University of MN regional guidelines for weeding depository collections

Selective federal depository libraries have guidelines about when and what to withdraw from their collections.

Contact the Regional Coordinator with questions

Summary of the FDLP weeding process

Introduction

Selective federal depository libraries which are served by a Regional Library may withdraw depository materials from their collections after the materials have been held for five years from the date of receipt, and after receiving permission from the Regional except for the exceptions to the 5 year rule listed below. For withdrawal purposes, it is essential that the date of receipt be marked on each publication and/or the shelf list.

There is no requirement that selectives must withdraw any publications, and all depositories are encouraged to consider the needs of their users when developing withdrawal policies. Each depository should have a collection development policy which identifies both selection and withdrawal policies in the context of the community's needs.

Withdrawal lists are checked by the Regional Library in FDLP eXchange, in order to maintain a complete collection of federal publications which is then available to libraries in the region. Most publications in the regional collections, with the exception of some reference materials and fragile publications, are available for Interlibrary Loan and/or photocopy. The Regional, in cooperation with Minitex, will attempt to supply any publication needed by selectives within the region, including microfiche.

These guidelines are based on the Legal Requirements and Program Regulations of the Federal Depository Library Program.

Step 1: Check our University of Minnesota Twin Cities catalog

These guidelines only apply to pre-2024 docs that are at least 5 years old; more instructions for docs from 2024-onward will be coming later.

These guidelines apply to all tangible formats of depository materials, including print, CD-ROMs, DVDs, VHS, floppy disks, diskettes, etc. Exceptions for microfiche are described under “Withdrawing depository microfiche”.

Check the U of MN Twin Cities catalog to see if we hold the item in the same format (e.g. print, microform, CD-Rom) as your copy at one of these 3 locations. Ignore any other locations.

TC Wilson Library
TC Magrath Library
TC Natural Resources Library

Tips

Either search by title or use the SuDoc browse (from the dropdown menu at the link). Use proper spacing and punctuation when using SuDoc numbers.

Screenshot showing the dropdown with “SUDOC call numbers” circled.

If it is unclear if the University of Minnesota owns a copy, please post it in eXchange.

Optional shortcut: UMN needs lists

Our needs lists include our known gaps in our collection. These can be used as "shortcuts" for many titles, so that you don't have to take the time to check for every item when they all fall under the same title. These lists are NOT comprehensive, so if a title does not appear on a Needs list, you must check our catalog.

Exceptions and special cases

Exceptions to the 5 year rule (only applies to documents published prior to 2024)

Publications listed on the Superseded List.
Government publications which are duplicates or are received outside of the depository system (gifts, Documents Expediting Project, mailing list, etc).
Depository publications received from Government Publishing Office (GPO) but not selected.
Publications for which an online version replaces a print/microfiche version (online substitution). Selective depository must hold the tangible copy for at least 1 year from date of receipt before discarding through the Regional. See Weeding a Depository Collection for details. You must contact the Regional in advance to do this type of discard.
Publications which are replaced by microfiche, commercial reprint, or other re-publication may be withdrawn in less than five years but discarded through the Regional. You must contact the Regional in advance to do this type of discard.

Special considerations for the Serial Set

You do not need to offer anything from Y 1.1/4, Y 1.1/5, Y 1.1/6, Y 1.1/7, and Y 1.1/8 since these House and Senate reports and documents are all retained within the bound Serial Set that the Regional receives separately.
We are a Preservation Steward for the Serial Set, so we are actively looking to fill as many gaps as possible.
Serial Set Needs list: this is a list of our known needs. We may also have additional unknown gaps. Please carefully check any Serial Set volumes before discarding, and contact Sara Westdal with any questions.

Withdrawing depository maps

Depository maps at the Regional are often not cataloged down to the item level in the catalog (but are indexed within the Map Library), which makes it more difficult to determine Regional holdings.

Below are the Regional's USGS Topographic map holdings for you to compare with your holdings. Thematic sheets, Land Use series, and County Map series maps you should be able to check in our catalog.

1:24,000 series Topo maps (including Forest Service versions) for Michigan, Minnesota, and South Dakota since those are the only states we would take; all other states you can offer to other libraries or discard without contacting the Regional.
1:100,000 series Topo maps
1:250,000 series Topo maps

For larger weeding projects of maps, contact Jenny McBurney, Regional Coordinator, and Ryan Mattke, Map Librarian, for further information and instructions.

Withdrawing depository microfiche

Depositories may withdraw microfiche after the mandatory 5-year retention without providing lists to the Regional.
While we do have paper copies, we are missing several volumes in microfiche of the Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, Congressional Record (daily & index), and Lists of Sections Affected. Please check our Basic Collection & Essential Titles Needs List if you are discarding these titles in fiche.
Large collections or long runs of serials in fiche may be of interest. Please contact the Regional Coordinator with a description of the collection via email. A detailed inventory is not necessary. The email should specify that the library plans to withdraw, for example, the Federal Register earlier than 1990, or all microfiche from the 1980 census.

Step 2: Offering materials to the Regional

If we do already have the item in print at one of those 3 locations, you can withdraw it without submitting in eXchange, or offer it Nationally. Skip to “Step 4: Offer nationally or withdraw and discard.”

If we do not already have the item at one of those 3 locations, submit it in FDLP eXchange for us to request from you.

Using FDLP eXchange

Option 1: Submit each item individually

You must enter in all required fields indicated with a red asterisk.

Option 2: Submit in bulk via a spreadsheet

Use the GPO offers template. Required fields are bolded in the header. Use the eXchange Data Dictionary to determine accepted values for each field.

Login at FDLP eXchange

Each person who will use the eXchange system will need their own account and password. To set up a new account, use these instructions.
If you have trouble, email the Regional Coordinator, Jenny McBurney, who will contact GPO on your behalf.

Training materials

Classification

Please enter SuDoc classifications if at all possible (check the 086 field for the SuDoc if your documents are classed in LC or Dewey).

Multiple issues from one serial title

Enter each individual piece as a separate row, and indicate the volume in the SuDoc classification field (ex: A 92.24: 1960, A 92.24: v. 20).

Multiple volumes are bound together in one piece

Enter the entire bound volume as one submission/item with multiple pieces and indicate the volume range in the SuDoc classification field (ex: A 92.24: 1978-1980; A 92.24: v. 20-25). In the Multiple Pieces Notes field, indicate that it is a bound volume.

Submitting items that you have held for less than 5 years (tangible substituted by online, duplicate copies, superseded material, etc.)

Indicate in the Additional Notes field why you are discarding so that we know why you’re submitting something less than 5 years old.
For the date received/shipping list date, you must check the "I don't have a date" box and then accept the legal disclaimer indicating that it is an eligible discard.

Step 3: Regional review

As the Regional, the University of Minnesota reviews all items that have been submitted to eXchange for withdrawal from a depository library in our region of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Michigan.

We will review all offers within 75 days. Submitted items are checked on a weekly basis, so depending on where in the month the items were submitted it can take up to 8 weeks for us to get back to you (but it's usually less than that).
You will receive automated notifications from eXchange when we request items from you. Follow the prompts in eXchange to accept any requests/matches from the Regional.
After the Regional has requested or passed on your submitted items during the Regional Review portion, then the items that the Regional does not need will move on to the optional National Offers (Step 4) stage.
If you do not have National Offers enabled in eXchange, then the items will clear from eXchange and you can discard (we still retain the lists for our records).

Step 4: Offer nationally or withdraw and discard

For any items that we already have in one of the 3 locations listed in Step 1, you can choose to discard immediately without offering via eXchange at all, or offer them Nationally to other libraries.

Option 1: Offer nationally

Offering nationally is preferred but not required in our region. It is especially important for significant publications or large sets, since they can help fill gaps for Preservation Stewards. GPO also has a digitization needs list that you can check if your items were not needed by the Regional.

If the Regional does not need an item and you would like to offer it Nationally to other libraries, you can post it in eXchange with the note "Regional Bypass" in the “Additional Notes” field.

To enable National offers, make sure to have the “Offer Nationally” box checked in your eXchange account. You can also choose how long they will be offered Nationally. We recommend at least 10 days; longer will allow for higher likelihood of a match.

To adjust your settings, log into your eXchange account, and select “Library Account,” then click “Edit Library.” You will be able to set the number of days for each review period, and enable or disable National offers.

This is an example of our settings at UMN:
Regional review: 75 days
Selective review: 0 days (our region doesn't use this option)
Offer nationally: Checked
Time to offer nationally: 90 days (if using this option, you should select at least 10 days)

Option 2: Discard

If the Regional does not need an item and you don’t want to offer it nationally, you can choose to withdraw and discard it immediately without entering it in eXchange at all.

You can recycle or donate withdrawn items, but you cannot sell them, because they still belong to the US Government and you can’t financially benefit from their disposal.

Step 5: Shipping

You will receive automated notifications from eXchange when we (or another library) request items from you. Follow the prompts in eXchange to accept any requests/matches. Once materials have been mailed or routed, please make sure to select "Mark as Mailed" in eXchange so we can clear out the requests in the system.

For items the Regional requests, please either route materials via Minitex courier (for MN and SD libraries; code MNU) or mail requested items to:

Government Publications Library
10 Wilson Library
University of Minnesota
309 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455

If you need a prepaid shipping label for items being shipped to the Regional, contact Sara Westdal. (Not all requesting libraries will be able to pay for shipping.)