Administrative Notes 

Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

Vol. 24, no. 07 GP 3.16/3-2:24/07 June 15, 2003 

HIGHLIGHTS

GPO/OMB 

Agreement on

Printing 1

Benefits of FDLP 

on Web 4 

Council Video 4 

Item Selection 

Update 5

NET Searching 

Improved 5 

Alert Service for 

Sales 6

2003 Workstation 

Specifications 7 

Remarks /

Russell 13 

Appropriations

Remarks /

James 20

Readers 

Exchange: 

Spanish 24 

Readers 

Exchange: 

Promotion 25 

LPS Contacts 27 

GPO and OMB Reach Innovative 

New Solution for Federal Printing 

GPO and the Office of Management and Budget announced a new printing 

procurement agreement on June 6, 2003. Under the agreement, OMB will 

choose a single Federal agency for a one-year demonstration project which 

will begin in October 2003. GPO will establish contracts that allow the 

participating agency to purchase printing services directly from a variety 

of contractors. A "win-win" solution, these contracts will allow the 

agency more flexibility in contracting for printing while reducing the 

number of fugitive documents. 

Public access to Government information should be enhanced by 

improving compliance with the requirements of Title 44 U.S. Code. The 

agreement provides a long-sought compliance mechanism by making the 

provision of print and electronic copies to the Superintendent of 

Documents a requirement for payment of the printing contractor. GPO's

news release and the text of the GPO-OMB "compact" follow. 

GPO News Release 

June 6, 2003 

Public Printer of the United States Bruce R. James and Office of 

Management and Budget Director Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. today jointly 

announced an innovative agreement that will free executive branch 

agencies to choose their own printers while saving taxpayer dollars. The 

agreement will also empower the GPO to maximize public access to 

Federal information. 

"Today's announcement is a victory for the American taxpayer," said 

OMB Director Daniels. "It builds on a competitive experiment that led 

GPO to print this year's Federal budget at a savings of 23 percent. Federal 

agencies will now be empowered to select printers that provide the best 

deal for the taxpayers' dollar. At the same time, this agreement strikes a 

blow against the long-standing 'fugitive documents' problem, in which 

roughly half of all government documents currently do not make it into the 

Federal Depository Library Program." 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

"We are extraordinarily pleased to join in this 

agreement with OMB," said Public Printer 

James. "It frees Federal agencies to 

competitively choose their own printers and 

creates a system to provide the American 

public with better access to more government 

information than ever before. The 

government is now moving the way private 

sector has been moving, relying increasingly 

on electronic information technology to 

create and disseminate information products. 

The agreement we've reached with OMB 

recognizes this trend by using technology to 

increase public access to information while 

providing a system for efficiently managing 

the buying of the government's declining 

printing needs, within the framework of 

current law." 

"On behalf of researchers and library users in 

all types of libraries, the American Library 

Association welcomes ideas that can improve 

permanent public access to government 

information, eliminate fugitive documents, 

and enhance the Federal Depository Library 

Program (FDLP). We believe this agreement 

will lead to more and better access to the 

important information published by the 

Federal government," said Dr. Carla Hayden, 

the incoming President of the American 

Library Association and Director of the 

Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, 

Maryland. 

Private sector printers also welcomed the 

joint announcement. Ben Cooper, Executive 

Vice President of Printing Industries of 

America, said, "The Printing Industry of 

America is pleased with the agreement that 

the GPO and OMB have worked out to 

address Federal printing and print 

procurement. We have worked closely with 

OMB and Public Printer James on a new print 

procurement model and we believe this 

announcement marks a new era in Federal 

printing policy and information distribution. 

We look forward to working with GPO 

during this transition period to assure the 

industry serves the taxpayers' needs. 

________________________ 

COMPACT

between the Office Of Management and 

Budget and the U.S. Government Printing 

Office 

The Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) and the U.S. Government Printing 

Office (GPO) share certain common goals. 

Both agencies seek to develop a mechanism

that will allow Federal agencies direct access 

to printing vendors for the purpose of placing 

printing orders, while at the same time 

enabling the GPO to meet its statutory 

requirements. Both agencies seek to reduce 

the cost of Federal printing and to ensure the 

permanent public access to all non-classified 

government publications. 

In furtherance of these goals OMB and GPO 

agree to take the following steps: 

By October 1, 2003, GPO will develop a 

demonstration print procurement contract, 

similar to a GSA Federal Supply Schedule, 

for a Federal department or agency of OMB's 

choosing. The contract will feature a frontend electronic system utilizing the World 

Wide Web that will allow Federal customers 

a one-stop, integrated, print ordering and 

invoicing system for all print jobs. Any 

registered printer in the country would be free 

to submit a price quote on any job placed in 

the system. The Federal customer would then 

select a printer, using either lowest price or 

best value techniques. 

In support of this contract, GPO will register 

and qualify printers for participation in the 

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AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

contract and offer 24/7 customer and printer 

support. In addition, GPO will offer, on a cost 

recovery basis, additional printing 

procurement services, including 

responsibility determination, specification 

development, technical and design assistance 

and press inspections. 

Agencies will have authority to address issues 

of quality, time of delivery, and other 

performance issues directly with the printers 

they select. Payments will be routed through 

GPO to private printers, with agencies

approving them before they are made. 

Vendors participating in the contract would 

pledge to provide their "most favored 

customer pricing" to Federal customers and 

offer a 3% trade discount, during the 

demonstration project, to fund the operating 

costs of the contract. The amount of the trade 

discount once deployed government wide 

will be reviewed for possible future

reduction. The Superintendent of 

Documents, at its expense, will continue to 

have access to publications produced under 

this contract for public distribution. As a 

condition of payment, vendors would be 

required to provide GPO with one electronic 

version of every document ordered under the 

contract in a format acceptable to GPO and 

two paper copies, in order to meet the 

requirements of Chapter 19 of Title 44. U.S. 

Code. 

To ensure that agency printing work is 

channeled through the new competitive 

procurement process, the Executive Branch 

will substantially limit the circumstances 

where agencies may rely on in-house or other 

Executive Branch printing operations. OMB 

will seek audits and, where appropriate, 

review by Inspectors General. 

A demonstration project will begin in 

FY2004, and the competitive procurement 

process will be deployed government-wide in 

FY2005. 

OMB and GPO will work with the FAR 

Council to ensure that appropriate regulatory 

changes are made to reflect these new 

arrangements. 

Get Fast-breaking News on GPO-FDLP-L - the 

Exclusive Vehicle for Official FDLP Announcements

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Fast! 

Timely! 

Official! 

To subscribe, go to <http://listserv.access.gpo.gov/>. Click on <Online 

Mailing List Archives>. Click on <GPO-FDLP-L>. Click on <Join or 

leave the list> and follow the instructions. 

3 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

New Web Page Shows Benefits of FDLP 

www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/staywiththeprogram.html 

To document the benefits to libraries of being 

in the Federal Depository Library Program

(FDLP), the Library Programs Service (LPS) 

has launched a new "Stay With The Program" 

campaign. A variety of materials are 

available on a new Web page, at the URL 

noted above. The campaign was coordinated 

with the Depository Library Council's 

Operations Committee, Subcommittee on 

Attrition and Retention (SOAR). 

This site includes links to 2 new SOAR 

publications: “Suggested Responses to 

Frequently Cited Reasons for Leaving the 

Depository Library System,” and “Benefits of 

Being a Federal Depository Library.” A 

discussion of benefits from a public library 

perspective, presentations at Depository 

Library Council meetings and at Federal 

Depository Library conferences, discussions 

of costs and savings resulting from

participation in the program, and substantive 

messages posted to the GOVDOC-L 

discussion list are also included. 

Additional materials will be added as they 

become available. LPS encourages anyone in 

or out of the FDLP community to submit 

additional material to this resource, via a 

form on the Web page. LPS will post all 

appropriate and useful submissions.

Council Meeting Video Now Showing on 

GPO Access 

A video showing a portion of the Spring 2003 

meeting of the Depository Library Council to 

the Public Printer is now available for 

viewing on GPO Access, at 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/co

uncil/sp03dlc_videos.html>. The videotaping 

was undertaken as a pilot project to bring the 

Council deliberations to a wider audience. 

The Council meeting was held in Reno, NV, 

on April 6-9. The video was taken on 

Monday, April 7. The Public Printer, Bruce 

James, asked the Council and the entire 

depository community to visualize a new 

Federal information dissemination process to 

meet the government information needs of 

the general public and the depository libraries 

in the 21st century. Animated discussion on 

“Visualizing the Depository Library of the 

Future” then ensued. As the participants 

contemplated a future in which almost all 

government information would be in digital 

form, questions and debates arose on a wide 

range of issues. 

A link for downloading RealPlayer, if 

needed, is provided on the Web page. 

An e-mail form for questions or comments is 

available at 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/co

uncil/sp03dlc_videos.html>, or send your 

comments to <asklps@gpo.gov>. 

4 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

5 

Add Titles to Your Item Selection Profile! 

Annual Opportunity Ends July 31 

During the Annual Item Selection Update Cycle, libraries have the opportunity to add titles 

to their item selection profiles. The Fiscal Year 2004 Update Cycle is being conducted from 

June 2, 2003 through July 31, 2003. 

Use the Amendment of Item Selections Web form at: 

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/amendment.html 

Complete details and instructions about the Update Cycle are at: 

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/updatein.html 

Please send any questions or comments to: asklps@gpo.gov 

Search and Retrieval Improved for 

New Electronic Titles (NET) 

Several questions from depository libraries 

experiencing problems with the monthly New 

Electronic Titles (NET) lists “changing” 

prompted the Library Programs Service 

(LPS) to take a closer look at the service. 

Due to the increasing numbers of cataloging 

records for electronic publications produced 

by the LPS, improvements in the NET search 

and retrieval capabilities were necessary. 

The search by month has been changed to a 

shorter length of time. The server is now able 

to retrieve more precise search results more 

reliably. 

Records cataloged from January through June 

2003 are now available from the “new” New 

Electronic Titles Web page, which is located 

at: 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/locators

/net/index.html>. The NET page for 2002 

was changed as well and it is available in the 

NET Archive. 

Users may receive unexpected results from 

this “fix” when the cataloging date query 

matches a system-generated publication ID 

number (used as the suffix in the SuDocs 

number for online monographs). These 

records are easily identifiable, because the 

search elements appear in boldface. 

Example: 

The CGP searches for electronic 

publications cataloged between January 

1-19, 2003 (2003011* AND http) and 

retrieves: 

The Nigerian scam : costly compassion. 

[electronic resource] :. [2002] United 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

States. FT 1.32/4:2003011325. [[0535-

A-05 (online)]]. 

http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS297

27

A look at the <005> field in the full record 

shows this publication was cataloged on May 

16, 2003. It was retrieved, however, because 

2003011325 matches the cataloging search 

query, 2003011*, which represents January 

1-19, 2003. 

Overall, the new search mechanism for NET 

significantly improves results. LPS looks 

forward to providing even more precise 

bibliographic access to Federal publications

when an OPAC is installed. In the meantime, 

please send any NET or CGP questions to 

askLPS via the Web inquiry form at: 

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tool

s/asklpsin.html

Email Alert Service Available for 

New Sales Documents 

New Titles by Topic is a free service that 

allows you to receive e-mail updates of 

selected new publications available for sale 

from the Superintendent of Documents. The 

notification lists cover a number of popular 

subject areas, and you may sign up for any or 

all of them. When you sign up for a list, you 

will receive updates on new titles as soon as 

they are available for purchase. 

To sign up, go to 

<http://bookstore.gpo.gov/alertservice.html> . 

Please send any questions or comments to: 

<gpoaccess@gpo.gov> or online at 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/amail00

1.shtml?bookstore/index.html>. 

6 
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7 

2003 Recommended Specifications for 

Public Access Workstations 

in Federal Depository Libraries 

These recommended specifications (RS) are 

intended to assist depository librarians who 

are planning purchases of new personal 

computers (PCs) for public use in Federal 

depository libraries. This document 

supersedes the Federal Depository Library 

Program (FDLP) "Recommended 

Specifications for Public Access 

Workstations in Federal Depository 

Libraries" (Administrative Notes, v. 23, no. 8, 

June 15, 2002). 

In accordance with Depository Library 

Council action at its Spring 2000 meeting, 

these RS will become requirements October 

1, 2004. 

RECOMMENDED NEW WORKSTATION 

CONFIGURATION

COMPUTER 

Processor 

Intel chip, 2.25 GHz Pentium 4 or 

comparable AMD Athlon (Athlon XP 

2200 if using Windows XP as an 

operating system) processor 

minimum. 

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 

3 GHz processor minimum 

Memory (DDR SDRAM - Double Data 

Rate Synchronous Dynamic RAM) 

512 MB (expandable) minimum. 

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 

1 GB DDR SDRAM 

Ports 

One (1) Serial 

Two (2) Universal Serial Bus (USB), 

2.0 standard 

One (1) Parallel 

One (1) P/S-2 Mouse 

One (1) SVGA Video (If video is 

built into system board.) 

One (1) IEE1394 Firewire port 

One (1) Ethernet port if connecting 

the computer to a networked printer 

I/O bus 

PCI. Should have at least four 

available PCI or shared PCI/ISA slots 

after system is configured for 

delivery. 

Video 

64 or 128 bit PCI interface SVGA 

controller. Should come with 16MB 

Windows RAM (WRAM) or Video 

RAM (VRAM), and be expandable. 

Recommend the selected device 

provide MPEG hardware acceleration. 

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 

64 or 128 bit PCI interface SVGA 

controller with 128 MB DDR VRAM. 

Audio 

Sound Blaster PCI64 sound card or 

compatible 

DRIVES AND STORAGE 

Hard Disk Drive 

80 gigabytes (GB) capacity or greater, 

partitioned into smaller drives for 

quicker access time. EIDE (enhanced 

integrated drive electronics) interface 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

that conforms to the ATA/100 

specification. Rotational speed of 

7,200 rpm. 4MB cache memory. 

Consider additional hard drive space 

(160GB) for online video use, to 

increase the number of CDs that can 

be installed or to allow for electronic

files to be stored. 

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 

160 GB or greater capacity, or 

network connectivity that provides the 

same. 

Removable/External Storage 

Do not assume that new computers 

have 1.44 MB drives for 3.5" floppy 

disks. Many manufactures do not 

provide these drives unless 

specifically ordered. GPO still 

distributes this format and many 

library patrons still use these disks. 

See “Related Issues and 

Considerations” below for more 

information.

DVD Drive 

8x minimum, 16x speed 

recommended. Ensure compatibility 

with CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, 

DVD-ROM, DVD-Rs. Alternatively, 

a DVD-CD combo: 16x DVD/48x CD 

ROM. 

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 

16x DVD. Single platter or changer 

design. Should support all available 

standard CD formats. Avoid 

proprietary I/O designs. 

CD-RW Drive 

Most new systems now come

equipped with a CD-RW drive. Look 

for rotational speeds of 24x10x40 

(write/rewrite/read). Needed for 

downloading files too large to fit on a 

regular floppy or for larger scale 

backup. The average user is more like 

to have a CD reader than a Zip or Jaz 

drive. Make sure the drive comes 

with some sort of MPEG-2 encoding 

software. 

See “Related Issues and 

Considerations” below for more 

information.

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC USE: 

48X24X48X 

PERIPHERALS 

Monitor 

17" Super VGA (SVGA) Multimedia 

monitor with a dot pitch range 

between .22 to .27 mm. Look for a 

high refresh rate of at least 60MHz. 

Consider flat panel (15" or larger) for 

staff or in public areas with limited 

space. The dot pitch is not an issue 

with LCD monitors but, rather, look 

for a viewing angle of at least 140 

degrees. 

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 

21" monitor, Super VGA (SVGA), 

with at least 85 MHz vertical refresh 

rate at 1024x768 resolution noninterlaced, 0.28 mm or smaller dot 

pitch; display card which supports 

1024x768 resolution at 70 MHz or 

faster. 

 Printer 

Ink Jet or laser printer. Must support 

PostScript. 16MB of memory, 

minimum. More is recommended if 

the printer is not host-based or if 

using color. Consider purchasing a 

color printer for clearer output of 

color maps and graphical 

representations. If the printer is 

8 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

shared among workstations look for a 

minimum of 32MB of memory. 

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 

Color ink jet printer, 36", 600 dpi, 80 

MB or more memory, or access to a 

comparable networked printer 

Keyboard and Pointing Device 

Microsoft-compatible keyboard, plus 

mouse or other compatible device. 

Stronglyrecommend ergonomicallydesigned products. 

 Internet Connectivity 

Local Area Network with TCP/IP. 

10/100 MB Ethernet network 

interface card (Strongly 

Recommended) 

or 

Broadband connections such as 

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or 

Cable 

SOFTWARE 

 Operating System 

Most new computers with a 

Windows-based operating system

come preinstalled with either

Windows NT, 2000 or Windows XP. 

XP Home and XP Professional have 

security and virus protection features 

well suited for public access 

workstations. 

Client Software 

World Wide Web graphical browser 

with forms support. Java-enabled 

browsers such as Internet Explorer 4 

or Netscape Navigator 4 or greater are 

required for use of some online 

databases. IE 5.5 or Netscape 6.2 are 

recommended. 

It is recommended that workstations 

have virus protection software 

installed and regular updates 

scheduled. 

 Viewers 

WWW graphical browser (see above) 

that handles both GIF and JPEG 

graphics. Viewers for other formats 

such as tiff, wpd, doc, xls, dbf, mdb, 

and pdf should also be available. 

Later versions of pdf viewers have a 

search capability. Adobe Acrobat 

Reader 5.0 supports assistive screen 

readers. A multimedia player(s) to 

access rm, mpeg, avi and mov 

formats. 

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 

GEOTIFF file viewer. Viewing 

software for raster data, such as Photo 

Shop Pro, Print Shop or Mr. Sid 

Viewer. 

 Applications Software 

If the library offers services that

require applications software, 

consider an integrated "office suite" 

product such as Microsoft Office, 

Corel WordPerfect Office or Lotus 

SmartSuite. Otherwise: 

Database 

dBASE file format compatible or 

dBASE and ASCII comma 

delimited file importing database 

management software; useful to 

have fixed field format (SDF) 

importability. 

Spreadsheet 

Lotus .WK1 file format 

compatible software; support for 

other formats such as Excel and 

Quattro Pro. 

Word Processing 

9 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

Software (Microsoft Word, 

WordPerfect, WordPro, etc.) 

capable of importing major text 

file formats, e.g., ASCII text and 

RTF files. 

Mapping Software 

• FOR CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE: 

Data manipulation package, such as 

ArcView 3.1 or higher, Landview, 

MapInfo 4.5 or higher, or other 

similar package. 

RELATED ISSUES AND CONSIDERATIONS

These specifications are intended to assist 

depository staff in making informed 

purchases that will best achieve the goal of 

providing public access to Federal 

Government information in a variety of 

electronic formats. 

These guidelines are aimed at providing 

reasonably robust workstations that should 

provide years of service before they become

obsolete, but LPS encourages the purchase of 

equipment that exceeds these specifications if

at all economically feasible. The speed at 

which computer capabilities are evolving 

indicates that the higher the initial outlay, the 

longer the useful life for the equipment. If a 

higher end system is not affordable, look for 

flexibility and expandability in the system

that will allow for enhancements and 

upgrades at a later date. As these guidelines 

address minimums, ensure compatibility 

among chosen components before 

purchasing. 

Depository libraries must have computer 

equipment sufficient to allow timely and 

equitable public access to Government 

electronic information products and should 

allow printing or downloading information 

selected by the user. During a depository 

library inspection LPS will use a functional 

approach to determine compliance with this 

requirement. 

3.5 and 5.25 floppy drives: If your library 

still has depository materials on 3.5" and 

5.25" floppy disks, you must have the 

equipment for patrons to access these 

products. Alternatively, depository libraries 

may “substitute” floppies in their collection 

for online editions located at the CIC 

Government Publications Task Force Floppy 

Disk Project (FDP), hosted by Indiana 

University Library in partnership with 

Library Programs Service. The site is located 

at: 

http://www.indiana.edu/~libgpd/mforms/flop

py/floppy.html. Check online holdings prior 

to substituting. If the FDP does not have the 

title you wish to substitute, you must provide 

access to the product by maintaining older 

equipment or converting these products to a 

new platform. 

LPS works with the Cartographic Users 

Advisory Council (CUAC) to develop any 

additional specifications that support GIS 

applications. These are included in the 

recommendations with the indicator ● FOR 

CARTOGRAPHIC DATA USE. All 

depositories are not required to meet the 

cartographic specifications. They are meant 

to assist with planning purchases for those 

libraries that support and provide data 

services using spatial data and GIS 

applications. The "regular" specifications 

will allow for basic mapping applications. 

Census maps will be available in multiple 

formats, including PDF, so large-scale 

equipment will not be necessary, though 

consideration should be given to purchasing a 

color printer.

Viewers versus full working versions of 

applications software: If viewers are 

available on computers to allow access to 

10 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

11 

Government information in the various 

formats this is acceptable and the library will 

meet the minimum technical requirements. 

While providing applications software and/or 

staff support to help patrons manipulate data 

or create reports is desirable, it is optional. 

This position is consistent with Depository 

Library Public Service Guidelines For 

Government Information in Electronic 

Formats at: 

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/mgt/

pseguide.html. 

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 

(August 7, 1998) amended §508 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require 

“individuals with disabilities, who are 

members of the public seeking information or 

services from a Federal department or 

agency, have access to and use of information 

and data that is comparable to that provided 

to the public who are not individuals with 

disabilities.” Federal depository libraries 

must provide hardware and software to allow 

this or accommodate users in some other 

manner. Electronic and Information 

Technology Accessibility Standards; Final 

Rule was published in the December 21, 2000 

(pp. 80499-80528) issue of the Federal 

Register and became effective June 21, 2001. 

Further guidance on these issues is available 

from: 

http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm

http://www.usability.gov/accessibility

http://www.section508.gov

http://www.rit.edu/~easi/index.htm

CD-RW drives can be purchased as either 

internal or external drives. With a CD-RW 

the discs can be reused, unlike those of the 

CD-R that can only be used once. The other 

major difference between CD-Rs and CDRWs is that CDs created from a CD-R can 

sometimes be read in older CD-ROM drives 

while those created from a CD-RW can only 

be read from MultiRead drives. This is 

something to consider particularly if you are 

creating circulating copies and want to meet 

the needs of most of your users. Be sure to 

check compatibility with your operating 

system. 

LPS cannot anticipate or address every 

possible depository library computer 

scenario, and depository libraries are 

encouraged to adapt this menu of 

specifications to fit their local situations. 

Depositories may require multi-purpose 

single workstations, electronic access in 

networked environments, or a combination of 

both. Given the large variation in the size of 

Federal depository libraries and the numbers 

of users served, LPS cannot recommend a 

universal standard for the number of public 

access workstations in any given library. 

However, when assessing workstation needs, 

librarians should consider such local factors 

as: 

• the amount of information provided 

over the Internet compared with the 

amount from CD-ROM 

• whether and how the workstations are 

networked 

• to what extent users are permitted to 

perform additional information 

processing at the public access 

workstations 

• whether users are experiencing 

extended waiting times at library peak 

service hours, etc. 

When configuring workstations bear in mind 

that some government CD-ROM products 

link to the web to update information on the 

CD-ROM. This means that for the user to get 

the newer information and the full benefit of 

the product at least one workstation must 

have both CD-ROM capability and Internet 

accessibility with a graphical browser. 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

Additional or different capabilities may be 

desirable for workstations used by library 

staff. Some libraries may elect to add 

applications software, such as spreadsheet, 

word processing, or database software, to 

their public access workstations, but this is a 

local resource management decision. 

Many depository libraries have existing 

computer equipment that is no longer "state 

of the art." These specifications should not 

be applied retrospectively to existing 

equipment, although they may assist in 

determining the appropriate time for 

replacement or upgrading. Libraries should 

also consider keeping this equipment in order 

to access electronic products that cannot be 

read with newer hardware and software. 

For additional information, or if you have any 

questions about these specifications, please 

contact Cynthia Etkin, Program Analyst, at 

cetkin@gpo.gov or by voice at 202-512-

1114. 

Related Guidelines 

• “Depository Library Public Service 

Guidelines for Government 

Information in Electronic Formats,” 

Administrative Notes, v. 19, #11 

(September 15, 1998). Revised 

March 2003. 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/

fdlp/mgt/pseguide.html> 

• “FDLP Internet Use Policy 

Guidelines,” Administrative Notes, v. 

20, #2 (January 15, 1999). 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/

fdlp/mgt/iupolicy.html> 

• “FDLP Guidelines on Substituting 

Electronic for Tangible Versions of 

Depository Publications,” 

Administrative Notes, v. 20, #09 

(May 15, 1999). 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/

fdlp/coll-dev/subguide.html> 

12 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

Remarks by Judy Russell 

Superintendent of Documents 

Before the Association for Research Libraries 

May 15, 2003 

Lexington, KY 

I’m delighted to be here with you today. I 

very much appreciate your hospitality and the 

effort that Prue Adler made to arrange this 

opportunity for me to speak with you. It is an 

exciting time to return to GPO, and I am truly 

honored to be the second librarian and first 

woman Superintendent of Documents. 

Many of you are directors of Federal 

depository libraries. My staff tells me that 

104 of the ARL libraries are depository 

libraries. In addition, 22 of you are directors 

of regional depository libraries, which receive 

and keep every government publication that 

GPO distributes. I am sure that even those of 

you who are from libraries that are not part of 

the Federal Depository Library Program have 

staff and clients who use GPO Access and 

other services of the Government Printing 

Office. I hope some of you use GPO Access 

yourselves. 

Knowing that some of you are from Canada, I 

asked my staff for some data on use that 

originates there. Each month, there are 

thousands of visitor sessions from Canada 

and referrals from websites using the country 

code for Canada. At present it is only about 

1% of our total traffic, but it is growing – and 

obviously, there are very likely many more 

sessions and referrals that cannot be easily 

identified as Canadian in origin. 

We are very proud that GPO Access is a 

worldwide resource, delivering an average 37 

million government documents per month to 

its users. 

I know that Prue has shared with each of you 

a summary of our recent Depository Library 

Council meeting in Reno, Nevada, which 

focused on the future of the Federal 

Depository Library Program. This is a time 

of great change for GPO and for the FDLP. 

Practically from the moment we shipped the 

first CD-ROM to a depository library, we 

have discussed and debated the future of the 

program and how we would meet the 

challenges of a more electronic FDLP. 

We have all learned a lot in the intervening 

years. Together GPO and its partner libraries 

have managed unprecedented changes in the 

program. But our work is far from over. The 

greatest challenges remain ahead of us. 

The new Public Printer, Bruce James, has 

challenged us to look at ourselves critically 

and evaluate the changes that we must make 

to prepare for the future. To do that, he has 

embarked on what he characterizes as a "fact 

gathering" effort to determine where GPO is 

now and to identify our assets and liabilities. 

Even more importantly, he has asked us to 

talk with our partners in the publishing 

agencies and the library community to see 

where they expect to be in the future and 

what services they will require from GPO. 

Once we all agree on the facts, we will work 

together to develop a plan for the future, 

including any necessary revisions to Title 44, 

and I am sure that some revisions will be 

required. 

This process is likely to take 18 to 24 months, 

although we wish it could be shorter. In 

addition to librarians and publishing agencies, 

13 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

we must involve our employees, the 23 

unions that represent them, the printing and 

information industries, and others with an 

interest in and concern for permanent public 

access to government information. There are 

a lot of people to be consulted. 

Bruce frequently says that he did not come to 

Washington to run a printing plant. He came 

to address the challenges of public access to 

government information. He sees GPO's 

primary mission as information management 

and dissemination, with printing as one way 

to accomplish that mission, but by no means 

the only way. 

He frequently marvels at the wisdom of the 

Founding Fathers, who in 1813 created the 

initial law requiring the deposit of Federal 

government information throughout the 

country. To guard against the potential for a 

tyrannical central government, they insured 

that all citizens could exercise their rights to 

know about the actions of their government 

and at the same time benefit from the

information compiled and created by their 

government. Their vision created a system

that has lasted almost 200 years and has 

served us very well. 

However, that system was created before 

modern means of transportation and 

communication – before automobiles, trains, 

airplanes changed our ability to move rapidly 

from one part of the country to another; 

before radio, television and the Internet 

transformed the way we obtain and share 

information instantaneously. 

Our challenge is to re-examine the mission of 

the Federal Depository Library Program and 

ensure that there is a viable program for the 

next hundred years that acknowledges and 

utilizes the new technologies to support 

democracy and inform our users. It is a lofty, 

but achievable goal and one that is well worth 

the effort that it will require to shape it. 

Each of your institutions has an important 

role to play in the process. GPO is not going 

to redesign the program in Washington and 

impose a new structure on the depository 

library community. GPO administers the 

program on behalf of the participating 

libraries and the public we jointly serve. That 

community must drive the decisions about 

what the program should be in the future. We

cannot do it without you – and, even if we 

could, we do not want to, or intend to, do it 

without you. 

Together we must re-examine the services 

that GPO provides to the public directly and 

through the depository libraries. We must 

define the services that are required now and 

in the future to support the mission. We must 

address the fundamental question that we 

have been asking each other since 1995: Why 

be a depository library when you can obtain 

"everything" (or virtually everything) free on 

the Internet without being part of the 

program?

We must “get out of the box” and take a fresh 

look at the mission we share and determine 

the best means to accomplish it. We should 

not limit ourselves to incremental changes to 

the current system, but seek a new vision, 

which respects the foundation of the current 

program, but is not constrained by it. 

We are rapidly approaching a critical time in 

the program. The FDLP has always been a 

delicate balance between the self-interest of

the library in obtaining publications without 

cost and the public interest in access to the 

information. This year only 40% of the titles 

selected for inclusion in the FDLP will be

shipped in paper, microfiche or some other 

tangible format. 60% will be made available 

on GPO Access or through links to electronic 

14 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

publications on agency or other websites. 

The trend is clear and the change is 

accelerating. The balance on the scales is 

tipping dangerously. Within a few years, 

perhaps as few as five, there will be very few 

tangible products distributed to depository 

libraries, other than those that we collectively 

decide to preserve in paper. 

Together we must determine what services 

GPO can offer exclusively to depository 

libraries that will be sufficient to keep

libraries in the program when they can obtain 

"everything" free on the Internet. We must 

identify services that are of value of you as 

library directors. I know that you are 

challenged daily to accomplish more with 

fewer resources. The depository libraries 

represented in this room invest far more 

resources in the Federal Depository Library 

Program than GPO does – some past 

estimates suggest that each of your libraries 

spends $10 for each $1 worth of publications 

you receive, and that may be conservative. 

We must find a way to rebalance the scales so 

that libraries are willing to continue to 

expend resources on public access to 

government information. 

Let me share with you some of the things that 

we are working on that may be part of the 

solution.

We often hear user concerns for "official" and 

"authentic" government information. There 

is a great need for information that is reliable 

because it is from a trusted source. 

GPO is negotiating a Memorandum of 

Understanding (MOU) with the National 

Archives and Records Administration 

(NARA). This contract will make GPO an 

official “archival affiliate” and all of the GPO 

Access databases will be considered the 

official archival copies, as if they had been 

transferred to NARA, but GPO will continue 

to maintain them for permanent public 

access. 

At the same time, GPO is preparing to 

implement digital signatures on 

Congressional bills, Federal Register 

documents and eventually on all GPO Access 

files. These digital signatures will allow 

future users of downloaded files to determine 

that the files are unchanged since they were 

“authenticated” by GPO. 

Pilot Projects 

As I mentioned, Bruce James has indicated 

that the first year of his term as Public Printer 

will be spent gathering facts about where 

GPO and its partners are and what we 

anticipate for the future, as a basis for a 

strategic planning process. When he asks for 

facts, Bruce does not mean merely opinions, 

even well informed opinions. He has 

encouraged GPO to work with the 

community to develop demonstration or pilot 

projects, which will test ideas about services 

that we may wish to offer in the future and 

provide facts about how such services should 

be implemented. GPO will also conduct 

surveys both to support data gathering and 

analysis of the pilot projects and to gather 

more general information about the FDLP 

and its users. 

We have a number of pilot projects that are 

underway or contemplated; I won’t list them

all, but I would like to share a few of them

with you. 

The Department of Energy (DOE) has 

been a long time partner of GPO and the 

FDLP. As part of its "Information 

Bridge", DOE has developed two new 

capabilities that it will test with 

depository libraries. One is a means to 

establish a profile based on search 

strategy or list of key words, so that every 

new document that is added to the 

• 

15 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

database that matches the profile of the 

library will result in an e-mail notification 

of availability with a link to review or 

retrieve the document – a totally new way 

to do electronic item selection. The other 

is a means to identify categories of 

documents, much like the categories that 

were previously used to select subsets of 

the DOE microfiche, and all new 

electronic documents fitting each 

category would be placed in a holding 

area from which the selecting library

could FTP the copies to store and use 

locally. These items would be placed in a 

pre-determined folder at regular intervals 

and held for several days to provide an 

opportunity to the library to download the 

files. The content would be removed at 

scheduled intervals and replaced with

newer material matching the profile. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Another project exploring affirmative 

dissemination of electronic content to 

depository libraries utilizes the LOCKSS 

(Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) software 

developed at Stanford. 40 ARL libraries 

are participating in the beta test of the 

LOCKSS software. In addition, GPO and 

9 partner depository libraries (5 of which 

are ARL libraries) are exploring applying 

the LOCKSS technology towards an eFDLP program. As most of you know, 

LOCKSS allows individual libraries to 

take custody of stable content in all 

formats delivered via HTTP and 

safeguard their community's access. With 

the assistance of an NSF planning grant, 

this project is exploring technical, 

economic, social and legal issues. GPO 

thinks this effort is a promising one that is 

worth pursuing for government content. 

The University of Arizona is engaged in a 

project to become the first all-electronic 

selective depository library. They are 

working with GPO to identify electronic 

counterparts for all of the items that they 

select and systematically substituting 

those items for tangible products. This 

will help us examine the characteristics 

and service requirements for depository 

libraries in the future when all, or

virtually all, of the material available 

through the FDLP is electronic. 

We have identified at least 4 academic

law libraries for a similar project to test 

the feasibility and characteristics of an 

all-electronic academic law depository 

library. 

We are encouraging depository libraries 

to seek digitization and preservation 

grants for retrospective conversion of

materials from their Federal documents 

collections. GPO will work with the 

libraries to see that all converted items are 

cataloged; to establish standards for 

digitization that will result in searchable 

files; to ensure that the digitized materials 

are part of the FDLP and available for 

permanent public access; and to serve as a 

clearinghouse for information about 

digitization projects so that we can 

eliminate redundancy. Retrospective 

digitization will not only improve access 

to the older materials, it will enable the 

libraries that need or wish to do so to 

weed their collections and substitute the 

electronic titles. Depository libraries 

have already approached us to discuss 

digitizing Congressional hearings, the 

Serial Set and the Code of Federal 

Regulations, among other items. 

We expect to replace the microfiche 

contracts as they expire with contracts for 

digitizing documents. GPO will work 

with the community to develop 

specifications and standards that will 

result in searchable, useful electronic 

files, and where we cannot locate a born 

digital copy, we will create an electronic 

file. 

The regional depository libraries have 

been asked to develop proposals for pilot 

projects to test a new concept for 

16 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

17 

inspections. We would like to establish 

locally based “consultants,” who would 

be assigned responsibility for 

approximately 40 to 60 depository 

libraries in a geographic area. They 

would visit each of those libraries at least 

once per quarter, some for only a few 

hours and others for a day or more, 

depending on the need. They would offer 

training and attend local, state and 

regional documents meetings to speak 

and answer questions. They could assist 

with self-studies, help train new 

documents librarians, and advise on 

problems related to item selection, 

collection development policies, and the 

like. The idea is to recruit from the 

community people who would serve in 

the community for a year or two and then 

return to work in a depository library. 

We have asked regional libraries to 

consider providing a home base for such 

consultants, including office space, and 

mentoring/ supervising them. We are 

expecting three or four proposals that will 

test various approaches to replacing 

inspectors based in Washington with 

consultants based in the field. 

• GPO is also seeking library partners to 

assist us with the development of virtual 

reference services and web-based 

training. We have an enormous need for 

tools to facilitate training and make it 

easier to use government documents, and 

much of the expertise in these areas is 

already available in your libraries. We 

want to build on that experience. 

If you or your staff have a proposal for a 

specific pilot project or would like to 

participate in one of the projects I have 

described, I encourage you to get in touch 

with me at <jrussell@gpo.gov>. 

Retrospective Collections 

We are also considering establishing shared 

facilities into which collections can be deduplicated to reduce burdens of the large 

historical collections on our regional 

depository libraries and other large selectives 

– on many of you in this room. We do not 

wish to take anything away from you that you 

want to keep on your shelves, but we do want 

to provide alternatives for little used materials 

that could be available "just in time" if and 

when they are needed. In the 1960s we went 

from requiring every depository library to 

keep everything in perpetuity to requiring 

only regional depository libraries to keep 

everything forever. It is time to look at that 

issue again and find ways to reduce the 

burdens of the large collections, without 

losing the value of having a distributed 

system that protects these assets and ensures 

permanent public access. We want to work 

with you on expanded digitization, 

preservation, retrospective cataloging, and 

other services to better mange the 

retrospective materials and make them more 

accessible to users in and outside of your 

libraries. 

I attended the recent Center for Research 

Libraries meeting in Chicago and listened 

with great interest to the presentations on 

three models for cooperative collection 

management and shared collections. We 

need to examine these and other options to 

determine the options that best meet your 

needs. Again, one size does not need to fit 

all. We may end up implementing several 

different models to meet needs of different 

geographic areas or types of libraries. 

Analysis of Policies and Procedures 

As Prue mentioned in her summary, I am 

emphasizing strongly with my staff and the 

community the idea that “one size does not fit 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

all” in the Federal Depository Library Reorganization 

Program. We are beginning to re-evaluate 

procedures, policies and regulations to 

determine what is best for each size and type 

of depository library. The core collection for 

a small public library will be very different 

from that of an academic research library or 

an academic law library. The technical 

requirements for a library with a large 

information commons will be quite different 

than those for a small library, which will need 

one or more dedicated workstations for 

access to Federal government information. 

Similarly, the list of titles that should always 

remain in paper is probably different for 

different sizes and types of libraries. 

Let me address one final topic before I 

conclude my remarks and take your 

questions. We are reorganizing the 

Superintendent of Documents staff to better 

address the issues I have identified by 

creating a structure that is arranged in 

functional areas. This will align our staff to 

reduce duplicative efforts and provide better 

service to our library partners and our other 

customers. 

The reorganization will allow us to focus 

more attention on establishing a 

comprehensive national bibliography as 

required by the statute. We are in the final 

stages of contract negotiations for an 

integrated library system. This is an essential 

tool that will make it possible for the first 

time to expand the current Catalog of

Government Publications by incorporating 

bibliographic records from other agencies and 

partner libraries. 

I have been having a series of conference 

calls with documents librarians from different 

types of libraries and will continue to do that 

as a means to explore the barriers to and 

incentives for participation in the FDLP, now 

and in the future. I encourage every one here 

to talk to your staff and among yourselves 

and then to provide feedback to me on the 

changes that you would like to see. I 

welcome opportunities to visit your libraries 

and talk with you and your staff about ways 

that we can serve you better and make this 

program a valuable asset and essential part of 

your services to your users. I am happy to 

receive an e-mail message 

(jrussell@gpo.gov) or a phone call (202-512-

0571) from you at anytime. 

Many years ago GPO turned over its 

historical collection to the National Archives 

and almost immediately we began to regret 

the absence of a tangible collection. We have 

decided to re-establish a comprehensive 

collection of tangible and electronic 

documents as a collection of last resort for the 

program, and the new organization will 

dedicate staff resources to that effort.

Agency printing is no longer the primary 

source of publications for the FDLP, so we 

need to increase our focus on acquisitions 

through web harvesting, outreach to 

publishing agencies and other means. The 

new organization will help us to focus 

increased resources and attention on 

acquisition of content for the FDLP and the 

sales program. 

Several of you have already suggested that 

ARL arrange for meetings with smaller 

groups of ARL directors to discuss the future 

of the program, as well as facilitating 

meetings with library directors and their 

depository librarians to assist in acceptance 

and implementation of the changes that are 

sure to come, much as ARL did for the 

Interlibrary Loan project a few years ago. 

Prue has agreed to arrange those meetings for 

us. I know they will be extremely valuable. 

18 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

These changes will result in new positions 

and promotional opportunities for current 

staff, and we hope that some government 

documents librarians will consider applying 

for positions at GPO and coming to help us 

improve our current services and prepare for 

the future. 

Conclusion 

In closing, I want to encourage each of you to 

work with one another and with GPO to 

determine the mix of content and services 

that GPO must offer in the future to make it 

worthwhile for libraries to participate in the 

FDLP. We want you to help define the 

program that you want and need. It is 

particularly important to identify services that 

can be offered exclusively to depository 

libraries, so there are some substantial, 

tangible benefits to participation when all or 

virtually all of the material can be obtained 

free from the Internet without the obligations 

of being a depository library. 

Together we can, and we must, re-evaluate 

and reshape the Federal Depository Library 

Program to make sure that the program is as 

strong a means of public access to 

government information in the next hundred 

years as it has been for the past two hundred 

years. This is a great challenge, but I one I 

welcome. I look forward to working with 

you to meet this challenge. 

19 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

Bruce R. James 

Public Printer 

Opening Remarks 

Before the 

Subcommittee on Legislative Appropriations 

Committee on Appropriations 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We’re very happy 

to be here today to present the GPO’s budget 

request for FY 2004. I also want to 

compliment you and the Members of the 

Subcommittee on the excellent staff you have 

in Liz Dawson and Chuck Turner; we really 

look forward to working with them. 

With me at the table are Bill Turri, Deputy 

Public Printer; Judy Russell, Superintendent 

of Documents; and Frank Partlow, Chief of 

Staff. 

My prepared statement has been submitted 

for the record. I would like to make just a 

few brief remarks summarizing what we are 

doing at the GPO and how our appropriations 

request relates to our objectives. 

Mr. Chairman, the GPO has a proud history, 

one built on a singular dedication to meeting 

the printing needs of the Federal Government 

and the information needs of the American 

people. 

 

But GPO’s middle name tends to obscure our 

true mission, which is keeping America 

informed by distributing the official 

information products of the Government. 

This is a mission that traces its origins to our 

Founding Fathers. 

Just as the GPO’s middle name gets in the 

way of understanding our true mission, the 

nature of what we do—printing—has been 

eclipsed by revolutionary changes in 

electronic information technologies, 

especially the Internet. 

While printing will not disappear in our 

lifetime, its role in our lives—and in the lives 

of GPO’s customers—has been forever 

changed. 

We need to sort out what continues to belong 

in print and what best belongs in information 

retrieval systems. We need to allow the 

public to define their own information needs, 

then search against databases of information 

that we construct to retrieve only what they 

need, only when they need it. 

Therein lies the challenge for GPO. Like 

every other manufacturing business in 

America, GPO must reinvent itself if it is to 

remain relevant and viable for the future. As 

Public Printer, I am leading this effort. 

20 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

Our first step is to determine the facts 

regarding GPO’s strengths and weaknesses 

and the problems and opportunities facing us. 

We are already doing this by participating in 

a GAO study of Federal printing and 

information policy ordered by Congress. 

When this study is concluded later this year 

we will have a factual basis on which to build 

a strategic plan. 

− We’re expanding the use of digital 

communications internally to 

provide employees with the 

information they need to do their 

jobs effectively. 

− We’ve begun recruiting efforts at 

colleges and universities around 

the country to reverse the decadeslong drain on GPO’s talent. 

Once the plan is developed, our next task will 

be to gain support from Congress, the 

Administration, our customers, the library 

and information communities, the printing 

industry and the labor unions, and from all 

those who have a stake in the future of 

Federal information policy. 

− At the same time, we’ve 

implemented a buy-out program

for up to 300 employees who are 

eligible to retire. This will 

generate cost savings and create 

opportunities to transition our 

workforce to new technologies 

Then we mu and business practices. st carry out the plan to transform

the GPO into an information service equipped 

and staffed to meet the information demands 

of the 21st century. 

To tell everyone that we’re leaving 

the past behind, we’ve redesigned 

GPO’s logo to create a new image for 

the 21st century. Since I took office in early December, we’ve 

begun several initiatives to transform our 

operations: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I’ve been meeting with Members of 

Congress, key congressional staff, 

Federal agency heads, the library and 

information communities, the printing

industry, and others to win support for 

the GPO and increase our business. 

We’ve implemented a new 

organizational model for the GPO that 

will be more responsive to the needs 

of our customers and employees. 

We’ve taken a number of actions to 

improve conditions for our 

employees: 

I’ve also been meeting with the top 

management of our suppliers—from

printing companies to equipment 

manufacturers—to explore the 

opportunities for the GPO to assume a 

leadership position in technological 

innovation in the digital information 

era. 

− We’ve implemented the first new 

employee incentive program at 

GPO in over a decade. 

− We’ve expanded our workforce 

development budget to ensure that 

no one is left behind as we 

transform our operations. 

To deal with the printing issues raised

last year by the Office of Management 

and Budget, I’ve kept up a dialog with 

OMB officials about their concerns. 

But rather than blowing apart a 

21 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

system of printing set up generations 

ago, I’ve asked OMB to walk forward 

with me to devise a new approach for 

Federal printing and information 

policy that fits the 21st century. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I’ve challenged the library and 

government information communities 

to help us in developing a new 

depository library program model. 

More than 50% of the information 

coming into the program is now only 

in electronic form, never reaching inkon-paper. 

Last but not least, we’ve set up a 

contingency planning effort to prepare 

ourselves to protect our employees 

and carry out continuity-ofgovernment operations in the event of 

an emergency. We’re doing this in 

concert with similar planning efforts 

ongoing in the House and the Senate, 

in Federal agencies, and in the District 

of Columbia. 

Mr. Chairman, the transformation of the GPO 

is well underway. In order to make it happen, 

however, the GPO needs funding not only to 

continue product and service provision, but to 

begin making the investments we know are 

needed now to position us for the future. 

Our appropriations request for FY 2004 is 

targeted at these two objectives: maintenance 

of product and service quality, and 

investment in necessary technology 

improvements and critical workforce 

restructuring:

For the Congressional Printing and 

Binding Appropriation, we are 

requesting $91.1 million for FY 2004, 

an increase of just 1.7% over the 

funding that was approved for FY 

2003. This amount will cover all 

estimated congressional printing 

requirements for FY 2004, as detailed 

in our budget submission. 

For the Salaries and Expenses 

Appropriation of the Superintendent 

of Documents, we are requesting an 

increase of 3%, or $871,000, over the 

amount approved for FY 2003 to 

cover mandatory pay and benefits 

increases as well as price level 

changes. 

To begin essential investment in GPO’s 

future, we are requesting additional funds 

above the levels required for continuation of 

services. These funds, amounting to slightly 

less than 2% of GPO’s total annual budget, 

represent a new point of departure for GPO. 

We’re asking for $4.1 million for the 

Salaries and Expenses Appropriation 

to replace obsolete technology used 

by the GPO Access system, now 

nearly a decade old. Congress and the 

public are increasingly dependent on 

this system, and we need to upgrade it 

provide the service they have come to 

expect. 

We’re also asking for $10 million for 

our Revolving Fund to fund the 

extraordinary expense of our buyout 

program. This amount is needed in 

order to avoid spending funds we 

have earmarked for essential 

technology improvements. 

Along with our appropriations request we are 

seeking two technical legislative changes to 

Title 44, U.S.C: 

A change in the pay levels for GPO’s 

top executives will improve our 

ability to attract and retain leadership 

talent. 

22 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

Another to give us the authority to 

accept contributions of equipment and 

services as well as transfer or donate 

surplus equipment to appropriate 

entities. We have briefed the Joint 

Committee on Printing on both these 

changes and have their support for 

them. 

• 

We’re also requesting an increase for GPO’s 

representation fund to help us promote the 

concept of changing the GPO. These changes 

will help us in transforming the GPO. 

Mr. Chairman, GPO’s appropriations request 

for FY 2004 represents a new departure for 

this agency in preparing for the future. GPO 

desperately needs to move forward 

aggressively to seize the opportunities that 

can be provided by marrying new technology 

with best practices found throughout the 

private sector. Our budget request will help 

us take those forward steps. 

I thank you for your support and 

encouragement of change at the GPO, and I 

look forward to working with you and the 

Members of this Subcommittee in your 

consideration of our request. 

This concludes my remarks, and I would be 

pleased to answer any questions you may 

have. 

23 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

Readers Exchange 

Meeting the Federal Government Information Needs of the 

Spanish Speaking Population in Mesa, Arizona 

By Kathy Little, Supervisory Librarian 

City of Mesa Library 

The City of Mesa Library, main branch, has 

been a depository library since 1983 and 

currently selects approximately 48%. The 

Mesa library system consists of a main 

library (located in downtown Mesa) and two 

branches to support a city population of 

almost 400,000. 34% of the population 

within an approximate 3-mile radius of the 

main library is Hispanic (10% of the Spanish 

speakers speak English “not well” or “not at 

all”), so the library has a nice collection of 

materials in Spanish to meet the needs of the 

citizens who are more comfortable reading 

and viewing materials in Spanish. 

In March 2002, we decided to move all of the 

Spanish language Federal documents to the 

part of the library that houses the rest of the 

Spanish language materials. There are many 

good documents in Spanish that never get 

used because non-English speaking patrons 

typically don’t use the library catalog. We

gradually located the Spanish language 

documents by browsing through various 

agencies where we knew Spanish language 

documents were located. Now as we weed or 

add documents, we pull out the Spanish 

materials as we find them. 

When setting up the display area, we decided 

to put the documents near the non-circulating 

reference materials with a sign in Spanish 

indicating the materials were to be used in the 

library. We also mark the Spanish documents 

with a stamp indicating they are not to be 

checked out. Some of the documents are 

displayed on slanted periodical shelves and 

others are in magazine boxes. We do not 

attempt to keep the documents in order, as we 

want the collection to be used. Every few 

days, we rearrange the documents so the 

collection looks refreshed. 

It is very evident that the collection is being 

used, as the documents always need to be 

straightened up. Recently we had a Spanishspeaking patron ask how to get copies of 

several of the health documents that were on 

display, so we know we are doing our job of 

meeting the needs of the patrons we serve and 

we are meeting the responsibility of 

promoting the use of Federal documents in 

the community. We also recently added 

24 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

several Spanish language document posters to 

the area. 

Another method we used to make Federal 

government information available to Spanish 

speakers in our community was to develop a 

library web site in Spanish. From this section 

of our site, we link to many Federal web sites 

that have information in Spanish 

<http://www.mesalibrary.org/espanol/enlaces

/gobierno.htm>. 

In January 2001, the library undertook the 

planning process, Planning for Results. The 

end result was a 3-5 year development plan 

for the City of Mesa Library. The plan 

consisted of several goals and objectives. 

Our separating and moving the Spanish 

documents to the area where the Spanish 

language materials are, helped the library 

meet several of the goals and objectives 

outlined. 

We are very happy with the success of our 

endeavor and will continue to try to come up 

with ways to serve our Spanish speaking 

community better. 

Readers Exchange 

Opportunistic Promotion for Documents 

Lisa A. Ennis, Documents Coordinator 

Austin Peay State University 

Government Documents is one of the most 

misunderstood areas in libraries. Publications 

come in a variety of formats, are organized 

using a different classification scheme, have 

special rules for processing and organization, 

and non-documents librarians tend to avoid 

them, which is a real shame considering the 

value and scope of government publications. 

So, the question becomes what can we do as 

Documents Librarians to help others better 

understand the value and importance of the 

collection?

Well, over the past year I have seen first hand 

the impact proactive library promotion and 

outreach can have. Kimberley Barker, the 

Coordinator of Promotions and Programs at 

Georgia College & State University, built a 

systematic outreach program that has

increased the library’s visibility on campus, 

resulting in a higher gate count, higher 

reference statistics, and an increase in 

instruction requests. Now, here is the thing, 

I’m not very good at heading up the kind of 

events Kimberley creates, but what I could do 

was piggy back on her events. 

For instance, Kimberley organizes events 

surrounding themes and highlights items

from the collection that match the event’s 

theme. One such event is “Your Library 

Loves You Day” in February. She sets up a 

table somewhere on campus and we give 

away pencils, copy cards, and have hot 

chocolate --- the students love it! All I have 

to do is ask if I can put up a Documents flyer 

and pull an item or two from the Documents 

collection for the display. Kimberley also 

organized a monthly rotation for “Staff 

Picks” --- when it came to my month I 

highlighted the Department of Defense 

materials.

From my experience with Kimberley and her 

outreach efforts, I’ve started to keep an eye 

out for other opportunities to piggy pack on 

25 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

26 

projects. For instance, our Serials Librarian, 

Donna Bennett, organized our subscription to 

Serials Solutions <www.serialssolutions. 

com) which creates an alphabetical list of the 

library’s journal holdings in both print and 

electronic formats. Presently, the documents 

serials kept in the Gov Docs area are not 

included in that list --- but they certainly can 

be! Serials Solutions will allow for the 

Journal Locator to link to a library’s online 

catalog, PURLs, or to a locally maintained 

Web page. You’re really only limited by 

how much work can be done in a day! Not 

only can Gov Doc serials be listed with all 

the library’s other serials, but they can retain 

their designation as being received through 

the FDLP, which can often be very 

illuminating for administrators on a variety of

levels. 

Does anyone in your library create a new 

titles list? If so, ask if you can include new 

government document titles and be sure to 

designate they came through the FDLP. Ask 

people in other areas of the library to link to 

your government document page--especially 

from any subject guides or reference and 

instruction pages. Be creative and take 

advantage of what other departments in your 

library are doing! And lastly publicize your 

outreach and promotions --- create a simple 

Web page to keep a record of what you have 

done, like 

<http://library.gcsu.edu/~govdocs/outreach.ht

ml>. Even with just a teeny budget and the 

smallest amount of time you can help raise 

awareness! And don’t forget you can order 

promotional material from 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pr/

order.html> for free. 

[Lisa served as Documents Coordinator at Georgia 

College & State University from February 2003 until 

June 2003. She is currently the Documents Librarian

at Austin Peay State University.]
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

LIBRARY PROGRAMS SERVICE CONTACTS

JUNE 2003 

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR 

Voice Fax E-mail

Gil Baldwin – Director 202-512-1002 202-512-1432 ebaldwin@gpo.gov

Helene Williams – Secretary 202-512-1114 202-512-1432 hwilliams@gpo.gov

George Barnum – Electronic Collection 

Manager 

202-512-1114 202-512-1432 gbarnum@gpo.gov

William Thompson – Program Analyst 202-512-1114 202-512-1432 wthompson@gpo.gov

Laurie B. Hall – Supervisory Program

Analyst 

202-512-1114 202-512-0877 lhall@gpo.gov

DEPOSITORY DISTRIBUTION DIVISION

James Mauldin - Chief 202-512-1014 202-512-1429 jmauldin@gpo.gov

Depository Claims Office 202-512-1024 202-512-1429 

DEPOSITORY PROCESSING BRANCH 

Cornelius Greene - Chief 202-512-1007 202-512-1429 cgreene@gpo.gov

LIBRARY DIVISION 

Sheila McGarr – Chief 202-512-1114 202-512-1432 btrivizas@gpo.gov

DEPOSITORY SERVICES STAFF 

Robin Haun-Mohamed – Chief 202-512-1119 202-512-1432 rhaun-mohamed@gpo.gov

Kathy Brazee – Inspector 202-512-1119 202-512-1432 kbrazee@gpo.gov 

Linda Resler – Inspector 202-512-1119 202-512-1432 lresler@gpo.gov

Walter Zoller – Inspector 202-512-1119 202-512-1432 wzoller@gpo.gov

CATALOGING BRANCH 

Thomas A. Downing – Chief 202-512-1121 202-512-1432 tdowning@gpo.gov

Jennifer K. Davis – Chief, Cataloging 202-512-1128 202-512-1432 jkdavis@gpo.gov

Theodore Defosse - Electronic Access 202-512-1121 202-512-1432 tdefosse@gpo.gov

Michael Levinson – Chief, Cataloging 202-512-1516 202-512-1432 mlevinson@gpo.gov

Steve Uthoff - Cataloging Policy 202-512-1121 202-512-1432 suthoff@gpo.gov

DEPOSITORY ADMINISTRATION BRANCH 

Betty M. Jones – Chief 202-512-1071 202-512-0877 bjones@gpo.gov

Earl Lewter – Chief, Acquisitions and 

Classification 

202-512-1063 202-512-0877 elewter@gpo.gov

Lisa Russell – Administrative Librarian 202-512-1690 202-512-0877 lrussell@gpo.gov

John Tate – Chief, Acquisitions and

Classification 

202-512-1129 202-512-0877 jtate@gpo.gov

Yvonne Washington – Publications 

Management Specialist

202-512-1131 202-512-0877 ywashington@gpo.gov

Micrographics Section 202-512-1060 202-512-1636 bjones@gpo.gov

27 
AN-v24-#07-6/15/03

Table of Contents 

GPO and OMB Reach Innovative New Solution for Federal Printing......................................... 1 

New Web Page Shows Benefits of FDLP..................................................................................... 4 

Council Meeting Video Now Showing on GPO Access .............................................................. 4 

Add Titles to Your Item Selection Profile! Annual Opportunity Ends July 31........................... 5 

Search and Retrieval Improved for New Electronic Titles (NET) ............................................... 5 

Email Alert Service Available for New Sales Documents ........................................................... 6 

2003 Recommended Specifications for Public Access Workstations .......................................... 7 

Remarks by Judy Russell, Superintendent of Documents, 

 Before the Association for Research Libraries, May 15, 2003................................................. 13 

Public Printer Statement: House Committee on Appropriations................................................ 20 

Readers Exchange: Spanish Language Documents Promotion .................................................. 24 

Readers Exchange: Documents Promotion................................................................................. 25 

Library Programs Service Contacts, June 2003.......................................................................... 27 

Administrative Notes Cumulative Table of Contents 

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/adnotes/adnotes_toc.pdf 

Updated with each issue 

Searchable by keyword 

Administrative Notes is published in Washington, DC by the Superintendent of Documents, 

Library Programs Service, Government Printing Office, for the staffs of U.S. Federal 

Depository Libraries. 

It is published on the 15th day of each month; some months have additional issues. 

Postmaster send address changes to: The Editor, Administrative Notes 

U.S. Government Printing Office

Library Programs Service, SLLD 

Washington, DC 20401 

Internet access at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/adnotes/index.html 

Editor: Marian W. MacGilvray (202) 512-1119 mmacgilvray@gpo.gov

28