List Review Service v1n04, "GOVDOC-L" (December 16, 1991)
URL: ftp://ftp.lib.ncsu.edu/pub/stacks/lrs/lrs-v1n04


                    LIST REVIEW SERVICE
          (previous title: LISTSERV REVIEW SERVICE)

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Vol. 1, No. 4              GOVDOC-L                   16 DEC 1991
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Copyright 1991. Raleigh C. Muns (BITNET: SRCMUNS@UMSLVMA.BITNET)
All rights reserved.

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SYNOPSIS OF ONE WEEK'S ACTIVITY -
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Name of List Reviewed:        GOVDOC-L
Location:                     LISTSERV@PSUVM.BITNET
                              Pennsylvania State University

Moderator:                    Duncan Aldritch
                              (DUNCAN@EQUINOX.UNR.EDU)

Number of Subscribers:        724 users in 8 countries

Period Monitored:             03 DEC 91 - 09 DEC  91 (inclusive)

Messages Posted:              47
Number of Queries Posted:     20  (43 % of total activity)
Number of Non-queries Posted: 27  (57 % of total activity)

Lines Sent (w/ headers):      1902 (app. 83 screens of 23 lines)
Lines Sent (w/o headers):      962 (app. 42 screens of 23 lines)

Searchable Archives:          Yes

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REVIEW -
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Monitoring GOVDOC-L makes me think of a line in Stanley Kubrick's
FULL METAL JACKET: "We are living in a world of doo-doo" (Quote
Bowdlerized by editor). There is an awful lot wrong with the U.S.
Government's information dissemination activities and this
fascinating list is a way to peek in on the doings. More important,
any government documents librarian currently not monitoring this
list is probably enjoying ignorant bliss. Contributors regularly
identify problems in the dissemination procedures of the Government
Printing Office (e.g., claiming of unreceived GPO microfiche is an
apparent joke), in the documents themselves (e.g., zero percent
crime in Minneapolis is due to late reporting), and in the systems
devised to catalog and disseminate the rich resources in the field
of government information.  The most impressive thing upon
monitoring the list was the high level of cooperation among the
participants.  The feeling that "We are living in a world of doo-
doo" is counterbalanced by the attitude of "We must all hang
together or we shall all hang separately."  Participants regularly
post receipt of duplicate items available on a first come basis so
that others may avoid the less responsive Federal bureacracy.

This biased review does not attempt to explain WHY things seem to
be in disarray at the GPO (for example), it is merely a description
of the situation as seen by monitoring this list.

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SUGGESTED USES FOR LIST -
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        1)     Identify current problem areas in government
               documents librarianship.

        2)     Identify missing or desired items in a collection,
               available as duplicates received by others.

        3)     Problem solving: e.g., "Where can I get a list of
               coloring books distributed by the GPO?"

        4)     Keep abreast of the latest products being
               disseminated by the government; concurrently, the
               procedures used to disseminate products.

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SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION -
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Send an e-mail message with blank subject line to:

     LISTSERV@PSUVM.BITNET

Message should consist solely of:

     SUBSCRIBE GOVDOC-L your_name

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = END REVIEW = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by computerized
bulletin board/conference systems, individual scholars, and
libraries.  Libraries are authorized to add these reviews to their
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material.  All commercial use requires permission.

Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not repre-
sent the views of any organization with which the author is
affiliated.

Raleigh C. Muns (Reference Librarian) ph: (314) 553-5059
Thomas Jefferson Library, University of Missouri, St. Louis
8001 Natural Bridge Road, St. Louis, MO 63121