The William M. White Business Library has maintained a separate Government publications collection throughout the history of the library. The library was established in 1970 when the College of Business moved into a new building on the University of Colorado, Boulder campus. The library contains over 80,000 monographs, over 160,000 items in microform, and subscribes to over 700 serials. Access to many more full text serials are available through databases the library purchases or accesses through Chinook, the University libraries’ Web-based online catalog.

As a branch library, the library continues to receive operating and acquisition funds from the main library, but the serious state under-funding of the library system over the years has prompted the business library administration to turn to the College of Business for equipment and gift money to provide for the research and curricular library needs of the college.

The funds were used to fund serials and monographs as well as new technology. These funds were used and continue to be used for up-to-date technology, including a LAN system and to access ever increasing Web-based resources. A deposit account funded with gift funds was set up in the 1970’s to maintain a separately housed Government publication collection. It was used until recently.

In 1994 the selective housing site with the University of Colorado Law Library was created to provide resources in categories related to business. Some of the item selections covered titles the library was receiving, but most of the selections were CD-ROMs that could be installed on the business library LAN system.

Government publications not available through the depository arrangement were ordered as needed. These and most of the long running serial subscriptions publications are now ordered using the main library deposit account. This arrangement has not worked very well, but we hope the process will improve or the business library will need to explore other options. The business library must have up-to-date information that is readily available and we are pleased the online access has improved this situation immensely, but there are times when we need to have the printed sources available.

The Business Library menu illustrates the wide variety of electronic databases the library subscribes to or accesses through the main library gateways. A click on menu items directly connects the patron to selected databases without going through several layers of screens. This has proved to be a real time saver and less confusing for the patrons and the library staff can concentrate on teaching how to use the resources and not spend time showing patrons how to get into the databases.

STAT-USA and the CIS Statistical Universe listed in the menu have been welcome additions. The business library partially funded STAT-USA and has maintained a collection of the Statistical Reference Index microfiche indexed in Statistical Universe since 1980. The library also subscribes to the NTDB CD-ROM, which continues to be a useful tool for international marketing students.

The core of the collection is Federal economic indicators that have been collected for approximately thirty years for use by business students for case studies. The selection rate through the law library of about 2% of available depository materials adds about the same number of documents that are withdrawn each year, keeping the collection at about 1368 volumes. This number is derived from counting 8 volumes per square foot. The library adds about 1% through purchases and gifts each year. The collection will continue to be small as older items are sent to the regional depository library and online permanent access continues to improve.

The business library has always had a close relationship with the regional library in the main library. The regional library is heavily used by business and faculty for research and curricular needs and the business library is dependent upon the regional to supply resources that are not readily available in the business library. All Government documents in all formats from any Government entity that are received by the business library are sent to the regional library for cataloging.

The regional library is responsible for adding business library item records to bibliographic records in the Chinook online database that reflect branch holdings. Due to the age of the business library Government publications collection, part of the business library holdings are not accessible in Chinook, but a retrospective project that involves weeding and cataloging the collection should be finished by end of the summer of 1999.

The business library maintains an electronic shelf list of documents and other Federal, state, and international resources. The regional depository library has also developed a Web page that provides an overview of depository holdings and services and guides to the depository collection. The Web page and the guides to the regional depository collection are particularly helpful. The business library is also developing a Web page that places Web sites in specialized business categories. This Web page will include many of the online Web sites available from the Government.

The Business Library has a historical relationship with the Law Library that goes beyond the depository selection process due to shared curricular needs and research. Some of the Business Library collection development decisions are based upon the availability of resources in the Law Library. Being a selective housing site for the law library was a logical choice. The Law Library is separate from the University Libraries system, but access to the Law Library catalog and Government publications and other resources is available through a link on the Chinook system.

The shared housing arrangement with the Law Library has provided the business library with basic as well as additional Federal Government resources needed by the library. However, our participation in the depository program will continue to be evaluated as access to Government publications changes from printed to online access.

Permanent access to the Government information needed by the library will be the key. This information must be readily available to students, faculty, staff, and public patrons.

The library will continue to provide trained specialized librarians to help our patrons find and interpret information available from the Federal Government using printed, microform, CD-ROMs, and online materials available in the business library and refer patrons to the depository library as needed. The library also purchases printed and online information from commercial entities that provide added value to Government information. Up-to-date technology that is required to access Government information will continue to be available.

As a rule the library does not provide software applications in the library, except as needed for specialized databases requirements. This may change in the future when the new business library is constructed and increased access is provided for laptop computers.

As the major business library in the state, we are committed to providing information available from the Federal Government to our students and faculty and the public, and we will continue to fulfill that role in the new millennium. Our participation in the Federal Depository Library Program has helped us to fulfill that role.