Technical Services Department
Technical Services
- General Info
- Federal Depository Library Program
- Cataloging Assistance
- Book Lottery
- Gift Books
The Technical Services Department works behind the scenes to acquire materials for the North Dakota State Library’s collection and to prepare them to be accessed by patrons and other libraries.
This department is responsible for the acquisition of new materials in a variety of formats, including books, journals, and audio and video recordings, with special emphasis on acquiring materials produced by North Dakotans or about North Dakota. Technical services staff also handles the cataloging and processing of all new materials, including adding our bibliographic records and holdings to the ODIN and WorldCat online catalogs, assigning call numbers, and attaching labels and barcodes so items may be found on the shelves and checked out. The Technical Services Department works hard so the citizens of North Dakota can access the collections of the State Library, whether they are searching in the online catalog or seeking materials on our library’s shelves.
Check out the New Items at the North Dakota State Library.
The Technical Services Department manages, catalogs, and processes Federal Government publications received through the State Library’s participation in the Federal Depository Library Program. Through the FDLP, citizens have free access to United States government publications on a wide variety of topics, such as North Dakota and regional census information, agricultural statistics, and health and consumer information.If you need assistance with cataloging your library materials, assigning call numbers and subject headings, or have any cataloging-related questions or training needs, the State Library can help! Contact Elizabeth Jacobs, Head of Technical Services by email at ejacobs@nd.gov or by phone at (701) 328-4610 or 1-800-472-2104. For assistance in assigning Dewey Decimal numbers, please call 701-328-1860.
Our Book Lottery distributes withdrawn, duplicate, or gift items that are not added to our collection. Materials deemed in good enough condition and of sufficient value to give to other libraries are offered via the email listservs.
The North Dakota State Library accepts gift books from anyone willing to sign a donation form. The form stipulates that the material donated will either be added to State Library’s collection, transferred to another library within the state, or discarded. The Collection Development Committee makes the final decision for each item based on the criteria in the State Library’s collection development policy.