Government Documents in Small Libraries

Reeder, Charles Wells, 1884-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.0

Word count: 19K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Government Documents in Small Libraries by Charles Wells ReederAuthor: Reeder, Charles Wells, 1884-,Language: English, Class: Z: Bibliography, Library science, Release Date: Sep 7, 2008

Editor's review

This is a practical guide for small-library practitioners on collecting, organizing, and using government publications under limited collection size and staffing. Government documents are often free and information-dense, yet are neglected by small libraries because of complex cataloging and scattered sources; this book addresses that pain point with workable methods. Its value lies not in theoretical construction but in clearly explaining the approach and workflow for incorporating government documents into routine collection development. Today's readers should note that the institutional names, distribution channels, and physical formats discussed largely reflect the author's era and differ from current government information disclosure systems, so it is better treated as historical documentation and a reference for working ideas than as a manual to follow literally. Suitable as background reading for library and archives students and practitioners responsible for grassroots collection development.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Library and archives students needing to understand the practical tradition of government document management
Collection development heads at small public or community libraries
Researchers interested in the history of collecting and organizing government publications
Practitioners designing document resource plans for grassroots libraries

Not a good fit for

Practitioners seeking current government information disclosure procedures
General casual readers looking for light popular nonfiction
Beginners without a library science foundation

Reading tips

Read the contents and conclusion first to grasp the overall framework, then select specific chapters as needed.
Compare with your country's current government publication management system while reading, noting era differences.
Read alongside introductory library science textbooks to place the book's methods in disciplinary context.
The book is short; read it through once, then compile a summary note for work reference.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this book still have practical value today?

The specific institutions and distribution channels have changed over time, so its direct applicability is limited. But its core problem—how small libraries can systematically collect government documents with limited resources—remains relevant as an idea reference and historical background reading.

Can someone without a library science background understand it?

The book involves professional concepts such as cataloging and collection organization, which may be difficult without a foundation. Learn the basic library workflow first, or treat it as supplementary material for understanding the field rather than an introduction.

How difficult is the English?

The original is in English, an early professional style with formal but concrete sentences and vocabulary concentrated in library and administrative fields. Readers with general English reading ability and familiarity with relevant terminology can finish it smoothly.

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About the author

Reeder, Charles Wells, 1884- Author

Charles Wells Reeder (1884– ) was an American librarian; public information about his life, education, and career remains limited. One work by him is held in this catalog: Government Documents in Small Libraries. The title indicates his interest in how small and modestly staffed libraries organize and provide access to public information, particularly the collection, arrangement, and use of government publications. The book addresses the practical challenge of managing such materials with limited resources so that they can actually serve readers. Its style is straightforward and problem-oriented, resembling a working manual rather than a theoretical treatise. Such a work was useful to librarians of its time and offers later readers a glimpse of government-document services in early twentieth-century American small libraries.