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LPS Annual Report: FY 1996 

Mission 

As authorized by Title 44, United States Code, the Library Programs Service (LPS) 

administers the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the Cataloging and 

Indexing Program (C&IP), and manages the distribution component of the International 

Exchange System (IES) Program for the Library of Congress. These programs are 

accomplished through the seven basic functions of LPS: the acquisition, classification, 

format conversion, dissemination, and bibliographic control of Government information 

products, the inspection of depository libraries, and the continuing education and training 

initiatives that strengthen the ability of depository library personnel to serve the public. 

Summary 

FY 1996 was characterized by the intensive review and planning for the future of the 

Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) which took place in the Congressionallymandated "Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More 

Electronic Federal Depository Library Program." The basic future direction and timetable 

for incorporating electronic information into the FDLP have been developed and 

generally accepted by the Congress and the depository library community. But it was also 

a year marked by progress in every area of the Library Programs Service (LPS) in 

effectively moving toward a more electronic program. 

As a result of articulating the principles and goals, and the short- and long-term planning 

efforts, LPS is better able to balance the complex issues attending the transition to 

electronic information dissemination and our ongoing traditional services. Every area of 

LPS has benefitted from the planning process and has made real strides toward 

incorporating electronic Government information products into the FDLP. This report 

will focus on the transition to electronics, and will also highlight the effect of these 

developments on traditional services. LPS highlights for FY 1996 included: 

• The first "Internet-only" products appeared in the FDLP; 

• Subscription fees to GPO Access were eliminated; usage exceeded 2.5 million 

downloads per month; 

• The Monthly Catalog CD-ROM and pamphlet editions were published; 

• Pathway Services were developed and introduced; 

• A basic electronic information service requirement was established for depository 

libraries. 
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The Study 

In August 1995, GPO, at the direction of Congress, initiated a cooperative study to 

identify measures necessary for a successful transition to a more electronic FDLP. GPO 

was directed to provide Congress with the results of this study by March 1996, and to 

submit an FY 1997 appropriations request consistent with a strategic plan based on those 

results. The study was concluded in March 1996, and a draft Study Report was released 

for public comment. We considered each of the many comments that we received, and 

incorporated them into the final Study Report, which was issued in June 1996. 

Superintendent of Documents Wayne P. Kelley provided the overall coordination for the 

Study, and the Director of the Office of Electronic Information Dissemination Services 

(EIDS) Judith C. Russell directed the executive working group, which comprised staff 

from the: 

• Joint Committee on Printing 

• Office of Management and Budget 

• House Oversight Committee 

• Senate Committee on Rules and Administration 

• House and Senate Appropriations Committees 

• Government Printing Office 

• Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress 

• National Archives and Records Administration 

• Federal Publishers Committee 

• Interagency Council on Printing and Publication Services 

• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts 

• Library associations 

• Federal depository library community 

Preliminary Transition Plan 

In December 1995 a separate document entitled "The Electronic Federal Depository 

Library Program: Transition Plan, FY 1996 - FY 1998" was developed by GPO and 

included with our FY 1997 appropriations request. The budget-driven Transition Plan 

was completed before much of the work on the Study because of the timetable for annual 

budget submissions. 

This early version envisioned an ambitious approach to changing the FDLP to a 

predominately electronic program in 2.5 years. The Transition Plan was very useful to 

GPO in eliciting public comment on these issues, the essence of which was that a 2.5-

year transition period was too fast, and exceeded the ability of the depository libraries, 

the publishing agencies, and the public to properly use or support this volume of 

electronic information. Input from publishing agencies and depository libraries indicated 

that a 5 to 7 year transition is more realistic and cost-effective since it would allow GPO 

to change to electronic information as rapidly as the publishing agencies can produce it 

and the libraries can absorb it. This view was accepted by the Congress during the 
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consideration of GPO's FY 1997 appropriations request. (See House Report 104-657, 

Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill, 1997.) 

Study Report: Strategic Plan 

The public comments in response to the Transition Plan led directly to the development 

of the Strategic Plan included in the June 1996 Study Report, which proposed a more 

gradual transition, from FY 1996 through FY 2001. Emphasizing the incorporation of 

electronic information into the FDLP, the Strategic Plan advances the FDLP toward a 

more electronic information dissemination and access program. This Plan reflects the 

views and advice of the library community, Federal publishing agencies, and users of 

Government information. These views extend from the more realistic timetable, to 

increased emphasis on appropriate formats and the necessity for permanent public access 

to electronic information. 

In accordance with the Strategic Plan, the FDLP is providing Government information 

products in a variety of formats to the depository libraries. Electronic information is 

being made accessible to the public directly or through depository libraries from a system 

of Government electronic information services administered by GPO, other Government 

agencies, or institutions acting as agents for the Government. The Pathway Services are 

identifying and connecting users to electronic information products and services of GPO 

and other agencies. We are working to obtain electronic source files from agencies, such 

as the Department of Energy, for mounting on GPO Access. Tangible Government 

information products, including CD-ROMs, diskettes, paper, or microfiche, continue to 

be distributed to libraries although the volume is declining. 

Permanent access to Government information is a critical issue in the electronic 

environment. GPO will, through the mechanism of the FDLP, ensure that electronic 

Government information products are maintained for permanent public access, in the 

same spirit in which regional depositories provide permanent access to print products. 

This requires the development of a distributed system that includes all of the institutional 

program stakeholders: information producing agencies, GPO, depository libraries and the 

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). To this end, discussions are 

already underway with NARA and the National Commission for Libraries and 

Information Science (NCLIS). GPO has also received inquiries concerning several 

university initiatives regarding permanent public access to electronic Government 

information. 

FDLP Principles, Mission, and Goals 

One outcome of the study was the articulation of the principles, mission, and goals of the 

FDLP. The study's statement of principles regarding Federal Government information 

closely followed the "Principles for Public Information" developed and published by 

NCLIS. 
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Within these broad principles, the Study Report stated that: 

The mission of the FDLP is to provide equitable, efficient, timely, and dependable no-fee 

public access to Government information within the scope of the program. 

The Strategic Plan included in the Study Report also articulated specific goals essential to 

the successful performance of this mission. 

Study Conclusions 

The key findings of the Study Report addressed the following issues: 

• Scope of the FDLP, 

• Notification and Compliance, 

• Permanent Access to Authentic Information, 

• Locator Services, 

• Timetable for Implementation, 

• Assessment of Standards for Creation and Dissemination of Electronic 

Government Information Products, 

• Cost of Electronic Information Dissemination, and 

• Legislative Changes. 

In addition to the conclusions described in the Study Report, strong support emerged in 

the working group discussions over two major issues concerning the FDLP as a whole. 

The first issue concerned the value of having the authority for a broad-based public 

information program rest in the Legislative Branch. Nearly all of the participants felt that 

this model has served the public well. High value was placed on the presence of the 

FDLP in every Congressional district, to directly serve the public in local library settings. 

There was also strong support for the value and utility to the library community of having 

a single entity in the Superintendent of Documents to coordinate library-related 

information dissemination activities. The depository library community has consistently 

affirmed the utility and cost-effectiveness of a "one stop shopping" approach to acquiring 

Government information. At the same time, centralizing this responsibility within GPO 

has fostered a relationship with the library community marked by enhanced 

communications and responsiveness to library and public information needs. In the study 

discussions nearly all of the participants agreed that it is not only possible but desirable to 

increase the dissemination of electronic information to depository libraries within the 

overall structure of current law and program operations, and that having a central entity 

to assist libraries and the public in accessing electronic Government information in a 

distributed environment is vital. 

Legislative Changes That Support the Transition 

Substantial changes in the FDLP already are underway within the structure of the existing 

statute. GPO is acting upon its existing statutory authority to incorporate electronic 

Government information products into the FDLP. However, certain amendments to 

Chapter 19 of Title 44 would facilitate the transition. For example, it should be 
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established without question that electronic Government information must be included in 

the FDLP, to establish authority and responsibility for the FDLP to ensure that both 

tangible and electronic Government information products are maintained permanently for 

depository library and public access, and to authorize the Superintendent of Documents 

to request that the originating agencies provide electronic source data files of their 

information products. Some suggestions for legislative changes, which incorporate the 

advice of various program stakeholders, are included in the Study Report. At the request 

of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, a detailed proposal for revising 

Chapter 19 was prepared and forwarded to the Committee for consideration. 

Usage of the FDLP and GPO Access 

The FDLP continues to be a principle mechanism to meet the Government information 

needs of the American public. The most thorough study of depository library users 

estimated that in 1989 there was "a minimum of 167,000 users, per week, of Government 

depository material in academic and public libraries" (McClure, Charles R., and Hernon, 

Peter, Users of Academic and Public GPO Depository Libraries, GPO: 1989, p. ix). In the 

1995 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries, GPO collected updated estimates on the 

number of users of depository libraries. The Biennial Survey responses, from virtually 

every depository library, yielded an estimate that 189,000 to 237,000 persons used FDLP 

information each week. 

In addition, users are also electronically accessing free Government information available 

from the GPO Access service at a rapidly growing rate. Users are downloading an 

average of 2.5 million documents per month from over 60 databases. System usage has 

expanded significantly since the user fee requirement for GPO Access was eliminated in 

December 1995. 

ELECTRONIC TRANSITION ACTIVITIES 

Library Service Requirements 

In May 1996 LPS advised the depository community that technical requirements for 

serving the public with electronic information would become mandatory by October 1, 

1996. All depositories are expected to offer users access to work stations with a graphical 

user interface, CD-ROM capability, Internet connections, and the ability to access, 

download, and print extensive documents. The ability for public users to access 

Government information via the World Wide Web (Web) is critical. 

At the same time, we also issued a revised set of "Recommended Minimum 

Specifications for Public Access Work Stations in Federal Depository Libraries." These 

recommended specifications are intended to assist depository librarians who are planning 

purchases of new public access work stations capable of using most text-based FDLP 

electronic information products. Additional or different capabilities may be desirable for 

work stations used by library staff, but this is a local management decision. 

Once we published the "Recommended Minimum Specifications," we were advised that 

work stations which conform to those minimum specifications may be inadequate for 
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electronic spatial data, to run geographic information system (GIS) software, or to print 

maps from electronic sources. The Cartographic Users Advisory Council (CUAC) then 

assisted LPS in the development of a supplemental set of specifications to support spatial 

data applications, which we published in June 1996. 

Superintendent of Documents Web Site 

FY 1996 saw additional development of the Superintendent of Documents Web site, 

which provided users a single point of entry for all of GPO's electronic services. Key 

improvements included introduction of the Pathway locator services, redesign of 

numerous pages to reduce scrolling and verbiage, direct links from Monthly Catalog 

records to content on the Internet, the Browse Electronic Titles page, and the FDLP 

administrative information pages. 

Electronic Transition Staff 

LPS' five-person Electronic Transition Staff (ETS) now includes Duncan Aldrich and 

Sandy Schwalb, who joined LPS on one-year appointments. The purpose of ETS is to 

identify, assess, and implement information technology solutions for the transition of 

LPS to a more electronically based program, with special emphasis on development of 

the Pathway Services. Duncan is concentrating on the issue of permanent public access 

for electronic information, while Sandy is working primarily in negotiating with agencies 

to expand depository access to their electronic information services. 

Pathway Services 

One of LPS' key accomplishments, and a key output of the ETS staff, is Pathway 

Services. These are available on the Internet via our GPO Access Web site at the 

following URL: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces760.html. 

Pathway Services are designed to provide a variety of useful "pathways" to anyone who 

uses Government information and has had difficulty in locating the needed information. 

Some of these services are familiar guides, with a new look and added functionality due 

to their computerization. Others are completely new maps to a wider variety of 

Government services and information than ever before, only made possible by the online 

environment. The suite of Pathway Services includes: 

• Browse Topics - Classifies Government and military Internet sites under 

approximately 170 subjects, based on the subject terms used in GPO's Subject 

Bibliographies. 

• Browse Pathway GILS - Provides an alphabetical directory of Government 

Information Locator Service (GILS) records prepared by LPS which describe the 

information policies and products of over 40 major Federal agencies. 

• Browse Titles - Lists and connects users to electronic Government information 

products available on Federal Government servers, arranged alphabetically by 

agency. 
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• Search the Web (Pathway Indexer) - Contains a simple search form that will 

enable users to query a database of information collected on a regular basis from 

selected official Government sites. 

• Search MoCat - The online Monthly Catalog identifies any type of Government 

information product regardless of format. Paper, microfiche, CD-ROM, or 

Internet products cataloged since 1994 are available, and the "locate" function 

shows which depositories have it. 

TRADITIONAL SERVICES 

Distribution to Libraries 

LPS' Depository Distribution Division (DDD) is responsible for the receipt, shipment 

preparation, and physical distribution of the tangible Government information products 

that LPS distributes to the depository libraries. 

LPS' FY 1996 distribution of tangible products, by format, was: 

Titles FY1995 FY1996

Paper 17,466 14,268 

Tangible Electronic 412 639 

Microfiche 26,856 14,465 

TOTAL 44,734 29,372 

Copies FY1995 FY1996

Paper 7,162,418 6,084,337 

Tangible Electronic 231,269 275,815 

Microfiche 9,583,575 7,112,794 

TOTAL 16,977,262 13,472,946 

In FY 1996, depository libraries also received 1,832,298 microfiche copies of 14,102 

Department of Energy (DOE) reports distributed directly from the DOE facility in Oak 

Ridge, Tennessee. FY 1996 is the final year of the distribution of the DOE reports in 

microfiche, as the DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is 

terminating its microfiche operations and beginning its own transition to an electronic 

information management system. DOE/OSTI and GPO are working together to develop 

an electronic replacement that will keep this content available to depository libraries. In 

addition, there were 228,096 copies of 11,665 maps distributed directly from the U.S. 

Geological Survey. 

Nearly all depository shipments continue to be delivered by commercial carriers. GPO 

awarded a new delivery contract to United Parcel Service, which now delivers nearly all 
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depository shipments from LPS. Delivery by the U.S. Postal Service still accounts for 

less than 10% of all depository shipments. 

The Lighted Bin System (LBS) was enhanced by linking the Texas Instruments Model 

872 minicomputer that drives the LBS to a 486 PC. This allowed LPS to eliminate the 

obsolete and expensive cost to repair the tape drive system. LPS is now able to update the 

LBS with a daily download from GPO's mainframe of item selection files from DDIS 

(the Depository Distribution Information System). 

In addition, the reliability of the LBS relating to the lamp drivers and LED displays at 

each throwing zone was upgraded. The display units at each of the throwing zones were 

replaced with new, commercially available, off-the-shelf equipment. The equipment was 

integrated with custom firmware as needed to provide a fully functional, more reliable 

system. By making this upgrade LPS has reduced the annual maintenance contract for the 

LBS by 50%. 

Acquiring Content for the FDLP 

Traditional acquisitions duties have been expanded by identifying and reviewing products 

available from Government Internet sites. By September 1996, the Browse Electronic 

Titles page had over 500 electronic product titles listed on the page. These products are 

classified and sent for cataloging into the Monthly Catalog. Weekly updates to the 

Browse Electronics Title page are done each Monday, with an average of over 50 titles 

added each week. 

The number of tangible electronic products, a category that is virtually all CD-ROM 

titles, continues to grow in the FDLP. New CD-ROM products include the Tide Tables 

from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, FBIS (Foreign 

Broadcast Information Service) from the Central Intelligence Agency, and USAPAT 

from the Patent and Trademark Office. LPS has received the first CD-ROM from the 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that is not connected to the 

Magellan series. 

Recent discussions with staff from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) 

has included depository requirements for paper copies of the U.S. Industrial Outlook and 

the Medical Subject Headings. NTIS also provided depository copies of the Big 

Emerging Markets and the Government Applications of Computer Card Technology for 

the FDLP. 

Copies of the Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990 and the 

Current Population Report, Hispanics-Latinos: Diverse People in a Multicultural Society 

were obtained from the Census Bureau for replication and distribution to the depository 

libraries. We are continuing discussions with these and other agencies to ensure receipt of 

depository copies when the products are produced. 
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Depository Inspections 

In FY 1996 the Depository Services Staff (DSS) conducted on-site inspections in 217 

depository libraries, 13 more than the 204 inspected in FY 1995. The number of 

depositories examined reflected the full travel schedule by the 2 inspectors hired in the 

spring of 1995. However, one inspector was reassigned to the Electronic Transition Staff 

and another inspector resigned in August 1996. Four libraries were designated 

depositories in FY 1996. Fourteen libraries relinquished their depository status, an 

increase of 8 over FY 1995. Only one library cited lack of electronic equipment as the 

reason for terminating status. 

At year's end there were 1,376 libraries in the FDLP, a reduction of 10 from a year 

earlier. Twelve libraries were placed on probation because of deficiencies discovered 

during inspections, while 5 others were removed from probationary status based on 

improvements in compliance, which were observed during the re-inspection. 

The redesign of the inspection program began in FY 1996, in the planning process 

associated with the Study. This will permit some of the resources devoted to periodic 

inspections to be reallocated to FDLP system support and related services for depository 

libraries. With the adoption of the DSS-initiated depository library self-study as an 

evaluation tool for use by the libraries, the basis for inspections will be that which is 

specified in 44 U.S.C. 1909, which states that "the Superintendent of Documents shall 

make firsthand investigation of conditions [in depository libraries] for which need is 

indicated . . . " 

DSS has worked extensively with the Depository Library Council (DLC) and the library 

community to develop, field test, and refine the self-study. The "Self-Study of a Federal 

Depository Library" was issued as Federal Depository Library Manual Supplement 3 in 

September 1996 and the template was available for downloading from the Federal 

Bulletin Board (FBB) and FDLP Administration Web page. It will be put into regular use 

in FY 1997, beginning with those libraries that were last inspected in 1989 and 1990. 

Within LPS, DSS takes the lead in organizing continuing education efforts for documents 

librarians. The two premier events are the annual Federal Depository Conference, which 

is conducted in conjunction with the spring DLC meeting, and the annual Interagency 

Depository Seminar. The planning and organization of these events, as well as the 

coordination of GPO Access training and demonstrations with EIDS, have taken an 

increasing proportion of the staff time in DSS. 

The 1996 Conference, held from April 15-18, was an overwhelming success, with over 

600 attendees, exceeding the prior year attendance by nearly 50%. The Conference 

location shifted to the Washington National Airport Hilton, which provided excellent 

facilities and service. The agenda again allowed the attendees to choose among a 

selection of simultaneous sessions in addition to the plenary sessions. The DLC plenary 

sessions occupied the mornings of the first two days, and then DLC continued as a 

separate "track," enabling some of the attendees to pursue other interests. The "new 

librarians' track" begun in 1995 was expanded and was well received in the 1996 

Conference. As requested by Council, the spring DLC meeting was extended to 3.5 days, 
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allowing additional time for librarian participation and DLC deliberation. The 

Proceedings of the 5th Annual Federal Depository Library Conference, which is also 

available electronically on the FDLP Administration Web page, was shipped to all 

depositories in September. 

DSS also coordinated the week-long 9th Annual Interagency Depository Seminar held in 

late May 1996, which was attended by over 50 librarians. This seminar is designed as 

"basic training" for new documents librarians. It was presented by GPO, Library of 

Congress, Patent & Trademark Office, Copyright Office, Office of the Federal Register, 

Bureau of the Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, etc. 

Responses from the 1995 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries were collected by LPS 

by the end of December 1995. Because the data was collected and compiled using the 

Teleform fax software, results were available to LPS sooner than any previous year. The 

survey data on the number of users served by the depository libraries, and on the libraries' 

utilization of electronic products and services, was timely and extremely useful in the 

Study process. Summary data from the Biennial Survey appears on pp. A-161-165 of the 

Study. Only 5.2% of the Federal agency depositories provide access to electronic 

Government information for both their primary clientele and the public. The ability to 

support a graphical user interface to the Internet (i.e., World Wide Web) is available at 

50.4% of all depositories for primary patrons and 37.6% for the public. CD-ROMs are 

accessible at 82.9% of depositories from stand alone work stations. Given the emphasis 

on electronic Government information in the intervening 9 months, we expect that all 

these percentages would be higher today. 

DSS issued a variety of products throughout the year. The "Guidelines for the Federal 

Depository Library Program" was a collaborative effort among 3 DLC members, DSS, 

and 6 representatives from the depository community. The text was printed in February 

1996 as Federal Depository Library Manual Supplement 2.

The revised Superseded List, published in September 1996, was compiled from 

contributions from 27 depository librarians, and edited by DSS. It, too, is available for 

downloading from the FBB and the FDLP Administration Web page. 

DSS received permission from the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP) to publish a 

Federal Depository Library Directory as the JCP had no current plans to update the 1994 

committee print entitled A Directory of U.S. Government Depository Libraries. This 

directory was supplied to the Federal Information Centers, GPO Bookstores, JCP, 

depositories, and other users in September. 

Cataloging and Indexing Program 

LPS completed the modernization of the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government 

Publications (MoCat) product line. The first edition of the CD-ROM MoCat was 

published and distributed in late July. This issue, consisting of 9,778 records, contained 

the 1996 Periodicals Supplement and edited records corresponding to the January through 

June 1996 printed catalogs. Featuring both DOS and Windows user interfaces, the CDROM accumulates data on an ongoing basis through the subscription year, with each 
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issue replacing the previous disc. The changes that LPS made to the contents, 

organization, and indices of the paper MoCat substantially reduced the size and cost of 

the paper product, beginning with the January 1996 issue. These changes enabled LPS to 

produce the CD-ROM edition without a significant cost increase. 

In addition, the Superintendent of Documents' Web site includes MoCat data online, with 

the capability to identify specific libraries that selected that information. Procedures are 

in place to load MoCat records into the MoCat Web application on a daily basis, and the 

MoCat file now contains approximately 66,000 records published from January 1994 

through as recently as two days ago. URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) are being 

included in MoCat records and hot linked to the electronic texts of products available via 

Federal Government Internet services. Well over 300 MoCat records are hot linked. 

Verifying these links and maintaining linkage related information in MoCat records is a 

new and evolving responsibility. 

Policies for transcribing URL data within the 856 field of MoCat records have been 

implemented as have policies for the inclusion of Internet related notes. URLs are now 

entered in the 856 field of MoCat records in conformity with recently established 

CONSER policies. Implementation of these policies is in accordance with the expressed 

wishes of Council. 

During FY 1996 approximately 32,000 titles were received for cataloging, and 

approximately 35,000 titles were processed. By the end of FY 1996 the cataloging 

backlog stood at some 500 tangible product titles and about 500 Internet-accessible 

Government information products. An increasingly complex part of the Cataloging 

Branch workload involves the periodic verification and updating of URLs in the 

cataloging records. Even with the use of URL checking software significant human 

intervention is required to determine the current location of a given product. 

Handling of Online Electronic Products in the FDLP 

During the 1996 meetings of the Depository Library Council and the American Library 

Association, discussions occurred which assisted LPS in establishing policies for how 

electronic Government information products are incorporated into the FDLP. These 

policies, which were first published in May 1996, include online electronic products that 

are available on the GPO Access Internet site or on other agencies' electronic information 

services. LPS worked to develop a consolidated approach to presenting and identifying 

online electronic products. This approach carried forward some familiar elements of the 

paper-based model, adapted to fit the needs of the electronic environment. 

For example, in order to assist librarians and users with the transition to a more electronic 

FDLP, classification numbers will be assigned to electronic titles. This use of the 

classification system should also assist in relating electronic products to their print 

antecedents. The application of the Superintendent of Documents classification system to 

physical products will be continued. 

New online electronic titles will be assigned item numbers, which will represent the 

electronic products of an agency. This will assist depository libraries in establishing 
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profiles with vendors so that only selected categories of bibliographic records will be 

added to their online public access catalogs. 

Once these policies had been developed, LPS was well equipped to visit informationproducing agencies and explain to them the changes in the FDLP resulting from the 

transition to a more electronic program. LPS staff have arranged outreach calls at NASA, 

the Bureau of the Census, and the Small Business Administration to discuss in detail how 

the FDLP can assist them in accomplishing their public information dissemination 

missions. 

Financial Situation 

Significant progress toward a more electronic FDLP is being made with essentially flat, 

or declining, funding. Congress has authorized an FY 1997 appropriation of $29.077 

million for the Salaries and Expenses (S&E) of the Superintendent of Documents, which 

funds four programs: Depository Library Distribution, Cataloging and Indexing, 

International Exchange, and By-Law Distribution. GPO's FY 1997 funding request of 

$30.8 million for the S&E Appropriation assumed some FDLP expenses, especially those 

associated with acquiring and shipping printed products, will decline as the use of 

electronic information dissemination technologies increases. However, we expect that 

there will be offsetting cost increases in other areas, such as expanding the capacity of the 

GPO Access system, acquiring and converting electronic source data files, and CD-ROM 

software licensing fees. 

Since December 1, 1995, when the GPO Access service was made available at no charge, 

costs associated with public use of the service have been borne by the FDLP. During FY 

1996, FDLP funds have been used for such GPO Access system enhancements as 

additional storage capacity, dedicated servers for new databases and the Pathway indexer, 

and enhanced telecommunications capabilities.