Collection Development and Status Statement: Government Documents and Information

Staff administer and develop the collection according to the requirements of the United States Code (Title 44, Chapter 19) and the recommendations in Instructions to Depository Libraries, Guidelines for the Depository Library System, and Instructions for the Depository Library System, all issued by the Library Services System, U. S. Government Publishing Office.

Government documents depository staff, as of January 2024, consists of one government documents librarian and one part-time technical services assistant. The assistant is responsible for managing most aspects of documents receipt, processing, and shelving management. The government documents librarian is also the depository coordinator and serves as the primary point of contact with the Government Publishing Office. This is a unique arrangement that is in accordance with the way the unit has been historically run, and per the staffing exigencies unique to the Vanderbilt library system.

The government information librarian supports and advocates for Central Library’s membership in the FDLP. He conducts individual research support consultations, workshops and instruction sessions, and other programming in relevant areas of specialization. The librarian participates in interdepartmental and library-wide committees and working groups established to further various aspects of the Heard Library's mission. The librarian also engages in and attends meetings of relevant program organizations and committees, including the Depository Library Council and the American Library Association's Government Documents Round Table (GODORT), as well as Tennessee government documents groups.