Child Welfare Information Gateway shares materials gathered from child welfare professionals that may be of interest to other professionals working with children and families across the country. While library staff have access to and collect materials from a variety of sources, they need help identifying appropriate, local-level resources that may support others in the field. By collecting and sharing these local materials, the library can help child welfare agencies across the country access a greater knowledge base that aids in policy development and practice improvement.
This page describes the following:
- What materials can I submit to the library?
- How can I submit materials to the library?
- What will Information Gateway do with the submitted materials?
1. What materials can I submit to the library?
Information Gateway library staff collect an assortment of child welfare literature that covers child maltreatment prevention, out-of-home care, adoption, and more. The following are examples of the types of materials we collect:
- Peer-reviewed articles
- Books
- Grantee final reports
- Training resources or curricula
- Program reports or evaluations
- Research papers
- Graphics; video or audio files
- Resource materials for families in English and/or Spanish
These materials come from a variety of sources, including national, State, or local child welfare organizations' websites; national conferences; and resources by Federal, State, and local governments. Materials not subject to copyright or to other distribution controls (i.e., contact author or distributor to download, purchase, or otherwise receive copies) are not required to be submitted by individuals or organizations that also have ownership of these materials.
Materials should be complete and in final form for distribution; Information Gateway does not distribute drafts. A professional should be able to use or adapt the material easily for their own use.
2. How can I submit materials to the library?
Send the following to: library@childwelfare.gov:
- Cover letter (as an attachment or in the body of the email) with the following:
- Title and date of the document and the name, address, and phone number of the agency, organization, or individuals that created the material
- Indication of funding from an outside group for the materials (e.g., foundation, State or Federal agency), if applicable
- Suggested citation for the product
- Information about where users can obtain a copy of the product (if copyrighted and not available via electronic distribution)
- If not copyrighted and not available via electronic distribution, indication of whether to contact author or distributor to download, purchase, or otherwise receive copies (if the author or distributor wishes to keep control of distribution)
- Electronic copy of the materials in PDF or Microsoft Office file formats (e.g., MS Word, MS PowerPoint). Please do not send Zip files as our network does not accept these files.
NOTE: Information Gateway highly recommends that you also put the suggested citation on either the first or second page of the materials you submit to further assist users in correctly citing your work.
If sending an electronic copy is not possible, mail a cover letter with a CD-ROM of the materials to the following address:
Child Welfare Information Gateway
ATTN: Library
9300 Lee Highway
Fairfax, VA 22031
Please note that copies cannot be returned.
3. What will Information Gateway do with the submitted materials?
Staff evaluate all new resources for scope, subject matter, and content to ensure they are relevant to our audiences and are in an appropriate format. Preparing materials for 508-compliance is highly recommended. Accepted items are abstracted, catalogued, and tagged with subject terms from the Information Gateway library's taxonomy of controlled subject headings to assist with searching and retrieval on the website.
The following are the actions Information Gateway can take with the materials once they are accepted and made available through the library:
- Distribute electronic documents free of charge to customers (e.g., through the Information Gateway website)
- Copy documents up to 8 ½ x 11 inches and send them to customers (only one copy of any copyrighted materials)
- Refer users to the author or distributor to download, purchase, or otherwise receive copies (if the author or distributor wishes to keep control of distribution)
The following are actions Information Gateway staff cannot take with the submitted materials:
- Copy and distribute anything other than a document (e.g., videotapes, audio tapes, CD ROMs, DVDs)
- Copy and distribute materials in color or larger than 8 ½ x 11 inches
- Make multiple copies of copyrighted works without permission
- Allow downloads of copyrighted works
- Sell materials for authors or distributors
Information Gateway staff thank you for your interest and support. Materials you share with us will advance knowledge exchange across the country and enhance the work of child welfare professionals.
If you have questions relating to this policy, please contact our library staff at library@childwelfare.gov.