(revised 4/3/2012--smc/mmc/hm)
Purpose: To maintain an extensive depository collection of U.S. Federal government publications with supporting reference materials. As a Regional Depository for U.S. Federal government publications, the library has an obligation to assist the 19 Selective depository libraries in Kentucky by providing reference and interlibrary loan services. UK is also expected to have the most comprehensive Federal government publications reference collection in the Commonwealth. Where collection development decisions can be made, the strengths of the university's teaching and research programs are taken into consideration, as well as the characteristics of the population and businesses in the surrounding counties. (See end of this document for area and subject descriptions).
Collection Analysis:
Formats: Depository materials are sent to UK from the U.S. Government Publishing Office in hardcopy, tangible electronic and microform as appropriate. Reference tools are generally acquired in an online format, although hardcopy sources may be considered for purchase. Large maps are housed in the Science Library.
Languages: Primarily English or English translation of foreign titles. Some titles have both English and Spanish editions.
Chronological Limits: 1776 to date.
Geographical Limits: Any area relating to the U.S.
Date of Publications: Current imprints or reprints of older materials where appropriate.
Retrospective collecting limits: Collect only titles of state-wide interest for any agency that is being collected by another ASERL Center of Excellence in the southeast unless Collections Advisory Committee has approved comprehensive collecting for that agency at UK.
ASERL Center of Excellence collections at UK: UK is an Association of Southeastern Research Libraries Center of Excellence for the Works Progress/Work Projects Administration (WPA) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). This means that we will collect comprehensively and aggressively for these two agencies.
Other General Considerations: Most U.S. publications are received on deposit through the Federal Depository Library Program from the U.S. Government Publishing Office. Some of the types of materials that may not be available in our depository collection are:
Reference and periodical material to support this collection are acquired as comprehensively as possible. Commercially published materials (online, paper and microform) are acquired when original documents are no longer available or to supply non-depository titles. This is the library's largest and most comprehensive government publications collection.
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Appalachian Studies
Education
Energy/Mining
Equine Studies
Medicine
Public Administration
Social and Public Welfare
Transportation
Works Progress/Work Projects Administration
RELEVANT CHARACTERISTICS OF STATE, CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, AND UNIVERSITY TO BE USED IN MAKING COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT DECISIONS:
The Sixth Congressional District's population in 2010 was 604,000, with Fayette County (the University's county) at 296,000. All counties are heavily agricultural with tobacco, corn, soybeans and livestock (including horses) being the largest income producers. There are light manufacturing and service industries such as Woodford Reserve Distillery, Valvoline, Trane Air Conditioners, Osram-Sylvania Glass, Lockheed Martin, an ACS (Xerox subsidiary) call center, an Amazon distribution center, LexMark (formerly IBM), Jean Farris Winery, and Toyota scattered throughout the counties, as well as numerous other small manufacturing plants. There are four major hospitals in Lexington: UK's, two private facilities and one VA facility, plus regional hospitals in each county. The seat of state government, Frankfort in Franklin County, is also included in the Sixth District. Richmond, in Madison County, also has one of the largest concentrations of stored chemical weapons in the U.S.
Statewide, there are numerous coal mines, a large number of vineyards and whiskey distilleries, several other automotive plants, at least four Ohio River ports, a large recreational river system, including the Kentucky, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, a General Electric headquarters, the headquarters for Ashland Oil, and the headquarters of Humana, a large medical insurer and hospital system. The state is criss-crossed by five interstate highways, and all but two of our SMSA's are split with a contiguous state, so Kentucky is heavily involved in interstate commerce.
The University of Kentucky is a land-grant institution with an enrollment of 28,000. The University's faculty of 2,100 teaches in 16 colleges, Army and Air Force ROTC programs, and a graduate school that administers almost 200 advanced degree programs, all of which are supported by the Libraries' collections.
The University puts a heavy emphasis on service to the state as a whole, especially in agriculture, rural health care, and small business development. One delivery mechanism for this service is the community and technical college system scattered across the state with an enrollment of 106,000 for which the library provides research-level materials. The university hospital, including its separate cancer research facility, administers several regional health centers across the state.