Depositing State Publications - FAQ

Why should my state agency deposit publications with the State Library of Iowa?

• Iowa code 256.53 (State Publications) mandates that "upon issuance of a state publication in any format, a state agency shall deposit with the division [State Library] at no cost to the division, seventy-five copies of the publication or a lesser number if specified by the division, except as provided in section 2A.6". (five copies required currently)
• Ensure continued availability.
• Save space and staff resources.  The State Library will make your publications permanently available, at no charge to your agency. 

What type of publications should we deposit?

• Any publication created for use by citizens of Iowa: reports, newsletters, brochures, maps, research results, etc.
• Any format: paper, video, CD-Rom, DVD or digital.
• CAUTION: The publication you deposit should be the complete official version, regardless of format.  Occasionally the print version and the digital version differ since digital publications can also link to and have embedded materials print versions do not contain.

How many copies should we send?

• Send five copies of each non-digital publication, regardless of format.  This ensures there will be copies for preservation and use.
• Deposit digital documents in Iowa Publications Online (IPO), the digital depository.

Where should we send non-digital publications?

•    State Library of Iowa                                         State Library of Iowa

       State Documents Center           (or via local mail)   State Documents Center
       1112 Grand Ave.                                                 Miller Building
       Des Moines, IA 50319

What do you do with five copies?

• The State Library keeps two copies, one for the public to use and one to archive, we send two copies to the University of Iowa's depository and we send one copy to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Whom do we contact with questions about depositing non-digital publications at the State Library?

• Karen Kemnitz is available to answer your questions about depositing non-digital publications. Contact Karen by telephone at 515-281-6812 , 800-248-4483 or by email at karen.kemnitz@lib.state.ia.us.

How do we deposit digital documents?

• The Iowa Publications Online (IPO) depository is easy to access and use. To become a contributor you set up an account using the form on the Web site. After your account has been started, log-on and use the tools available in each private workspace to upload digital publications and to create some basic information about the publication (called metadata). Read more about becoming a contributor and depositing digital publications into IPO.

Whom do we contact with questions about depositing digital publications at the State Library?

• Margaret Noon is available to answer your questions about depositing digital publications. Contact Margaret by telephone at 515-281-4315, 800-248-4483 or by email at margaret.noon@lib.state.ia.us.