Procedures for Withdrawal of U.S. Government Depository Publications in Tennessee
Government Publications Department
Tennessee Regional Depository
I. INTRODUCTION
Selective U.S. depository libraries served by a regional may withdraw depository publications which are no longer needed, and which have been held for at least five years from the date of receipt. Withdrawal of depository publications by depository libraries in Tennessee must be according to these guidelines and procedures which are designed to ensure that legal requirements are met, that valuable information is not lost and that publications to be withdrawn are handled in the most efficient manner for all libraries. These procedures are based on the Legal Requirements & Program Regulations of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). In October 2011, Tennessee began using a two-tiered withdrawal process which additionally incorporates the use of the Association of South Eastern Regional Libraries (ASERL) Documents Disposition Database.
II. HISTORICAL NOTE
The University of Memphis was designated the regional depository for Tennessee in 1989. Tennessee was the last state to receive a regional depository. At the time, shared archival holdings agreements were signed between the University of Memphis and six other selective libraries for pre-1989 publications. Withdrawals by Superintendent of Documents Class lists departments and agencies of the federal government which are assigned to each shared holdings library and the regional library for this purpose.
III. PROCEDURES FOR WITHDRAWING PUBLICATIONS
1. All publications must be retained for five years from the date of receipt with the following exceptions:
a. Superseded materials not marked with an 'R' may be discarded without offering them on a weeding list for
regional depository approval. For superseded guidelines and lists see Superseded
Publications #1. under Weeding a Depository Collection.
b. With prior approval of the regional, tangible publications may be substituted with online equivalents provided the publication has been held for one year and the online version is official,
complete, and free of charge to the user. For guidelines see #2b. Online Substitution
under
Weeding a Depository Collection.
2. Prior to preparing a list of documents to be discarded, the discarding library should first check the Class Designations (below) — Serials in Various Classes and Withdrawals by Superintendent of Documents Class to determine the designated library responsible for collecting materials for specific SuDoc stems. Check documents for discard against the DO NOT NEED lists for the designated library linked on the Tennessee Discard Master Lists page. If any documents intended for discard match the ones on the appropriate list, offer them directly on the ASERL Disposition Database (See below). The rest of the documents must be offered to the designated library.
3. Prepare a list of the publications to be discarded in SuDoc number order according to the Guidelines for Formatting Lists. Include your library’s name and date on the first page. For serials and/or long
runs, the receiving library may request an estimate of the number of volumes to be
withdrawn or a linear measurement, with approximate dates. Indicate format if other
than paper (i.e. pamphlet, CDs, oversize).
a. For monographs and cuttered series, include the SuDoc number,
the title, and the date of publication of the document.
Example: TD 8.8:P75/7 Manual of Model Police Traffic... 1986
b. For numbered series, include the SuDoc stem, series title, beginning
and ending numbers with a "some missing" note if appropriate, specifying the missing
issues.
Example: L 2.3:1684 - 2210 (1971-1981) missing 1900, 2201
c. For serials, include the SuDoc stem and title; years or volumes;
and missing issues if any.
Example: A 106.17: Family Economics Review v. 1-22 1969-1990 missing
v.1 #2
4. Please create lists in Excel and email them to the appropriate library’s contact person. The Excel files can be easily converted to CSV format for uploading to the ASERL Disposition Database.
5. The shared holdings library or regional will check the list, mark the publications
it needs, and return the list to the offering library within a reasonable period of
time. Withdraw and send the publications to the designated library. Please pack boxes
by SuDoc # and number boxes sequentially. Take care not to overload boxes.
6. Postage is the responsibility of the withdrawing library.
7. After lists have been reviewed by the shared holdings library or the regional library,
the withdrawing library should post all remaining documents on the ASERL Documents
Disposition Database.
The ASERL Documents Disposition Database
The Collaborative Federal Depository Program was developed by depository libraries in the Southeast in order to build and manage
comprehensive collections of United States government information from each Federal
government agency through the creation of Centers of Excellence. Developed by the University of Florida, the ASERL Documents Disposition Database provides a convenient means by which documents may be offered for disposal and needs
may be fulfilled in accordance with the ASERL Guidelines for Managing FDLP Collections in the Southeast Region.
Instructions for creating an account and the use of the database are detailed in the ASERL Documents Disposition Database LibGuide.
ASERL Documents Disposition Database Login
Please use the link above to login to the ASERL Documents Disposition Database. After
45 days of uploading a list, any unclaimed items may be discarded. However, with especially
valuable or historical titles the regional may request the withdrawing library to
offer the unclaimed items nationally via the FDLP eXchange .
IV. WITHDRAWAL LISTS TO SHARED HOLDINGS LIBRARIES, PRE-1989 PUBLICATIONS
Please use these guidelines to withdraw documents assigned to the shared holdings libraries and the regional library as designated by the lists below. The shared holdings libraries assume the role of the regional library for pre-1989 publications for SuDoc numbers assigned to them. Please offer any pre-1989 publications for SuDoc numbers not included in the lists to the University of Memphis.
After a long hiatus, as a courtesy, please notify the coordinator before sending a list. The shared holdings or the regional library may request an estimate of the approximate number of volumes or linear feet and/or date range for the documents to be withdrawn. The shared holdings library will give permission to send the list. If delays are expected, the shared holdings library must notify the withdrawing library.
V. WITHDRAWAL LISTS TO THE REGIONAL LIBRARY, POST-1989 PUBLICATIONS
List all post-1989 publications in all classes to the University of Memphis regional depository library.
January 2025
CLASS DESIGNATIONS
Withdrawals by Superintendent of Documents Class
Withdrawals by Designated Shared Holdings Library
November 2019