In the NRC's
Public Document Room (PDR),
located in the agency’s headquarters complex in Rockville, Md., no two
days are alike. From answering questions submitted by the public and NRC
staff, to assisting visitors with research projects, to locating
documents that are 30 years old (or more), to making sure that meeting
notices are posted for public view, life is never boring.
The
public can call, email, or walk in to use the PDR’s resources. Most
inquiries for documents are for those predating the year 2000. Using the
Legacy Library in
ADAMS,
the agency's document repository, we help users find the records for
over 2 million , documents stored on microfiche from both the NRC and
its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission. Once found, an
arrangement with our fee-based contractor can have the documents
reproduced either on paper or electronically.
For on-site visitors, our microfiche reader/printers can be used to print out any document.
Some
users need assistance with finding newer documents. We can help
navigate them through the ADAMS Public Library for these. An advantage
to the newer documents is that they are all available in PDF format, for
free, and can be viewed, downloaded or printed at a user's convenience.
On
occasion, we help on-site visitors with extensive research projects.
One group has come back to the PDR, once a month, for over a year,
browsing through microfiche documents and capturing information
necessary for their work.
In
addition to helping members of the public find NRC information, we
currently maintain the system that generates meeting notices for the
agency’s
Public Meeting Schedule.
Meeting notices are usually made available at least 10 days before the
actual meeting; some notices are posted months in advance.
Twice a year, we host meetings for the
ADAMS User Group,
made up of NRC staff who regularly use the system. The discussions
almost always include ways the NRC can improve ADAMS accessibility and
ease of use.
Some days are busier than others, but no two are alike. And we like it that way!
Adam Glazer
Technical Librarian
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