Disposal Guidelines and Procedures for Georgia Depository Libraries

Disposal Guidelines

General guidelines

Disposal guidelines are based on the Legal Requirements & Program Regulations of the Federal Depository Library Program.

Selective depository libraries in Georgia may withdraw depository materials from their collections after they have been retained for 5 years, following the guidelines set by the University of Georgia (UGA), the state's Regional depository library. There is no requirement that selective depositories must withdraw any materials, and each library is encouraged to consider the needs of its users when making collection decisions. You may find the information included in Weeding a Depository Collection of use when making decisions about materials to discard.

Documents intended for discard must be submitted to the University of Georgia for approval per the Discard List Procedures below. Items that can be submitted for approval to discard include:

Exceptions

If you have any questions about the following exception to the disposal guidelines, please contact Sarah Causey.

  • Items on the Superseded List do not have to be listed, with the exception of maps;
  • Maps- all maps to be discarded, including those on the Superseded List must be submitted for approval to discard;
  • Microfiche do not need to be offered. If you are planning to discard a large run of microfiche, you may want to check to see if there is an ASERL Center of Excellence (COE) for that area - those libraries may be in need of microfiche to complete their COE collections.

Discard List Procedures

  • All selective depository libraries are expected to use the ASERL Disposition Database. Offers remain in the database for 45 days, after which materials may be discarded.
     
  • Libraries may not list more than 1000 items per week or 200 items per day. A maximum of 5 lists may be uploaded per week. 
     
  • A guide to using the database, including instructions on setting up an account and populating the database with needs and offers, is available from the University of Florida.
     
  • When offering a large run of materials, use the Import List template available from the database. It is important to retain each column, even if it is empty – otherwise you’ll receive an error message from the database. The template should remain a .csv file – do not save as an Excel document. For more detailed instructions on ASERL list formatting, click the Offering Documents dropdown menu on the ASERL site and select Import Items
     
  • Large runs of volume/issue numbers for the same SuDoc stem in any format may be listed as ranges using the various “Pub. Start” and “Pub. End” columns, provided a note is included when a range is incomplete.
     
  • Items that meet the Substitution Guidelines to Replace Tangible Materials with Online Equivalents should be indicated by including the URL of the online equivalent in the Comment column of the Import List template.
  • When items are claimed an automatic email will be sent, indicating the items in question and the contact information for the requesting institution. When sending requested items to UGA, include a copy of the request e-mail you receive from the ASERL site.

Offering discarded materials to libraries outside of Georgia

After a notification has been received that materials have expired from the database, libraries are encouraged to offer their discards to libraries outside of the Southeast, particularly if lists include older (pre-1950) documents. Offers can be posted to any of the following:

  • FDLP eXchange
    • The ASERL LibGuide includes instructions on exporting lists for upload.
    • There is currently a mandatory 5-day review period for the Regional Library in eXchange before materials are offered nationally.
    • Selective Libraries are able to individually set the number of days materials are offered nationally after the Regional review phase.
  • GOVDOC-L
  • MAPS-L (maps and atlases only)