| This study explores the conceptualizations of Web-based government publications by government agency staff and digital depository librarians. Previous research suggests the concept of government publications determines the inclusion of agency Web content in state-level digital depositories. Practices in a current popular digital depository model also show a shift in content selection from state agencies to state libraries, raising questions regarding the social consequences of the shifting selection power and the future of digital depository collections as historical record. These suggest the importance of studying the conceptualization of government publications in the Web environment. Inspired by genre theory, phenomenology, and grounded theory, this study explores two aspects of conceptualization: conceptualization as interpretations (RQ1) & conceptualization as processes (RQ2).; RQ1 employs phenomenology methods to compare and contrast the meanings of government publications as perceived by two groups: agency Web content managers ("WMs") versus library Web publications seekers ("seekers"). Analysis reveals eight structural dimensions underlying WMs' interpretations of government publications, and ten dimensions for seekers'. Of the eight WMs dimensions, "documentation & control" and "intended circulation" are two definitive dimensions accounting for WMs' distinction between "publications" and "non-publications." In contrast, none of the seekers dimensions is definitive; librarians strategically draw on the ten structural dimensions to conceptualize a government publication depending on situations and collection needs. Further, the "typology" dimension (the "publication types" of government publications) significantly affects librarians' conceptualization.; RQ2 uses grounded theory to examine how seekers conceptualize government publications in librarian-initiated publications discovery (LIPD) activities at four state digital depositories employing OCLC Digital Archive. Analysis shows that conceptualization varies from site to site: some states are relatively conservative in conceptualizing Web publications, while the others are more radical. This study develops a model to describe the LIPD activities and discusses how the conceptions of government publications mediate the LIPD processes.; The conclusion chapter discusses theoretical and practical implications of the findings, including government publications as social institutions and the problems of the current publications-centered approach in digital depositories---the effects of Web publications as "discrete objects," "bibliographic objects," and the "publicationization" of Web content.{09}Finally, it offers suggestions for future research. |
