F e d e r a l D e p o s i t o r y L i b r a r y P r o g r a m ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program ------------------------------------------------------------------------ October 15, 2000 GP 3.16/3-2:21/14 (Vol. 21, no. 14) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Readers Exchange Best 100 Documents of the Century, 1900-1999 http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~rse/y2kdocs.htm At the Five State Depository Library Meeting in Flagstaff, AZ in August 2000, Sean Evans, of the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University (NAU), presented Gil Baldwin, Director of GPO's Library Programs Service, with a list of the "Best 100 Documents of the Century, 1900-1999." Librarians nationwide had been solicited for their nominations, which were then winnowed down to 100 by a 4-member panel. The nominations are available for viewing at . The following e-mail exchange between Baldwin and Evans sheds light on the list's background and on how it was compiled. BALDWIN: Who are the members of the esteemed panel? EVANS: Myself (Cline Library, Reference-Documents Specialist, Senior History Subject Specialist) Gary Gustafson (Cline Library, Reference History Subject Specialist) Janet Fisher (Arizona Regional Librarian) Dr. Charley Seavey, (Professor, School of Information Resources and Library Science, University of Arizona) Vince Garcia (Cline Library Specialist, Reference) also assisted us by pulling the nominees from our collection, and acted as tie breaker on a few titles. BALDWIN: What criteria were applied to select the best 100? EVANS: This was left as open as possible to find out what specific titles most affected folks without generating "proper" responses. It caused quite a few e-mails, but I think in the end we wound up with people's favorites (and that was fine) as well as titles which would stand the test of significance no matter how one defined that. Looking at the list, it is clear that micro-format was largely ignored, and CDs were treated more as a technological signpost rather than a viable format. I was very surprised that only one e-doc made the list. Folks did nominate across the serial-monograph divide with titles like the FR and CR. BALDWIN: Why and when did you decide to compile the list? EVANS: The notion was first kicked about on the road on the way back from the 1998 Arizona-New Mexico Depository Library Meeting, when my then supervisor Rebecca Harner (now at Colorado College, Colorado Springs) decided NAU would host the 2000 meeting. I think we were cruising through Gallup, NM at the time. It did not really take off however until the New York Times had the run of the best 100 novels of the century last year. That list convinced us that there were so many significant document titles that could be drawn into such a list that all ought to be read by people, perhaps just as the TIMES 100 ought to be. We began with a solicitation on GOVDOC-L, and our state listserv, AZDOC-L. We followed up with e-mails to the 5 State Regionals. We followed up a couple of times to each listserv to keep things moving. We actually completed the list of nominees about three weeks ago (we had quite a few "last minute" entries...). We worked hard here not to pre-load the list with our favorites. BALDWIN: Where was the list presented, and does it represent the views of the 5 states, or a wider geographic consensus? EVANS: Well, you were the first (and only) official presentee, and as to whose views it represents, I would hope that, as it drew from not only the 5-State region, but the rest of the country as well (via GOVDOC-L), that it does in fact represent a wider consensus, but who knows. Gary, Charley and I are all History folk, and that has probably skewed the list some. There were several regional titles that got in (like the Farmington Report), but others which we rejected just because they were regional. BALDWIN: How did you make the final cut down to 100? EVANS: Lots of beer. Actually, we looked at a combination of things: "test of time", relevance to history, "hot" documents, significant trend setter (whether topic or format), significance to the notion of "Madison's Vision" (if you will), and naturally the number of votes for any given title. We did have to do some interpretation--instead of listing individual significant court cases for example, we listed the U.S. Reports, and instead of individual volumes of the U.S. Army in WWII, we listed the set. Where we had similar documents listed, we selected a representative one, and finally, it really helped if individuals told us why they were nominating a title instead of simply providing a title. If you check out the nomination list, I think you will see some of the comments range from dead on, to humorous to strange, but at least they provided some depth to why the title wound up on our list. I think the significant thing is that this is not the end all of best documents lists, but it does resemble the opinions of those who responded (I would have to look over the nominations, but I would guess we had about 50 submitters). I would doubt that everyone who submitted will agree with the final list (especially if their title did not make the cut), but hopefully it would approximate their list of the 100 best if they complied one. R. Sean Evans Reference Specialist Senior-Government Publications Cline Library, Box 6022 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6022 Documents at the Millennium Best 100 Documents of the Century, 1900-1999 Listed below are the 100 best documents of this century as so judged by an esteemed panel of librarians, documents specialists and faculty. * A 1.10:938 Soils and Men (Yearbook of Agriculture). 1938 * A 1.47: Agricultural Statistics. 1936- * A 1.75:402 One Hundred Years of Federal Forestry. 1976 * AC 1.11/2: Documents on Disarmament. 1961-(previously classed S 1.117:945-960) * AE 1.108:G 94/ Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives V. 1-3 of the United States. 1995 * AE 2.113:945-89 Codification of Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders, 1945-1989. 1989 * AE 1.114: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States * AE 2.106: Federal Register. (daily) * AE 2.108: Code of Federal Regulations. (annual) 1955 * AE 2.108/2: United States Government Manual. * AE 2.111: United States Statutes at Large. * C 1.88: National Trade Data Bank. (monthly, CD-ROM) * C 3.62/10:90/5 1990 Population Density Map of the United States * C 3.134:(yr.) Statistical Abstract of the United States. (annual). Published since 1879 * C 3.134/2:C 83/2 County and City Data Book * C 3.134/2:H 62 Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970. 1975, in two volumes * C 3.279: TIGER/Line CD-TGR 97-02 * C 3.282/2:CD: 1990 Census of Population and Housing...STF 3-A. 1993- CD-ROM * C 55.8:G 51/997 Globe Program: Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (Teacher's Edition). 1997 * C 61.34: United States Industrial Outlook. (annual). 1984-1994. Now see C 61.48: U.S. Industry and Trade Outlook * CR 1.2:B 81/3 Twenty Years After Brown. 1977 * CR 1.2:F 22/2 The Farmington Report: A Conflict of Cultures. 1975 * D 1.2:N 23/ Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression. 1946, 8 vols. plus supplements * D 1.2:N 88/3 The Effects of Nuclear Weapons. Last printed in 1977 * D 101.22: Area Handbook Series * D 102.8: Trials of the War Criminals Before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals Under Control Council Law # 10, Nuremberg, October 1946-April 1949 * D 114.2:AR 5/4 American Armies and Battlefields in Europe. 1938, 1992 * D 114.2:B 32/ Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War: American Expeditionary Forces, 1931-1949. 3 volumes * D 114.8: The U.S. Army in World War II. Multi-volume * D American Practical Navigator: an Epitome of 203.22:9/rev/1962 Navigation. 1962 reprint of the 1802 classic * D 207.10:1-8 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. 1959- , 8 volumes * D 301.2:R 73 Roswell Report: Case Closed. 1997 * D 301.82: Army Air Forces in World War II. 1983. 7 vols * ED 1.2:N 21 A Nation at Risk: the Imperative for Educational Reform: a Report to the Nation and the Secretary of Education. 1983 * ED 1.109: Condition of Education. (annual) * ED 1.326: Digest of Educational Statistics. (annual) * FS 2.2:SM 7/2 Smoking and Health; Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General. 1964. Later at HE 20.2:SM 7/2 * FW 5.2:P 96/2 Public Buildings: Architecture Under the Public Works Administration, 1933-1939. 1940 * GP 3.2:C 41/2 Checklist of United States Public Documents, 1789-1909. 1911 * GS 4.13:1-28 Territorial Papers of the United States. 1934-1975 * GS 11.9/3: Consumer's Resource Handbook. (annual) * HE 20.6210: Vital Statistics of the United States. * HE 20.7009: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: MMWR. (weekly) * HE 20.7042/6: Health, United States. (annual) * HE 20.9202:IN 3 Infant Care. 1989 (50th year of publication * I 19.2:M 32/12 Maps for America. First printed in 1979 * I 19.2:N 21 A National Atlas of the United States. 1970 * I 19.16:1250 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens. 1981 * I 19.79:V 88/KIT Volcanoes! Course books and poster. 1997 * I 19.81: 7.5 Minute Topographic Map Series * I 19.165: Minerals Yearbook. (annual) * I 27.25:C 71 The Colorado River: A Comprehensive Report on the Department of the Water Resources of the Colorado River Basin for Irrigation, Power Production, and Beneficial uses in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. 1946 * I 29.2:P Kiva, Cross, and Crown: The Pecos Indians and New 35/540-840 Mexico, 1540-1840. 1979 * I 29.2:W 26 Warships Associated with World War II in the Pacific. 1985 * I 29.100: Conserv-o-grams * I 29.116:37 The Archeology of the Atomic Bomb: A Submerged Cultural Resources Assessment of the Sunken Fleet of Operation Crosswords at Bikini and Kwajalein Atoll Lagoons, Republic of the Marshall Island. 1991 * I 49.2:R 31/15 Our Living Resources. 1995 * I 49.36:5 Carson, Rachel. Guarding Our Wildlife Resources. 1948 * J 1.2:K 58 Report of the Department of Justice Task Force to Review the FBI Martin Luther King, Jr. Security and Assassination Investigations. 1977 * J 1.14/7: Uniform Crime Reports. * JU 6.8: United States Reports * L 2.3/4: Occupational Outlook Handbook. (annual) * LC 1.2:H 62/7 America Preserved: a Checklist of Historic Buildings, Structures, and Sites. 1995 * LC 1.2:P 56/5/ A Century of Photographs, 1846-1946. 1980 846-946 * LC 1.2:R 13/2 Railroad Maps of North America: the First Hundred Years. 1984 * LC 1.2:T 36/2 Thomas Jefferson and the Education of a Citizen. 1999 * LC 1.34: Letters of Delegates to Congress 1774-1789. 1976 * LC 5.2:L 26/999 Language of the Land: The Library of Congress Book of Literary Maps. 1999 * LC 14.2:D 56 Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations Requested from the Congressional Research Service. 1989 * NAS 1.21:SP-45 Mercury Project Summary Including Results of the Fourth Manned Orbital Flight, May 15 and 16, 1963. 1963 * NAS 1.21:380 Skylab Explores the Earth. 1977 * P 1.10/8: National Five Digit Zip Code and Post Office Directory. (annual) * PR 36.8:K 38 Hearings Before the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. 1964 * PR 40.8:SP 1/R Report of the Presidential Commission on the 29/ Space Shuttle Challenger Accident. 1986. 5 volumes * PR 42.8:R 11/H Final Report. Advisory Committee on Human 881 Radiation Experiments. 1995 * PR 42.9: Economic Report of the President. (annual, call number varies) * PREX 2.8: Budget of the United States Government. (annual) * PREX 3.15: The World Factbook. (annual) * S 1.1: Foreign Relations of the United States. 1861 * S 1.69:161 The Eagle and the Shield: a History of the Great Seal of the United States. 1976 * S 9.12: United States Treaties and Other International Agreements. * S 9.14: Treaties in Force. * SI 1.20/2: Handbook of North American Indians * W 2.2:J 27 Final Report: Japanese Evacuation from the West Coast. 1942 * W 45.5:1-130 War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I-IV. 1900 * X 1.1/A: Congressional Record (Daily Edition) * Serial Set 13133- Final Report of the Select Committee to Study 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, United States Senate. (The Church Committee Report), 1976 * Y 1.1/2:102-319 Columbus in the Capital. 1992 * Y 1.1/2:14152 The Constitution of the United States... Annotated. 1923 * Y 1.1/3:100-20 The Senate, 1789-1989: Addresses on the History of the United States Senate. 1989 * Y 1.1/3:100-34 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989. 1989. (Bicentennial Edition) * Y 1.1/3:101-10 Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States from George Washington 1789 to George Bush. 1999 * Y 3.AT 2:OP 5 In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer. 1954 * Y 3.OB 7:1/970 Report of the Commission on Obscenity and Pornography. 1970 * Y 3.P 96/7:2 OR 2 One Third of the Nation's Land, a Report to the President and to the Congress by the Public Land Law Review Commission. 1970 * Y 3.W 58/12:2 B Beauty for America: Proceedings of the White 38 House Conference on Natural History. 1956 * Y 4.SCI 2:103/I Astronauts and Cosmonauts Biographical and Statistical Data: Report. 1993 * Y 4.AR 5/2: United States Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967: Study V 67/3/945-67 Prepared by Department of Defense. (The Pentagon Papers), 1971 * Y 4:IN 2/2:L 44/ Indian Affairs; Laws and Treaties. 1913 * Y 4.P 93 Congressional Directory.