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Chapter 3100 - Publications and Documents

CONVERSION TABLE
(Section Number Revisions)

Old Numbers New Numbers
None  3100
None 3101 
3120 3120 
3121.1 3121 
3121.2 3122
3121.3  3123 
3122.1 3124
3122.2  3125
3122.3 3126
3123  3130 
3124 3140
3150 3150 
3151 None 
3160 3160 
3161 3161 
3122.2 Illustration AT-1 
3151 (No number, but part of this section) AF-1 

3100     GENERAL POLICY
(New 2/93) 

It is the policy of the State to make copies of an agency's documents and publications available to the public.  The Library Distribution Act was passed to facilitate this process.  This Section of SAM describes the Act and the policies and procedures of distributing Agency publications to the public.

 

3101     TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
(New 2/93) 

DGS.  The Department of General Services.

Complete Depository Libraries.  The libraries listed in Table 1 of the Appendix.

Exclusive use documents.  Documents that are used only by one group or agency.

Publication.  Anything made in multiple copies.  See Government Code Section 14902.

Selective Depository Libraries.  Libraries other than the Complete Depository Libraries, which have requested to receive publications from your agency.

3120     LIBRARY DISTRIBUTION ACT
(Revised 2/93) 

The Library Distribution Act set up a means of sending copies of agency publications to libraries.  The purpose of this Act is to make State publications available to the public.  All agencies must help make their publications available through this program.  See Government Code Sections 14900-14911.

 

3121     DEFINED STANDARDS
(Revised & Renumbered from 3121.1   2/93) 

The guidelines in this Section have been set up to help you determine if your publications fall under the Library Distribution Act.  These same guidelines can help your agency's Publications Representative develop policies that will aid understanding of the requirements of the Library Distribution Act.  These guidelines will also help your Publications Representative establish publications procedures.

All Agency publications fall under the Library Distribution Act, except for:

  1. Publications that are specifically excused by law.
     
  2. Publications that are specifically excused elsewhere in SAM.
     
  3. All forms.
     
  4. Letters.
     
  5. Memorandums.
     
  6. Exclusive use documents.
     
  7. Legally restricted items.
     
  8. Organizational and procedural manuals.
     
  9. Publications for use only within the State administration.

You may choose to have some of your publications be issued under the Library Distribution Act, that otherwise would not.  The types of publications that you may so designate, include:

  1. Local interest circulars and publications.
     
  2. Specialized publications of primary use to a select group.
     
  3. Reports on minor reorganizations and policy changes dealing with State administration.
     
  4. Market reports and weeklies that are tied to critical dates.

Typical publications that fall under the Library Distribution Act include publications:

  1. That are of lasting interest and use to the public.
     
  2. That are of general interest.
     
  3. That are of interest only to a few people that are spread over a wide geographic area.
     
  4. That are of interest only to a few people, but when the State is the only source of the information and the information can be used for other purposes.
     
  5. That are a group of periodicals compiled once a year.  These periodicals would otherwise not qualify, but because of their calendar nature, their content becomes important.

3122     STANDARDS CERTIFICATION AND ASSISTANCE
(Revised & Renumbered from 3121.2   2/93) 

If you need help understanding which publications fall under the Library Distribution Act, call the Government Publications Section of the State Library.  They will also review and approve your Library Distribution Act policy guidelines and any proposed changes to your approved guidelines.

 

3123     A COPY OF ALL PUBLICATIONS MUST BE SENT TO THE STATE LIBRARY 
(Revised & Renumbered from 3121.3   2/93)

Send one copy of your publications that do not fall under the Library Distribution Act or that are otherwise excluded by SAM Section 3121 to the State Library, Government Publications Section.  This is because the State Library is expected to store all State documents and lend them to other public libraries.  The State Library also must make all State publications of note available to State employees.

3124     DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED BY THE STATE PRINTING PLANT 
(Revised & Renumbered from 3122.1   2/93)

The Office of State Printing (OSP) will distribute all Library Distribution Act materials that it prints.  OSP will send this material to:

  1. All Complete Depository Libraries.
     
  2. All Selective Depository Libraries.
     
  3. The State Archivist.
     
  4. The Library of Congress.
     
  5. The Council of State Governments.

The cost of your agency's printing includes the cost for these extra copies.  You are charged an extra flat amount for their handling and mailing.

Your organization may want to distribute its own publications that are printed by the Office of State Printing.  If so, the director of your department, board, or commission must first send a request to the State Printer.

3125     DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED BY COPYING  
(Revised & Renumbered from 3122.2   2/93)

Each agency, except the University of California, must distribute publications that it produces or are produced for the agency by the central copying service.  You must prepare 100 extra copies and distribute them as follows:

  1. Three copies to: The State Library, Government Publications Section.  (Only two copies of periodicals and annual reports need to be sent.)  These copies are needed right away so that the State Library can prepare its monthly list of new State publications without delay.
     
  2. One copy to: the other Complete Depository Libraries listed in Table 1 of this Chapter's Tables Appendix.
     
  3. One copy to: each Selective Depository Library that asks for the publication.  Your agency must keep a mailing list of all interested Selective Depository Libraries and other interested parties.
     
  4. Two copies to: the State Archivist.
     
  5. Two copies to: the Exchange and Gift Division, Monthly Checklist Section, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540.
     
  6. One copy to: the Research Librarian, Council of State Governments, Iron Works Pike, Lexington, Kentucky 40505.
     
  7. Copies to any other libraries that request them, until you exhaust the supply of copies.
If you get more requests for copies than you can supply, you should make sure that the Selective Depository Libraries receive their copies first.  If you have extra copies left over, you must keep them on hand for one year.

3126     DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED UNDER CONTRACT 
(Revised & Renumbered from 3122.3   2/93)

When your agency awards a contract for any publications that fall under the Library Distribution Act, you must have that contractor print and distribute the extra 100 copies described above in SAM Section 3125.  The extra 100 copies should be part of the original printing contract.

3130     PUBLICATIONS REPRESENTATIVES
(Revised & Renumbered from 3123   2/93) 

Each department, board or commission must assign one person as its "Publications Representative."  Each December 1st, your organization must send the name, mailing address and telephone number of your Publications Representative to the following:

  1. The Documents and Publications Unit of the Department of General Service's Office of Procurement.
     
  2. The Librarian at the Government Publications Section of the State Library.

If you are your Department's Publications Representative, you must set up and use procedures that comply with the Library Distribution Act.  Each of your published documents must state how to get a copy of the document.  This includes having on each document the name, mailing address, and telephone number of the agency that distributes the document.  You should try and place this information on the front or back of the title page.

If your publication is to be distributed according to the Library Distribution Act, you must indicate this on either the Printing Requisition–Invoice, STD. 67, or on the Reproduction Order, STD. 51.

3140     COORDINATION BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS
(Revised & Renumbered from 3124   2/93) 

The State Library's Government Publications Section is responsible for coordinating the distribution of printed and processed State publications.  It also prepares monthly lists of new State publications.

This Government Publications Section also helps your agency Publications Representative understand the rules and answer questions about the operation of a library distribution system.  It is not always easy to decide if a publication should be distributed or not.  This is especially true in the case of similar publications issued by different agencies.  If you have questions, you are encouraged to call the State Library.

3151     ANNUAL CORRECTION
(Reviewed 9/04) 

Section 14911 of the Government Code requires you to check and correct your mailing lists each year. You must do this to every mailing list and to all people on your mailing lists.  The only exception is for those lists that are made up for distribution of a publication that has been specifically defined by a different law.  You must carefully review each case where a name on a mailing list is at the request of the person or organization that receives the publication.  This Section of the Government Code does not apply to depository libraries.

You must use the same method to check your mailing lists that you use to send your publications to State agencies and officials, even if you do not use the U.S. mail to send the publications.

Each agency must provide its own forms and procedures to comply with the Government Code.  A sample post card design that you can use to check your mailing lists is shown in the Appendix at the end of this SAM Chapter.  When designing your own forms and publications, you must comply with the following rules.

  1. The publication must contain a notice to the Postmaster that return and forwarding postage is guaranteed.
     
  2. The publication must contain within it a separate verification card.  You should bind the card with the publication by use of a tear-off stub.  Since cards that are printed as part of a page are often overlooked, do not use this method.  Due to the high cost of postage, do not separately mail individual cards.
     
  3. The verification card must state that the mailing list will be purged once a year as required by state law.  The card must also have a place for the person to place a stamp when returning the card. This will help ensure that only those really interested in receiving the publication will stay on the mailing list.

3161     FREE DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLICATIONS
(Revised 2/93) 

Even if the Department of General Services Publications Section is selling your publications for your agency, you may give out the following types of documents, directly and for free for any of the following reasons:

1. You are distributing copies as required by the Library Distribution Act.  See SAM Sections 3120 and 3121.

2. You are giving the copies to other government agencies.

3. The copies are part of a package for which a license fee or other fee has already been paid.

4. You are giving the copies to the public, and the publication was designed and published to promote compliance with State laws.

5.  The publication provides information on issues of general statewide importance.

6. The publication provides answers to recurring questions at less cost than by repetitive specific correspondence.

Even though many publications may qualify for free distribution, you must try to keep a good balance between cost and benefits for all free distributions.

The DGS Office of Procurement, Publications Section, cannot give away publications free.  It must sell all publications in order to recover its distribution and printing costs.

FORMS:
Publications Consignment Request/Agreement, GSMS-9455                             (3100) A-1 & (3100) A-1 (Cont.1)

FIGURES:
Sample Mailing List Post Card                                                                                      (3100) AF-1

TABLES:
List of Complete Depository Libraries                                                                        (3100) AT-1

 
Updated : 6/11/2007