP program. Because of the large number of documents published by the government each year, the documents are arranged into categories of related classes from which to choose. By selecting

798-464: The United States and its territories from 1868 to present. Subjects include earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, topography, historical mining operations, earth science, and a substantial collection of USGS personnel portraits. The works of pioneer photographers such as William Henry Jackson , Timothy H. O'Sullivan , Carleton Watkins , John Karl Hillers , Thomas Moran , Andrew J. Russell , E. O. Beaman and William Bell (photographer) are represented in

840-481: The assistance of three consultants from the New York Public Library, developed the USGS classification system designed specifically for an earth science library. It is a tool for assigning call numbers to earth science and allied pure science materials to collect these materials into related subject groups on library shelves and arrange them alphabetically by author and title. This classification can be used as

882-694: The collection dates from 1879 and relates to work done in the contiguous United States and Hawaii. Field records and project archives for Alaska are kept in the Alaska Technical Data Unit Field Records Archive in Anchorage, AK. The Rare Book Collection of the USGS Library comprises unusual publications, rare books, and maps collected since 1879. Included are historical maps and publications of USGS, as well as early publications of many federal, state and other geological surveys. Records of select geological societies are also maintained in

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924-485: The collection of government documents. A depository library may voluntarily resign from its position as a depository library, or it may be stripped of its depository status by the Superintendent of Documents if it does not carry out its responsibilities as enumerated in the U.S. Code. In either case, the library must properly dispose of the government documents it acquired while part of the program as these publications are

966-600: The collection, such as the Geological Society of Washington , which was founded by John Wesley Powell and other noted scientists after the Civil War. Of special note are many 19th century maps with topics such as American political boundaries, transportation, geology, and mining. Acquired by the library in 1933, the George F. Kunz Collection is a significant special collection on gems and minerals including rare books on gemology,

1008-510: The collection. Some photographs have been used to illustrate publications, but most have never been published. Currently, the USGS Library Photographic Collection website provides online access to less than ten percent of the entire archive. Federal Depository Library Program The Federal Depository Library Program ( FDLP ) is a government program created to make U.S. federal government publications available to

1050-498: The commander of Iran's Quds Force . The FDLP site was taken offline, then restored the next day following a security analysis . The Government Publishing Office (GPO) is responsible for printing and distributing government documents and overseeing the FDLP. There are several important individuals in charge of maintaining the link between GPO and the FDLP: There are two types of depository libraries: There are two ways in which

1092-503: The distribution of non-GPO documents, permitted independent federal agencies to be eligible for depository designation, and created regional depository libraries. The Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-40), codified in Title 44, Chapter 41 of the U.S. Code, requires the Superintendent of Documents to maintain an electronic directory of federal electronic information, provide online access to

1134-568: The family of Dr. Isaac Lea (Philadelphia publisher and gem collector whose family donated nearly 600 items of his personal library). Dr. William Halliday, a world-renowned speleologist, began donating his cave collection in 2003. In a review of USGS Library operations in 1937, William Heers, the Chief Librarian, noted the library had more than 200,000 books and reports, about 60,000 pamphlets, and about 60,000 maps, most of these obtained by gift and exchange. Fully half of those researchers who used

1176-622: The federal government. Initially, the Librarian of Congress was responsible for running this program, but the responsibility shifted to the Secretary of the Interior in the 1850s. The Printing Act of 1895 revised public printing laws and established the roles of the FDLP and the Government Printing Office (GPO) in distributing government information. This act also assigned leadership of

1218-561: The folklore of gemstones through history, lapidary arts and archival gem trade records important to the provenance of named stones such as the Hope Diamond . Kunz was a former USGS employee, a vice-president of Tiffany & Co., and one of the world’s preeminent gem experts. The USGS Library’s map collection contains a broad collection of maps covering the United States, foreign areas, and planetary bodies. The collection includes topographic maps, geologic maps, and thematic maps concentrating on

1260-582: The founding of GSW was to provide a forum in which geoscientists could meet to discuss their ideas. The robust geological community centered on the USGS and Smithsonian Institution had outgrown mixed scientific societies such as the Philosophical Society of Washington . In 1897, GSW played a major role in organizing eight scientific societies in Washington, leading to the founding of the Washington Academy of Sciences in 1898. GSW has maintained

1302-549: The geosciences. The collection consists primarily of flat paper sheet maps; other formats include Braille, raised relief maps, microfiche, microfilm, DVDs, CDs, and flat sheet maps in other materials. Responsibility for the Topographic Map Archive was formally transferred to the USGS Library in March 2003. The Archive includes each U.S. state and territory, in all scales, editions and various printings. With coverage dating from

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1344-420: The items may be removed from the collection with the approval of a regional library. Items marked for disposal must be offered first to the regional, then to other depositories ( 44 U.S.C.   § 1912 ). All depository libraries, including regional libraries, may dispose of items that have been superseded or issued later in bound form ( 44 U.S.C.   § 1911 ). If an item has been deselected,

1386-476: The library circulated 105,000 items, made 17,700 interlibrary loans, and answered some 27,000 requests for information. In March 2012, the USGS Library joined the Biodiversity Heritage Library with the goal of contributing important historical works related to taxonomy, as well as relevant USGS publications. The U.S. Geological Survey Library has become one of the largest geoscience libraries in

1428-409: The library must still retain the publications it possesses from that item number for five years before they may be discarded. Libraries may not financially benefit from the disposal of depository publications. After 1996, government publications increasingly shifted to online formats; in addition, most Federal publications now originate online. Regional libraries still continue to collect information in

1470-458: The library were outside of the USGS. In service to those outside the government, between 8,000–10,000 books were loaned out each year through interlibrary loans , both within the continental US and overseas. In a review of the USGS Library during its centennial, it was noted in 1978 the library had acquired nearly 116,000 new items. About 75% of these were journals, of which 10,000 serial, magazine, and other periodical titles were received. In 1978,

1512-541: The opportunity to order several kinds of material for libraries' collections, including maps, Braille, large print documents, foreign language items, and audio. The Core Collection was established in 1977. Every depository library is required to have certain publications available for use. These include, among others: Libraries select the documents they wish to receive from the List of Classes of United States Government Publications Available for Selection by Depository Libraries and

1554-441: The program to the Superintendent of Public Documents, who would be under the control of the GPO and added executive documents to the distribution list. The Depository Library Act of 1962 (DLA) created the present-day FDLP as codified in Title 44, Chapter 19 of the U.S. Code. The DLA allowed two depository libraries in each Congressional district , eliminated postage charges to depository libraries receiving material, provided for

1596-490: The property of the U.S. Government. The documents would generally be returned to the state regional library and then redistributed to selected libraries within the state. Libraries are required to maintain a series of titles known as the FDLP Basic Collection. Beyond this, libraries order the materials that best suit the needs of their patrons; there is no selection percentage criterion that must be met. The FDLP offers

1638-478: The public at no cost. As of April 2021, there are 1,114 depository libraries in the United States and its territories . A "government publication" is defined in the U.S. Code as "informational matter which is published as an individual document at Government expense, or as required by law" ( 44 U.S.C. 1901). The groundwork for the FDLP was established by an 1813 Congressional Joint Resolution ordering that certain publications be distributed to libraries outside of

1680-636: The services provided for government documents must be on par with the services offered to the primary users of a library. Circulation policies for government documents, however, are established by each library itself. Libraries may house the materials however they like; for example, they may separate the government documents from the rest of their collection or they may integrate them. A library cannot filter Internet search results at public access stations as access to health or biological science articles may not be infringed upon. Depository libraries must maintain collections of at least 10,000 books , not including

1722-456: The world. Materials within the library system include books and maps dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as a nearly complete set of the various State Geological Survey publications. The classification system is designed for use in the USGS Library and other earth science libraries. Prior to the administration of Fred Boughton Weeks, 1903–1908, the library lacked a classification scheme. The Dewey Decimal system for geologic material

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1764-412: Was not sufficiently developed to accommodate the range of specialized material collected at the USGS Library, and the full Library of Congress Classification System schedules had not yet been published.  Library staff and patrons were concerned about continued development of the collection without an acceptable classification scheme. Mr. Weeks and bibliographer John M. Nickles of the library staff, with

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