Bringing Federal Documents to the Forefront for Library Users: Selective Cataloging Using an OPAC

Abstract

This article reviews the value of federal depository document titles, often underutilized as sources of research, and discusses reasons why many of them are worth cataloging. Several approaches to cataloging these titles to make them more readily accessible are profiled. The Adelphi University Library has devised a system, relying on Boolean logic and using an online public access catalog (OPAC), to choose which depository titles are worth cataloging because of their scholarly research value. This has resulted in the enrichment and expansion of the collection of readily available research titles and has contributed significantly to the library’s permanent collection development program.