ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES 

Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

Vol. 18, no. 10 GP 3.16/3-2:18/10 July 15, 1997 

Update Your Item Selections Online

For the 1998 Annual Update Cycle, libraries should use the online "Amendment to Item 

Selections" form found at <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/amendment.html>. 

LPS continues to receive green cards (GPO Form 3495) from many libraries. We are 

contacting the libraries by telephone to remind them that they should be using the online form. 

 By far the most common response has been, "I didn't know I could make the changes online." 

 Please be sure the Update Cycle packet is shared with all staff members who might be making 

changes. Libraries that are unable to make the online changes should contact Laurie Hall by 

fax at (202) 512-0877, telephone (202) 512-1062, or e-mail: <lhall@gpo.gov>. 

This is also a good time to review your timeline for making the online changes. The 

Annual Update Cycle closes July 31, 1997. As of July 2, 1997, only 286 libraries have 

utilized this service. Please don't wait until the end of July to make your changes if you have 

already done your zero-based item number review. 

LPS appreciates the depository community's participation in making the transition from 

the old labor intensive system to the online system. Thanks to all who joined in previewing, 

testing, and giving us feedback on the new system. Because of the combined efforts of all the 

testers, programmers, and previewers, 12,643 changes have already been made to the library 

item selections profile database. 

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2 

Register for Fall 1997 Depository Library Council Meeting

The Fall 1997 meeting of the Depository Library Council (DLC) to the Public Printer will 

convene in Clearwater Beach, Florida, from Monday, October 20 through Thursday noon, 

October 23. The meeting will be held at the Adam’s Mark Caribbean Gulf Hotel. The hotel 

address is: 

Adam’s Mark Caribbean Gulf Hotel 

430 South Gulfview Boulevard 

Clearwater Beach, Florida 34630 

A limited number of rooms has been retained for the attendees. Special room rates are $72 per 

night, guaranteed through September 29, 1997. Reservations must be made by calling (800) 

444-2326, (813) 443-5714 or by fax at (813) 442-8389. Please specify the Government 

Printing Office (GPO) or the Depository Library Council Meeting when you contact the hotel. 

Register on our WWW Page at: 

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/counreg.html

or fill out the form below: 

REGISTRATION FORM FALL 1997 COUNCIL MEETING 

Clearwater Beach, FL October 20 - 23, 1997

E-mail, fax or mail to: 

Mr. William Thompson Fax: (202) 512-1432 

Library Programs Service (SL) E-mail: wthompson@gpo.gov 

U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, DC 20401 

Please type or print clearly: 

 

Name

Library/Office

Institution

 

Address

 

City/State/Zip Code

 

Telephone (include area code)

Preferred first name or nickname for badge: 

 

GPO will seek to make accommodations for attendees with disabilities. Please specify needs 

when registering. 
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3 

GPO, State Department, University of Illinois-Chicago 

Join in FDLP Partnership

The Government Printing Office (GPO), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), and the 

Richard J. Daley Library, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), have formed a partnership 

to provide more widely distributed access to electronic information products available through 

the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). 

This innovative partnership builds on UIC's current agreement with the State Department 

to manage the Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN). DOSFAN is a 

collection of World Wide Web pages featuring current State Department news and information. 

 The DOSFAN Electronic Research Collection contains historical materials from 1993 to the 

present. These Web sites provide immediate, global access to official U.S. foreign policy 

information and decision-making. Updated daily, the sites include country- and issue-specific 

information on socio-political situations, economic trends, democracy, human rights, culture, 

development assistance, environment, terrorism, and more. Speeches, statements, and 

testimony by the President, Secretary of State, and other senior department officials are 

featured, along with many other publications that have traditionally been provided to 

depository libraries, including Dispatch, Background Notes, other official publications, and 

congressional reports. 

The GPO/UIC/DOS partnership ensures that access to the newly established Electronic 

Research Collection of archived DOSFAN material meets general requirements expected for all 

remote electronic Government information products accessible through the FDLP. As an 

FDLP partner, UIC will manage the DOSFAN Electronic Research Collection, continue to 

have custody of DOSFAN materials, and offer specific electronic reference services to sources 

of U.S. foreign policy information found on the World Wide Web as well as in its traditional 

library collections. UIC will also provide online access to the Electronic Research Collection, 

ensure the security of the collection, and provide a copy of all DOSFAN Electronic Research 

Collection files to GPO should UIC no longer be able to support permanent access to the files. 

 The ultimate responsibility for provision of permanent access to and bibliographic control of 

products held in the DOSFAN Electronic Research Collection will reside in the GPO as FDLP 

administrator. The GPO identifies these types of partnerships as an integral component of the 

FDLP's transition to a more electronic information environment. 

GPO intends to establish similar partnerships in the future, using the skills and resources 

of the FDLP library community to enhance access to electronic Government information. 

The Internet address for the DOSFAN Electronic Research Collection is: 

<http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu>. 
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4 

Michigan and New York Add Gateways to Free Federal 

Information via Web Link

The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has opened new "gateway" sites in Michigan 

and New York giving the public access to many of the Nation's most important Federal 

documents via an Internet connection or a phone call to the GPO Access Services. 

The Michigan State University (MSU) and the New York State Library (NYSL) are the 

latest Federal depository libraries to become gateways. Gateway users may search the 

databases as frequently as they like, without charge. 

Users may access the MSU gateway by pointing their web browser to: 

<http://gpo.lib.msu.edu>. For local user support, contact the Michigan State University 

Network Trouble Line at (517) 353-4602. 

Users of the NYSL gateway may access it by pointing their web browser to: 

<http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/gpo>. For local user support, contact Sharon Oskam at (518) 

474-6280 or <soskam@unix2.nys>. 

The Congressional Record, Federal Register, Congressional Bills, Code of Federal 

Regulations, Commerce Business Daily, Constitution of the United States of America and other 

Federal databases are available to off-site users on the day of publication through the gateway. 

 Michigan State University and the New York State Library, part of the Nation’s system of 

nearly 1,375 Federal depository libraries, are offering public access to the GPO databases as 

part of an expanding gateway program. 

"We believe the public should have timely access to vital information about the activities 

of their government without charge," says head of the GPO, Public Printer Michael F. 

DiMario. “Further, it is our goal to establish local outlets to the GPO electronic system in 

every State. We want these important Government publications available to the American 

public around the clock, 7 days a week." 

The GPO Access databases are also available for free electronic searching at some 1,300 

of the Nation’s depository libraries under the "GPO Access" program authorized by law and 

launched in June 1994. 

Inquiries about the availability of GPO Access services should be directed to the GPO 

Access User Support Team at (888) 293-6498 (toll free) or (202) 512-1530 (local); fax: (202) 

512-1262; or Internet e-mail: <gpoaccess@gpo.gov>. Questions about the service can also 

be directed to a nearby Federal depository library. Written information about the GPO Access 

and GPO products and services can be obtained via U.S. Fax Watch, the GPO's 

fax-on-demand service, by dialing (202) 512-1716. 
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U.S. FAX Watch: Your Source for Shipping Lists

Copies of the Daily Depository Shipping Lists are available on U.S. Fax Watch for 90 days 

from the time of their original posting. To obtain copies of shipping lists, just follow the steps 

outlined below. 

STEP 1: Dial (202) 512-1716 from a touch tone telephone or the touch tone handset of your 

fax machine. 

STEP 2: Select option 8. 

Note: For security reasons, the voice message will not indicate that this is an item for 

selection. 

STEP 3: The message will ask you for your library code. Please enter your depository 

library number, followed by the # sign. Do not use dashes. Include leading zeros. 

 Alpha characters should be keyed in using the corresponding number on the 

keypad. 

Example: Library 101A should be entered as 01012. 

STEP 4: The voice response will ask: 

a) If you would like a list of all shipping lists currently available on the U.S. Fax 

Watch or: 

b) If you would like to request a copy of a specific shipping list. Enter the number 

without the dashes, using the corresponding number on the keypad to represent the 

alpha character. 

Example: Shipping list no. 97-0183-P should be entered as 9701831 where: 

P (paper) = 1 

E (electronic) = 3 

S (separate) = 7 

M (microfiche) = 6 

Enter the # sign after the shipping list number has been entered. The system will 

verify that the shipping list you are requesting is available, or indicate if it is 

unavailable. 
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6 

STEP 5: If the list number you entered is correct, the system will ask you to press '1.' If 

you entered an incorrect list number, press '2,' and the system will allow you to 

reenter the shipping list number. 

STEP 6: If you would like to request an additional shipping list number, select '1.' If you 

have finished selecting the desired number of shipping lists, press '2.' 

Note: Up to three unique shipping list numbers can be requested per call. The system 

cannot supply multiple copies of one shipping list during a single phone session. 

STEP 7: A prompt will ask you if you are calling from a fax machine or from a touch tone 

phone. If you are calling from a fax machine, press '1' and listen to the message. 

Press the start fax button as indicated. The copy of your shipping list will be sent 

back directly to the fax machine. If you are calling from a touch tone phone, press 

'2.' The system will ask you to enter the phone number of the fax machine that 

you want the shipping list to be sent to. Press the # sign after the complete phone 

number is entered. DO NOT INCLUDE THE PREFIX "1."

Note: The phone number must include the area code and complete phone number, even if 

you are calling from the local Washington, DC metropolitan area. 

The system will read back the phone number for verification. If correct, press '1'. 

 If incorrect, press '2' and reenter the correct phone number. 

STEP 8: Your shipping list(s) will be faxed to you. 

TIPS: If you need copies of more than 3 shipping lists, you will need to make several calls 

into the system. Wait until the first copies you requested have faxed completely before calling 

again. The system will make three attempts (at three minute intervals) to fax to the phone 

number you submitted before canceling the request.

If you have trouble with your transmissions, please contact Laurie Beyer Hall via fax at (202) 

512-0877 or by e-mail at <lhall@gpo.gov>. 
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7 

Depository Library Program Update

Remarks by Jay Young 

Director, Library Programs Service 

GODORT Federal Documents Task Force 

American Library Association Annual Conference 

June 28, 1997 

San Francisco, CA

Good morning. I appreciate the opportunity to be here this morning for this update 

session. Wayne Kelley regrets that he could not be here today, but he had an unbreakable 

family commitment to attend to. 

National Cancer Institute

Since I am speaking partly for Wayne, I want to first address an issue that is of great 

concern to him; the growing trend of transferring Federal Government information from the 

public domain to private ownership. The example that he most frequently uses is the case of 

the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In January of this year, GPO was informed by the 

National Cancer Institute (NCI) that its highly regarded and popular Journal, which for many 

years was procured through GPO, was being privatized. Ownership of the Journal, we were 

told, was being transferred from NCI to Oxford University Press, and I quote from the January 

letter, “the Journal is no longer a publication of the U.S. Government; copies of the Journal 

and JNCI Monographs will not be provided to the Depository Library Program nor will sales 

copies be available” to GPO. 

After repeated attempts by various GPO staff to obtain information about the newly 

privatized Journal from the NCI, the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP) became involved. 

Letters were sent from Senator John Warner, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing, to 

the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and to the head of the National 

Institutes of Health (NIH). These letters expressed his concern over this privatization 

arrangement and subsequent loss of this publication to the depository program. In late May, a 

response was received from the Director of NCI stating that NCI and Oxford University Press 

would be (and I again quote) “delighted to continue to provide copies for the Depository 

libraries.” We responded in a letter from the Public Printer to the NCI Director advising of 

the number of copies needed and where to ship them. However, we have not yet received any 

of the issues and our calls to the publishing people at NCI are not being returned. 

Is this a victory? Well, in certain respects it is, since we must assume that we will 

ultimately get copies for our program. But, it took the intervention of the JCP and Senator 

Warner. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) staff members have told us they were glad 

that NIH was taken to task on this. But, the question remains, if OMB felt that what NIH has 

done is wrong, then why didn’t OMB take action? 
AN-v18-#10-7/15/97 

8 

Unfortunately, we probably have to recognize that agencies are going to make 

arrangements with private entities if that will help defray their own costs. Hopefully, new 

legislation will assist with this problem. We have proposed that the following language be 

placed in the law: 

No component of the Government may delegate or contract exclusively for the 

storage, reproduction, or dissemination of Government information without 

providing in advance for public and depository library access at no cost through 

the Superintendent of Documents. Components which establish agreements with 

non-Federal Government entities through which copyright or copyright-like 

restrictions are imposed on Government information, shall provide depository 

libraries with access to the full content of that information at no cost. 

Fugitive Documents

Further on the subject of publications escaping from our program, in case you haven’t 

seen it, I want to bring to your attention the report called “Fugitive Documents: Scope and 

Solutions” which appeared in the June 15 issue of Administrative Notes. This was produced 

by our staff and was entered into the record of the Senate Rules Committee hearing held on 

May 22 that examined revising Title 44 and compliance issues. On that same day, 

Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) inserted the report into the Congressional Record. 

In the report, we noted that “although no study has resulted in a definitive answer, we 

estimate that more than 50 percent of all tangible Government information products are not 

being made available to the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP).” Of these, and this 

is not news to you, the majority are about 55,000 scientific and technical documents and 

reports which traditionally have neither been printed through GPO, nor furnished by the 

issuing agencies to the FDLP. While these sci-tech documents have not been included in our 

Program, they are not fugitive in the Government since they have been available from NTIS, 

but at a cost. 

The key is that, in paper format, we could not handle this volume and I doubt that your 

libraries could, either. But now there may be an electronic solution that will bring this body of 

material into the program for the first time. Sandy Schwalb, on our Electronic Transition 

Staff, is working with NTIS staff and with Linda Kennedy of the University of CaliforniaDavis on a “pre-pilot” project to enable depositories to have access to NTIS’ electronic image 

files at no cost. If this is successful, there will be a request for other depository libraries to 

participate in a more formalized pilot project later this summer. There are some concerns 

about NTIS placing restrictions on redissemination of the files. However, recently NTIS has 

said that they did not have a problem with individuals downloading the image files on campus, 

outside of the library. NTIS’ concern is that libraries not put up the files on their Web sites. 

We will keep you advised of this promising project. 

In addition to the sci-tech body of documents, there is an unknown number of fugitives, 

primarily general, public interest materials produced by agencies using avenues other than 

GPO. It is virtually impossible to estimate the total number of these titles, although we 
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9 

estimate that they may well number in the thousands. Just two examples of such publications 

which would have great value for the public are the publications of Federal District Courts and 

Courts of Appeal and the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service reports. 

Status of Appropriations for FDLP

To bring you up to date on where we stand with appropriations, the Public Printer has 

appeared before both the House and Senate Subcommittees on Legislative Branch 

Appropriations. We requested $30.5 million for the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of 

the Superintendent of Documents. The House mark-up took place early this week, and we saw 

Thursday that the House had funded us at budget request level except for “absorbable costs for 

personnel.” I’m not sure what that means exactly, but I was told by our Budget Officer that 

we had received $29.3 million. This is a small increase over our present amount of $29.1 

million. The Senate could change this, but it generally goes along with the House. We feel 

confident that we can handle the traditional distribution and continue to move forward with the 

electronic transition on this amount. 

Three years ago, when working up our fiscal year 1996 appropriation request, we stated 

that we felt that we could operate for the next three years at level funding, and should know 

enough by the time of our budget request for fiscal year 1999, to estimate what the impact of 

the electronic transition would be. Well, the Congress has done its part and given us the level 

funding as requested, but I’m not sure that we can live up to our projection of really knowing 

future program costs by the time we have to submit the fiscal year 1999 request this coming 

December. As I’m sure you will agree, this whole electronic thing is very difficult to get a 

handle on. However, our planning involves the assumption that expenses associated with 

acquiring and shipping printed products, which have decreased, will be stabilizing. We are 

assuming that our costs for funding no-charge use of the GPO Access services for depository 

libraries and the general public will increase, since GPO Access is clearly becoming a primary 

delivery vehicle for the FDLP. Also, there are new costs associated with providing locator 

services to electronic information, Government-wide. 

Collection Management Concept

Another area where costs will increase is for ensuring permanent public access to 

electronic information. I want to thank Duncan Aldrich, who is ending his year as an Expert 

Consultant on our Electronic Transition Staff, for the many contributions he has made in this 

area and others during his year with us. Be assured that he has represented the depository 

community in an outstanding manner. One of his most important contributions has been a 

white paper examining GPO’s role in creating a permanent online collection. The paper is 

titled, Managing the GPO Access Collection: Permanent Access to Electronic Government 

Information Products. The primary finding of the report is that “GPO should manage the 

various electronic Government information products made permanently accessible via GPO 

Access as a library like collection” and that “any planning for GPO Access storage should be 

done in the context of a GPO Collection Plan.” 
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During its spring meeting, the Depository Library Council also recommended that: “...the 

Public Printer create within the Office of the Superintendent of Documents the position of 

collection management officer for electronic products.” 

Last week, Duncan, along with Superintendent of Documents, Wayne Kelley and Gil 

Baldwin, Chief, Library Division, met with the Public Printer to discuss the permanent online 

collection. I am pleased to report that the Library Programs Service will be taking the lead in 

establishing a collection plan for managing the growing body of digital publications accessible 

on GPO Access. The plan will delineate policies and procedures for the Permanent Online 

collection and will clarify responsibilities within GPO for collection management. Duncan’s 

paper will appear in an upcoming issue of Administrative Notes. 

The Public Printer has also agreed in principle to establishing a “collection development 

manager” position in the Library Programs Service, and we will be working toward that. 

Assessment of Standards

Important to the permanent access program is the question of standards. In December of 

last year, we requested, and the Joint Committee on Printing approved, an Interagency 

Agreement between GPO and the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science 

to conduct an “Assessment of Standards for the Creation, Dissemination, and Permanent 

Accessibility of Electronic Government Information Products.” This need had been identified 

in our 1996 “Study.” The assessment is to identify standard formats most appropriate for 

dealing with electronic information products throughout their life cycles. It will also address 

the plans of Federal agencies, assess the cost-effectiveness and usefulness of various electronic 

formats, and assess formats most conducive to maintaining permanent accessibility. 

We have now selected the National Research Council, the principal working arm of the 

National Academy of Sciences to participate throughout the project and produce a framework 

document and a Statement of Work. The office within the National Research Council which 

will handle this project is the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board. 

The first phase of this project is now underway and we anticipate receiving the first draft 

of a framework document and Statement of Work from the National Research Council by 

FedEx today. We will share these documents with the Depository Library Council and other 

library representatives before submitting them to the JCP. Following JCP approval of the 

Statement of Work, the second phase of the project--research and data collection as defined by 

the Statement of Work, and probably conducted by a private contractor--will begin. The third 

phase will be a review of the research findings and development of conclusions and 

recommendations. The National Research Council will bring in experts to participate in this 

phase and will publish its own report. A report will also be published by the National 

Commission on Libraries and Information Science and GPO. 
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11 

Title 44 Revision

As I’m sure you are aware, there is a great deal going on at this time to revise Title 44, 

United States Code, our authorizing legislation. In the space of a few weeks this past spring, 

four hearings were held in both the House and the Senate. I can tell you that the depository 

program was a major focus of each of these hearings and all four were positive toward the 

program. Both Senator John Warner, Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee as well as the 

Joint Committee on Printing, and Senator Wendell Ford, ranking minority member on both 

committees, are strong supporters of the program and appeared to be together on what they 

wanted to see as an outcome. 

This overall Title 44 revision effort is being spearheaded by Eric Peterson, the Staff 

Director of the Joint Committee on Printing. Eric has been very open in his efforts to gain 

input. He made presentations last April at the meeting of the Depository Library Council and 

at a GODORT meeting. He has also met with members of the Administration, particularly 

OMB, the information industry, the printing industry, and other interested stakeholders. 

While Title 44 includes many areas in addition to the Federal Depository Library 

Program, it is clear that a driving factor is to make changes to Chapter 19 which authorizes our 

program. A key goal is to deal with the issue of permanent access to electronic Government 

information. All of the expressed goals are favorable to our program, but we have had some 

concerns about the execution, particularly where the first draft Bill moved the GPO to the 

Executive Branch. 

GPO has officially provided its proposals for change to all of Title 44 and this included the 

revisions to Chapter 19 that we began work on over two years ago. In fact, there are only 

small differences from that published in the August 30, 1996 issue of Administrative Notes. 

I know that your representatives are up to date on this effort, and I encourage you to 

attend sessions where you will be briefed by your Interassociation Working Group on 

Government Information Policy. This group has been meeting in Washington regularly since 

being formed during the ALA Midwinter meeting in February. In fact, Wayne Kelley, Gil 

Baldwin, and I met with the group in mid-June to discuss the draft legislation that they have 

put forth to the Joint Committee on Printing. 

Recently, there seems to be considerable discussion going on concerning the possibility of 

decentralization of printing procurement. A main reason that our program has worked as well 

as it has these many years is that agencies have been required to come through GPO to procure 

their printing and we have been able to add depository copies to their printing requisitions. 

Now being discussed is that instead of one procurement activity, there might be a number of 

agencies in the Executive Branch which would be designated to procure printing for other 

agencies. Instead of relying on GPO as the central point for collection of documents for the 

program, there would now have to be a new system based on notification. Our concern is that 

the greater the decentralization, the more complicated the process will be to obtain depository 

copies and also the more it will cost. 
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12 

Notification, even if legislated, will be very difficult to administer. However, assuming 

that there may be several printing procurement points, let me throw out one idea of how we 

might take advantage of technology to make such a decentralized process work. 

What if no procurement order could be processed, no contract awarded, and no payment 

made without completion of a section of the requisition form by the Office of the 

Superintendent of Documents. This SuDocs section would specify the number of copies to be 

delivered for the Depository Library Program, for the Sales Program, for the International 

Exchange Program, and the Bylaw Program. 

This could be accomplished by electronic submission of the required forms to the Office of 

the Superintendent of Documents by each printing procurement activity; not by the originating 

agency but by the procurement office. The submission could be automatic to conserve time 

and staff at the procurement office. The guarantee of compliance might be automatic as well--

with the computer system not allowing any procurement action to go forward without an 

authenticated entry in the SuDocs section. 

SuDocs library and sales specialists would review the electronic submissions which would 

contain information about the product. SuDocs would respond by filling in the number of 

copies to be ordered and delivery information. The SuDocs response could be done quickly in 

real time. 

All those involved would benefit. SuDocs would be assured of riding procurement orders 

and would be able to track expenditures for budgeting and financial review. The agency 

producing the information product would get a better price because larger orders reduce per 

unit costs. The procurement office would not have any administrative burden or expenses 

related to the Depository Library, Sales, or International Exchange programs. Private sector 

printers would be able to bid on larger orders. OMB and agency budget officials would be 

able to track and analyze printing costs. 

The best guarantee against “fugitive” documents is including SuDocs in the printing 

procurement process. Asking publishers for notification, legislating penalties, requiring 

reimbursement for the costs of reprinting, creating and publishing lists of missing products, or 

protesting contracts may all be ineffective and will certainly be very expensive to administer. 

We don’t want to spend staff time and taxpayers’ money on fruitless compliance efforts. 

The process could be kept simple, honest and evenhanded. Every Government entity 

should be included in the procurement process, even if they must recover costs through sales 

and even if they are not using appropriated funds. 

Please keep in mind that I am speaking here of only tangible information products. For 

electronic information made available by computer over a telecommunications network, we 

would still need notification when an agency initiates, modifies, or terminates an information 

product. But, this is new and will have to be dealt with in new ways, no matter what. 
AN-v18-#10-7/15/97 

13 

I want to thank you for having us here today and for the continuing support of the library 

community. Much of the credit for keeping up the funding for the program and maintaining 

support in Congress for the program, in general, belongs to you. Thank you. 

Inventing the Wheel

Remarks by Gil Baldwin 

Chief, Library Division 

Library Programs Service 

GODORT Federal Documents Task Force 

American Library Association Annual Conference 

June 28, 1997 

San Francisco, CA

Introduction

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for the opportunity to be here today. 

These past few months we have had Library Programs Service speakers on the programs 

of a number of state Library Associations and other professional meetings around the country. 

 We spoke at meetings in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, and Missouri, and 

mostly we were at those meetings to talk about the electronic transition. A couple of topics 

which came up time and again in relation to electronic information were locator services, 

partnerships, and permanent access. We also heard reality checks--how the transition is 

playing out in that no-man's land between technology and policy. One perspective I got from 

these experiences is that we are facing many of the same problems, at all levels of 

Government, and they are being successfully worked through. It's not always smooth, but 

that's the way when you're inventing the wheel. Notice I did not say REinventing the wheel, 

because many of these challenges are being overcome for the first time. So we, too, are 

focusing on these issues, and I hope during the question and answer period we'll hear from you 

how these issues are playing out in your libraries. 

NARA Issues

Our commitment to ensure permanent access to electronic Government information has 

been the subject of several meetings with the National Archives and Records Administration 

(NARA), most recently on June 12. We continue to meet with NARA officials to refine our 

relative roles, and keep GPO's and the depository community's interests visible. Two weeks 

ago, the Superintendent of Documents hosted the Deputy Archivist, Dr. Lewis Bellardo, to talk 
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14 

about our respective roles. When we talk to NARA we keep emphasizing two goals; what I 

call the "two stands" - standards and standing. 

Standards refers to our goal of coordinating our common interests in matters such as 

encouraging uniform standards for electronic information. This goal may be advanced by the 

"Assessment of Standards" project underway with NCLIS. You've heard from Jay about the 

Assessment of Standards we're doing in cooperation with NCLIS and the National Research 

Council. NARA is interested in this as well, and one of the outcomes I hope for is to have 

NARA and GPO cooperate on a set of standards for electronic information which facilitate 

both preservation and access. 

When we talk with other agencies about permanent access issues for electronic 

information, we often find a confusion about what we're trying to accomplish relative to the 

National Archives' mission. "Preservation of electronic information - we thought NARA did 

that!" Standing refers to gaining recognition for the legitimate role of the FDLP in ensuring 

permanent public access. We have proposed that the Archives provide us guidelines permitting 

GPO to become a "NARA Affiliate" for some of the core content of GPO Access, most likely 

the Federal Register, a NARA title. This would mean that NARA would not have to duplicate 

the storage of these official electronic documents. NARA plans to establish "affiliates" to 

assist in permanent storage of the nation's vast accumulation of records and documents. 

NARA is concerned, however, about the proposed definition of "Government 

Information" contained in draft versions of the Title 44 revision legislation. The issue is that 

the proposed depository library definition could be read by some as duplicating the much 

larger universe of information which falls under the mission of the Archives. 

Rather than changing the Title 44 definition, Dr. Bellardo suggests adding the following 

disclaimer to the bill: "Nothing in this bill shall abridge the statutory responsibilities and 

authorities of the Archivist of the United States or the National Archives and Records 

Administration." 

This disclaimer satisfies both GPO and the Archives, and we continue to work on the 

FDLP piece of the Government information universe: Publications and their electronic 

equivalents. 

MEDLINE in the FDLP

With little fanfare and no announcement on its Web site, the National Library of Medicine 

(NLM) decided to offer free access to its database, Internet Grateful Med, which includes 

MEDLINE. In a May 30 e-mail message to a GPO staffer, NLM stated that: “The Internet 

Grateful Med (IGM) will be going completely free--with no registration required--in the very 

near future. IGM has the advantage of providing access to several other NLM databases in 

addition to MEDLINE.” GPO is now providing a link from its Browse Electronic Titles page 

(located on GPO Access) to the NLM site called PubMed. Although this page says that it is 

NLM’s “experimental” search service, GPO staff has been informed that it is now fully 

operational and is a permanent free service to access MEDLINE and its back files. This is a 
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15 

significant move by NLM and provides the depository program with free access to this popular 

database. Although we don't know precisely what led to the NLM decision to make IGM free, 

we feel that the discussions we had with NLM during the work on the GPO Study had some 

impact on this outcome. 

Access to DOE Reports

Let's shift now to some other areas in which electronic delivery is going to affect the 

FDLP. As many of you know, at the end of fiscal year 1996, the Office of Scientific and 

Technical Information (or OSTI) of the Department of Energy (DOE) ended its program of 

providing microfiche copies of its reports and publications to the Federal Depository Library 

Program. GPO and DOE had worked together under an Interagency Agreement on this project 

for 12 years. Beginning in October 1996, GPO began to receive this material in electronic 

image format at the rate of 12,000-15,000 titles per year. Several alternatives to make the 

electronic version available were investigated by GPO staff. 

In a March meeting with the Superintendent of Documents and other GPO staff, the new 

director of OSTI announced that they were working on an electronic dissemination program of 

their own called “DOE’s Information Bridge.” It will link the bibliographic data of DOE 

reports to the image, and the material will be fully searchable, user-friendly, and include both 

easy and advanced search capabilities. We were told that, barring any unforeseen 

developments, the site could be available to the depository community by the end of calendar 

year 1997. That schedule is still on track. 

This project is significant in that DOE will allow depositories to access its electronic files 

through GPO Access. GPO and OSTI staff members are currently working to put together an 

Interagency Agreement to accomplish this. GPO may be asked to provide funds to DOE to 

assist with their developmental and start-up costs as they work to ensure access to depositories. 

ERIC/OCLC

LPS and the Department of Education have been discussing ways to change microfiche 

distribution of Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) titles to electronic 

dissemination. ERIC is building an electronic system which uses TIFF image files of their 

reports, accessed through a bibliographic file, but this system is not ready for us to "point" 

depositories to. We have reached agreement in principle on a pilot project partnership between 

ERIC, OCLC, and GPO, under which OCLC would maintain and make available to 

depositories the public domain ERIC reports. We anticipate a one-year pilot project, probably 

getting underway next January, which should provide valuable information concerning usage, 

costs, and other issues relevant to archiving electronic information. 

The results of this project will assist us in making a careful transition to electronic formats, 

and we have decided that a parallel distribution in microfiche format will be continued through 

FY 1998. It will also fulfill our commitment to OCLC to identify a body of current 

Government information to be included in its series of electronic archiving pilot projects. We 
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are very pleased to have been able to bring the parties together for this initiative, and feel 

confident that it will be of long-term value to the FDLP libraries. 

Electronic Transition Staff - The Farewell Tour

The Library Programs Service owes a real debt to the visiting experts who have served on 

our Electronic Transition Staff, and I want to thank Duncan Aldrich for all of his efforts and 

advice to us. He has done a terrific job in representing the depository community interests in 

the electronic transition, and in calmly and carefully educating us on how things play in 

Nevada. His vision of how the GPO Access resources can be managed as a library-like 

collection is one of those "light-bulb" kind of ideas. Once you hear it, it's so obvious. How 

come we had to bring somebody all the way across the country to tell us that? From my 

perspective I can tell you, it's going to be tough without Duncan. I guess that's why the Public 

Printer put him on the Council--so he'd still have to speak to us. 

In about another six weeks we're also supposed to lose Sandy Schwalb, because her oneyear term is running out. And this is a loss I'll feel very personally. Sandy's been great at 

keeping up with all the players--she's such a baseball fan she brought her own score card. And 

she's doing a real service for you all in the discussions with the Department of Energy and the 

NCLIS Assessment of Standards project. Sandy was hired last summer while I was out 

camping in Yellowstone, and I'm willing to go again if we could keep her. I've been 

acquainted with Sandy and Duncan for years, but I never really knew them all that well. In the 

past year, we've come to resonate on a deep level--they're among the best at relating nearly 

any situation to classic rock lyrics. 

Since our visiting experts can only stay with us one year, we're planning on at least one 

more year's worth of the “outside the beltway” view to help us in the electronic transition. 

George Barnum from Case Western Reserve University will be joining us, I hope next month. 

 We've had a few other people approach us about a position at LPS but we're still open to 

talking to some other folks. So if you're interested, please be sure to let one of us know. 

"Core Documents of U.S. Democracy" on GPO Access

As you know, for some time we've been talking about a Web-based collection concept 

called "Core Documents of U.S. Democracy" on GPO Access. So we finally got to the point 

of saying "It's Nike time--let's do it!" We're putting up a basic electronic depository 

collection, one which will provides direct online access to the essential documents that define 

our democratic society. We've put together a starter set of current and historical Government 

publications which are available for free, permanent, public access via the GPO Access service 

and other selected Government sites. We've included on the page a couple of opportunities for 

comments, so you can tell us what you think of the page, or make suggestions for what might 

be added. The address is: 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/coredocs.html>. 
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Roswell Report

In closing, I want to give you a preview about an exciting Government document, 50 years 

in the making, that I'm sure you'll be getting a lot of inquiries about. I'm talking about a 

document called "The Roswell Report: Case Closed." Up until Tuesday, the 50th anniversary 

of the Roswell incident, its release was embargoed by the Air Force. Copies were being 

closely held in the GPO Laurel Warehouse, in Area 51 ... This report is the companion piece 

to the 1994 volume, "The Roswell Report: Fact vs. Fiction in the New Mexico Desert," which 

methodically explained that what was recovered by the Army Air Force in 1947 was NOT the 

remnants of an extraterrestrial spacecraft and its alien crew, but debris from an Army balloon 

experiment. Whatever the case, this title is an Air Force general publication, and will be 

shipped to all depositories which select item number 0424 as soon as it’s available. 

Amendment of Selections on the Web

I want to close today with a show of hands... How many of you have used our new Web 

application to enter your amendments of selections? Our statistics show that as of last week 

only 175 libraries had used the service, and that's a bit alarming. The update period goes 

through July, and we're concerned that if 1000 libraries wait until the last minute you may run 

into some problems. So, in order to avoid possible delays, please try to enter those additions 

and deletions as soon as you can. 

Of course there's lots more going on at the Library Programs Service. I'd urge you to 

take a look at the four handouts we have here with additional details from the Depository 

Administration Branch, the Depository Services Staff, the Cataloging Branch, and the 

Electronic Transition Staff. 
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18 

GPO Access Update

Remarks by T.C. Evans 

Assistant Director, Office of Electronic Information 

Dissemination Services 

GODORT Federal Documents Task Force 

American Library Association Annual Conference 

June 28, 1997 

San Francisco, CA

It is a pleasure to have another opportunity to provide the library community with an 

update on the current and future state of GPO Access. Those of you who have heard me give 

one of these update speeches before know that I stress the importance of feedback from users 

in the continuing development of GPO Access. Several of the new changes I will tell you 

about this morning are a direct result of this feedback process. I am sure you will consider 

these changes improvements and those of you who provided input deserve credit for making 

them possible. 

Before moving on to these changes, I would like to take a moment to thank all of those in 

our Production Department who have worked so hard to make these improvements possible. 

These people are the backbone of GPO Access and they seldom get a chance to share publicly 

in the praise that GPO Access receives from groups such as this. 

Response Time

One of the most talked about aspects of GPO Access in the last six months has been the 

slow response time of our service. Those of you who are regular users know that we have 

made significant progress on this issue in the last three months. Our retrieval statistics 

illustrate this, with the average number of monthly retrievals climbing to more that 4 million. 

In April, this number exceeded 4.5 million. Even so, we will continue to seek further 

improvements until the user community is satisfied. 

This will not be easy since the popularity of our site continues to grow along with the 

amount of information that is available. Nevertheless, we will continue our efforts to optimize 

our configuration to give you the best possible service. A consultant is currently working with 

us to ensure that GPO Access provides our users with the best possible response time 

regardless of where they are located, or what time they use the system. 

New Developments

A new edition of our training booklet is now complete. Copies of the new booklet are 

now being used in our training classes and are being shipped to all depository libraries. It is 

also available for download in both ASCII and PDF formats. 
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19 

At our recent depository library conference in Washington, librarians expressed an interest 

in having summary files available through the GAO Reports database. I am pleased to 

announce that those are now available as an option in the results list that appears after 

performing a search. I would like to thank Steve Palincsar of GAO for his hard work that 

made these summaries possible. 

Another result of the conference has been the addition of a new technical information page 

for our many Federal depository gateways. The up-to-date listing of databases and their 

addresses will also benefit individual users who need to keep track of their favorite application 

as our response time reconfiguration progresses. 

As some of you already know, there is a new congressional application on our site that 

better organizes the wide range of information that we have available from committees. An 

index is being developed that should make this application even better for users, particularly if 

they are unfamiliar with Congress’s structure and how it does business. 

The addition of CFR volumes continues and is on schedule. New books are added on a 

weekly basis. Please consult the listing on that page for the availability of the titles that are of 

interest to your patrons or contact the GPO Access User Support Team for more information. 

Improvement to our GILS site continues with the addition of a comprehensive search of all 

available WAIS-based U.S. Federal GILS sites along with the 28 agency databases maintained 

on GPO Access. I will be participating in a GODORT sponsored GILS panel on Monday 

morning where the future of GILS will be discussed in more detail. 

A new Get-Doc feature added to GPO Access allows for direct linking from other sites to 

specific documents in our databases. A Web page provides step-by-step instructions on how to 

take advantage of this feature. 

A popular new committee hearing on the planned International Space Station is now 

available through GPO Access. Other hearings will be included on GPO Access as electronic 

source material becomes available. 

An interim House Rules Manual is now available online. This is significant because it 

represents one of the first times that an interim version has been made available electronically 

in advance of the new edition being published in paper format. 

What’s on the Horizon?

I previously reported to you that we were working with OCLC and the RONDAC 

networks to expand opportunities for GPO Access training. We have agreed on training dates 

with the AMIGOS and INCOLSA networks to train their trainers on GPO Access later in the 

year, and we are currently working with the CAPCON network to organize GPO Access 

training sessions. Upon completion of these sessions, the networks will be able to offer GPO 

Access training along with their other course offerings. Other RONDAC networks are likely 

to follow. 
AN-v18-#10-7/15/97 

20 

A full justification for the GPO Access Learning Facility is now complete. It is now going 

through the necessary areas for approval and hopefully construction will begin in the near 

future. If approved, it will provide a state-of-the-art facility in which librarians and others can 

learn, hands-on, how to better utilize GPO Access databases and services. 

Finally, I would like to show you one of the most important changes that is forthcoming, 

based on feedback received through telephone conversations, e-mail, and several recent focus 

groups. We have developed a new GPO Access home page and have restructured some of the 

underlying pages in an effort to make it more intuitive and useful. Printed copies are available 

in the back of the room, but with Linda Long’s assistance, I would like to show these pages to 

you briefly and I hope you will take the opportunity to provide further comments about these 

changes. 

First, you will see a simplified new home page, which makes the resources of GPO Access 

easy to find. There are also direct links to our most popular applications located on the lefthand side. A site search capability is being developed that will be accessible from this page. 

A link is available to take new users to a page that describes what GPO Access is all 

about. We have also added a browseable list of the pages available on GPO Access. Along 

with these new services, we have endeavored to provide easily understood links to our 

databases, the Federal Bulletin Board, our suite of Pathway locator tools, and new and 

noteworthy changes to GPO Access. 

You, the users will be the ultimate judges of how successful we have been in meeting our 

objective of a developing a more useful site. I look forward to hearing more from you this 

week and in the future through the e-mail links on our Web pages. 
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21 

Depository Administration Branch Update

June 1997

Update Cycle Online on the Web!

The 1998 Update Cycle is taking place electronically on the Web. Libraries are entering 

their own amendments to selections using the new application, “Amendment to Item 

Selections,” on the FDLP Administration page at: 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/amendment.html>. 

During the first two weeks of service, 175 libraries made 7624 changes to their item 

selection profiles. If you have any questions about this service, please contact DAB staff at 

(202) 512-1062, fax (202) 512-0877, e-mail <lhall@gpo.gov>. 

Bound Congressional Record 

U.S. Congressional Serial Set

Pending Congressional direction for the distribution of the paper bound Congressional 

Record (CR) and the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, the Library Programs Service (LPS) has 

converted all of the older issues of the bound Record to microfiche. LPS continues to send the 

paper volumes for conversion to microfiche format as they are received. The bound CR is not 

always produced and distributed in order. Many parts of vol. 137 have been distributed to the 

libraries, although parts 19 and 21 of vol. 136 are not yet ready for distribution. 

Distribution of the bound U.S. Congressional Serial Set to all selecting depositories will 

continue until the bound volumes are produced for the 105th Congress. LPS is now 

distributing bound Serial Set volumes for the 102nd Congress. Libraries that responded 

positively to the 1997 survey to purchase the Serial Set will continue to receive the bound set at 

no charge until the bound volumes for the 105th Congress are produced. 

Journal of the National Cancer Institute

In a May letter to Senator John Warner, Chairman of the JCP, the Director of the National 

Cancer Institute pledged to provide copies of the Journal to the Federal depository libraries. 

GPO has advised NCI of the number of copies needed for depository distribution, but 

arrangements are not yet finalized. 

CIA World Factbook

Depository libraries will receive the official CIA World Factbook in print format for both 

1996 and 1997. The 1996 edition will be delivered to the libraries as soon as it is produced. 

The 1997 edition is expected in September. 
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22 

National Imagery and Mapping Administration

LPS is negotiating with NIMA (formerly the Defense Mapping Agency) to make 

distribution of NIMA products directly from LPS, with standard classification and shipping list 

procedures. Copies of the Vmap Level 0, formerly known as the Digital Chart of the World, 

will be sent to depository libraries this summer. 

Conversion of Physical Format Products to Online Distribution

LPS is engaged in the transition to a more electronic Federal Depository Library Program 

(FDLP). Discontinuing certain paper titles when reliable electronic alternatives are available is 

one of the transition actions identified in the “Transition Plan, FY 1996 - FY 1998,” and the 

“Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic 

Federal Depository Library Program.” 

Candidates for delivery solely in electronic online format have to meet several specific 

criteria. The title must be available on a Government Website that has a significant amount of 

content, including both current and back issues. The periodical title cannot be a reference aid. 

 In evaluating titles for online electronic delivery only, we consider the number of selecting 

libraries before eliminating the paper or microfiche versions. Generally, only titles selected by 

500 or fewer libraries are considered. 

LPS staff continue to identify titles for online electronic delivery only, but delivery of the 

physical products will not be discontinued until the volume year is complete. If the title lacks 

volume numbers, the change will only be made at the beginning of the calendar year. LPS is 

now notifying libraries in the Administrative Notes Technical Supplement when a title is 

available online. In the fall, LPS will issue a comprehensive list of the titles that, beginning in 

January 1998, will be available in the online format only. 

Classification numbers and item numbers are assigned to the online resources because 

many librarians in the depository community wanted the numbers to associate the new online 

products with the older material distributed in a physical format. One of the other reasons that 

the class numbers and item numbers are used is to allow libraries the option of adding the 

online records to their OPACs via a commercial vendor according to their already established 

item selection profile. 

Browse Electronic Titles Page

A revision of the Browse Electronics Titles (BET) page is being undertaken to minimize 

the time required for users to load the page for viewing. LPS is in the process of making the 

following modifications. All titles will remain on the page indefinitely. New titles will be 

accessible from a button off the current page. New titles will remain up four weeks and then 

will rotate off the new titles portion, but will remain on the BET page under the appropriate 

agency. The URL for the enhanced BET page will remain 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/btitles.html>. 
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Depository Services Update

June 1997

Personnel

Two librarians have been selected as depository library inspectors from the 30 who 

initially responded to the vacancy announcement. Cynthia Etkin, Documents Coordinator at 

Western Kentucky University, and Thomas Oertel, Head of Acquisitions-Reference Librarian 

at the University of Utah’s College of Law Library, will be joining GPO in late summer. 

Outreach

Sheila McGarr will provide a Federal Depository Library Program update to the 

Government Documents Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries 

on July 20 in Baltimore, MD. 

The Fall Depository Library Council meeting will be held in Clearwater Beach, Florida 

from Monday, October 20 through Thursday noon, October 23, 1997. The Adam’s Mark 

Caribbean Gulf Hotel, 430 South Gulfview Boulevard, Clearwater Beach, FL 34630 is the site. 

 A limited number of rooms at a special rate of $72.00 per night is available to those making 

reservations through September 29. Reserve early by telephoning the hotel on (800) 444-2326 

or (813) 443-5714, or by fax on (813) 442-8389. The online registration form for the Council 

meeting is located at URL: <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/counreg.html>. 

The 7th annual Federal Depository Library Conference and Depository Library Council 

meeting is tentatively scheduled for April 20-23, 1998 in the Washington, DC metro area. 

GPO’s Materials Management staff is working on the invitations to bid to area hotels. The 

preliminary agenda will be announced in the December 15 Administrative Notes. 

The 11th annual Interagency Depository Seminar is scheduled for May 27-June 3, 1998 in 

Washington, DC. The preliminary agenda will be announced in the October 15 Administrative 

Notes. 

Address Changes

Depository libraries should advise LPS of any changes in address, personnel, and 

telephone and fax numbers, no matter how small. When the address information is unclear, 

Roadway Package System charges $4.00 per package to verify the correct street address before 

the shipment can be delivered. When telephone area codes change, it is difficult for patrons 

using the “Locate Libraries” function on GPO’s Website, or other resources such as U.S. Fax 

Watch and Federal Depository Library Directory, to contact the depository library. 

Self-Studies
AN-v18-#10-7/15/97 

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In July, depository libraries last inspected in 1990 and 1991 in the following states will be 

notified to submit a self-study: Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, 

Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming. The due date for the self-studies will be October 15. 

Depository libraries last inspected in 1988-90 in the following states have survived the 

self-study and inspection process: California, Colorado, Nevada. After our evaluation of the 

self-studies, some New Jersey and Texas libraries will be undergoing inspection in July. The 

remaining 80+ self-studies currently in-house will be examined in the next few months and onsite inspections scheduled if necessary. 

LPS endorses the use of the self-study as a benchmark, especially for new documents 

librarians, whether a self-study is requested by LPS or not. Selective housing agreements have 

been formulated and forwarded to LPS, basic depository publications requested, decals posted, 

cooperative collection development and promotion initiated, etc., as a result of the self-study. 

Biennial Survey

In September, LPS will distribute the 1997 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries. 

GPO’s Graphic Systems Development Division is investigating the feasibility of tabulating the 

responses on GPO’s Website. The anticipated due date for the survey is November 14. 

A Depository Library Council Working Group on Statistical Measurement will work with 

LPS to develop the 1997 and 1999 Biennial Survey questionnaires. As there is a short lead 

time before the 1997 survey is conducted, we expect there will be minor changes in the 1997 

questions compared to those in the 1995 survey. Major changes are anticipated for the 1999 

survey. 

Service Guidelines for Electronic Government Information

The Depository Library Council has appointed a Service Guidelines Working Group to 

draft guidelines for the provision of services to the public associated with Federal electronic 

government information products in depository libraries. The group will present a progress 

report at the fall Council meeting and a final report at the spring 1998 Council meeting. 

Working Group members include representatives from Council, Regional librarians, academic 

and public librarians, and LPS. 
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25 

Cataloging Branch Update

June 1997

Temporary Move and Effects on Production and Cataloging Backlogs

During the last week of April, Cataloging Branch personnel moved temporarily from our 

worksite into new areas at other locations. This move allows us to install a much needed GPO 

local area network and to replace badly worn carpeting in the permanent worksite. When we 

resume operations in our permanent areas sometime in July, our network environment will 

provide Internet access for all catalogers and access to such useful networked resources as 

LC's "Cataloger's Desktop." 

Although helpful in the long term, this move has had short term consequences. Our 

temporary move has split organizations into different areas and has required that we connect to 

OCLC via the Internet, rather than through direct connections. The effects are evident in a 

cataloging backlog of approximately 3,000 plus titles and in delays in cataloging materials that 

had, until recently, been cataloged within approximately two weeks after receipt in the 

Cataloging Branch. 

Although we have been challenged by this move, production statistics indicate that 

production during the first six months of 1997 was only approximately 1,000 records less than 

during the same period in 1996 (8,777 as compared to 9,776). Most of the production decline 

in 1997 has occurred as a consequence of the temporary move. We expect production to 

increase soon after we resume operations on the 6th floor. 

Internet-Related Cataloging Policies

Our Internet-related cataloging policies were praised during recent CONSER Operations 

Committee meetings at the University of Michigan. We appreciate the favorable comments 

and are gratified to be leaders in offering access to Internet-related resources. Of particular 

interest is our use of CONSER's "single record" option to transcribe Internet- and URL-related 

information in suitable existing records for physical forms, in preference to producing records 

for electronic equivalents of titles issued in paper or other media. 

Monthly Catalog Records with URLs

As of June 23, approximately 1,800 Monthly Catalog records contain URL information. 

Hot-linked URLs enable users to move directly from the bibliographic record at our Website to 

the digital publication. 

Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURL)

We have concluded an internal review of OCLC's PURL resolver software and are now 

preparing recommendations to incorporate the use of PURL software within Library Programs 

Service operations. Use of PURLs in GPO cataloging records should reduce maintenance of 

these records for all users. 
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Improvements to the Monthly Catalog Website Edition

Website related software has been modified to permit data overlays in previously edited 

Monthly Catalog Website records. Previously, changes to edited records could not be reflected 

in Website records. Software modifications now allow us to overlay data in edited records and 

to "replace" periodicals records for titles in physical forms with electronic only (Internet) 

records when titles cease to be published in tangible form. 

Enhancements to the Monthly Catalog CD-ROM Edition

Recently, the CD-ROM edition of the Monthly Catalog has been enhanced by a new 

interface that makes the product more user friendly by enabling users to simultaneously search 

more databases than had previously been possible. In addition, users now have more options in 

navigating these databases. 

Distribution of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set Catalog

The U.S. Congressional Serial Set Catalog for the 102nd Congress arrived at the Library 

Programs Service on June 18th. Copies were shipped on or soon after June 24 under shipping 

list number 97-0265-P. Depositories which select item number 0557-A should receive copies 

during the second week of July. 

Action to Hire two Catalogers

Following their certification by OPM, we expect to interview several promising candidates 

for two cataloging positions. 
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27 

Electronic Transition Staff Update

June 1997

Core Documents of U.S. Democracy: An Electronic Collection

In order to provide American citizens with direct online access to the basic Federal 

Government documents that define our democratic society, a core group of current and 

historical U.S. Government publications is being made available for free, permanent, public 

access via GPO Access. These titles contain information vital to the democratic process and 

critical to an informed electorate. They support the public's right to know about the essential 

activities of their Government. Where appropriate, the core documents collection, whose 

development and implementation will take several years, will point to content at other official 

Government sites, for example at the National Archives Web site. Immediate, online access to 

authenticated versions of these Core Documents of U.S. Democracy increases in importance as 

Americans grow ever more dependent on remote electronic access to basic information 

resources, both past and present. The URL for this new service is: 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/coredocs.html>. 

Permanent Online Collection

GPO has taken the initial steps to establish a collection plan with which to manage the growing 

body of digital publications accessible on GPO Access. The plan will delineate policies and 

procedures for managing this Permanent Online Collection and will clarify responsibilities 

within GPO for collection management. The Public Printer has agreed in principle to 

establishing a “collection manager” position in the Library Programs Service and we will be 

working toward that in the near future. 

Pathway Indexer/Searching the Federal Government

GPO's Pathway Indexer currently indexes around 150,000 Web pages on almost 1300 

government Web sites. Also, we have developed a new "search engines" page which will 

include the Indexer, GovBot, a planned link to the Advanced Search Facility (being developed 

by the Department of Commerce) when it comes online, and a list of links to site-specific 

search engines for major government agencies. The URL for the Indexer is: 

<http://gather.access.gpo.gov/Harvest/brokers/Pathway/query.html>. The URL for the 

Search Engines page is: <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/searche.html>. 

Browse Agency Sites

A partnership has been forged between GPO and the Louisiana State University (LSU) that 

offers a new Pathway Service. The List Federal Agency Internet Sites was developed and will 

be maintained by the LSU Libraries. The List is based on agency entries in the U.S. 

Government Manual and links users to those agencies' Internet sites. The partnership with 

GPO should give this excellent agency list increased visibility as it joins the suite of Pathway 

Services on GPO Access. The URL is: 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/agencies.html>. For more details on this new 
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service, see the June 15 Administrative Notes, vol. 18, no. 9. It can be viewed electronically 

at: <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/fdlppro.html>. 

Browse Topics

As of 6/20/97, 113 Browse Topics have been created. Currently there are 28 individuals who 

have volunteered to be GPO partners and create and/or maintain 30 Browse Topics. We are 

interested in working with any information specialist who has subject-related expertise in one 

of our current topics, or who has ideas for a new government-related topic. Further 

information is available on our Web site at 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/topics/invite.html>. 

Recommended Technical Specifications

The final version of GPO's "Recommended Specifications for Public Access Work Stations in 

Federal Depository Libraries" appeared in Administrative Notes, vol. 18, no. 9 (June 15, 

1997). They are also being made available via the FDLP Administration page under 

Publications at: <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/mintech.html>. These 

specifications are intended to assist depository librarians who are planning purchases of new 

personal computers (and related software and hardware) for public use in Federal depository 

libraries. 

NTIS Electronic Image Files

Linda Kennedy of the University of California-Davis has been working with the National 

Technical Information Service (NTIS) staff on a "pre-pilot" project to enable depositories to 

have access to NTIS electronic image files. This project would make a great deal of electronic 

material available to depositories for no fee. This past spring, Sandy Schwalb, visiting Expert 

Consultant, began working with Linda and NTIS to ensure that other depository libraries 

would be able to participate in a more formalized pilot project beginning sometime in the 

summer of 1997. At its spring 1997 meeting, the Depository Library Council put forth a 

recommendation on this project, with the caveat that it had "grave concerns with the 

copyright-like restrictions imposed by NTIS which prevent re-dissemination of the electronic 

image files." In the intervening months, NTIS Director Don Johnson has said that he did not 

have a problem with individuals downloading the image files on a campus-wide basis outside of 

the library. Linda, Sandy and NTIS staff will be discussing next steps and what type of 

selection process should be established in order for other depository libraries to participate. 
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Recommendations and Action Items of the Depository Library 

Council to the Public Printer

Spring 1997 Council Meeting, Arlington, Virginia 

April 14-17, 1997

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Title 44 Revision

Council supports in principle the goals for reforming Title 44 as outlined by Eric Peterson, 

Staff Director of the Joint Committee on Printing, in his keynote address to the 1997 Federal 

Depository Conference on April 14, 1997: to resolve the constitutional separation of powers 

issue; to establish an enforceable compliance mechanism; to ensure public access to taxpayer 

supported information by preserving and protecting the Federal Depository Library Program; 

and to ensure that both Title 44 and the Federal Depository Library Program are able to 

operate effectively in this era of changing dynamics and technologies. Council believes that 

any reform of Title 44 U.S.C. should include the August 1996 proposed revisions to Chapter 

19 submitted by the GPO to the Senate Rules Committee. We believe that the level of 

specificity articulated in the August 1996 revision is necessary to address these complex issues 

successfully. 

Endorsement of JCP Consultations With GPO And NARA

Council endorses the Joint Committee on Printing’s pending action, as announced by Eric 

Peterson on April 14, 1997, to consult with the Government Printing Office and the National 

Archives and Records Administration to define their respective roles in the preservation of and 

permanent access to electronic Government information. 

Collection Management Officer For Electronic Products in Superintendent of Documents

The Depository Library Council recommends that the Public Printer create, within the Office 

of the Superintendent of Documents, the position of collection management officer for 

electronic products. The implementation of a collection management program for electronic 

products, whether stored on facilities operated by GPO, by GPO partner institutions outside the 

Federal Government, or in coordination with other Federal agencies, should be the primary 

responsibility of this officer. Collection management in this context should encompass 

selection, acquisition, organization, maintenance, and preservation activities for electronic 

products and services. 

Rationale: When tangible products are distributed to FDLP libraries, GPO has no further 

responsibility for the preservation of or permanent public access to these products. These 

responsibilities are fulfilled by the nationwide system of depository libraries. However, in the 

world of non-tangible electronic Government information products, GPO must take 
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responsibility for the entire life cycle management of these products to ensure that tomorrow's 

users of Government information can find the Government information they require. 

NTIS-GPO Pilot Project

Council is encouraged by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) and University of 

California, Davis pre-pilot project, which provides for no-fee distribution of Federal 

Government information products from the NTIS collection in electronic format directly to a 

Federal depository library. We recommend that GPO pursue an expanded pilot project with 

NTIS that will test the effectiveness of such distribution to a range of depository libraries. 

Ongoing evaluation of the project should address the issues of: expanding the range of material 

available; allowing the end user to receive an electronic copy of Federal Government 

information; and no-fee depository access to the full range of NTIS bibliographic data. 

Rationale: Council encourages cooperation between GPO and NTIS in providing no-fee public 

access to the Government information products in the NTIS collection previously available 

only at a cost to Federal depository libraries. However, Council has grave concerns about the 

copyright-like restrictions imposed by NTIS which prevent further dissemination of the 

electronic image files. 

When the information is in machine-readable form, the user should be able to obtain the 

information at the location most convenient for use, and should be able to study and evaluate 

the information before determining whether or what parts to print. Such study and evaluation 

may in some instances be more effectively done outside the library environment and should not 

be subject to workstation and print constraints. 

Council also encourages cooperation between GPO and NTIS in providing no-fee public access 

to the NTIS electronic bibliographic database, which would assist Federal depository libraries 

in identifying Federal Government information products. 

GPO Web Site

Council recommends that GPO appoint a Web Site Coordinator to facilitate consistent 

agency-wide Web development, structure, and navigation, and that GPO enhance its 

Web-based resources by redesigning the Web pages to be more intuitive to all user audiences. 

This redesign should include the following: 

1. A "Search-This-Site" mechanism which, at a minimum, will index by agency, 

product title, subject, and keyword. 

2. A cumulative electronic product listing with scope notes, site configurations and 

mechanisms so that GPO Web resources can be included in the search results of 

commonly used Web search engines. 
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Rationale: GPO Web site resources continue to grow in importance as more are added from 

various divisions of GPO. With growth comes difficulties in locating desired information 

within the site, and in coordinating the consistent and directed inclusion of information from 

various providers. A Web-site coordinator would eliminate these problems. While remaining 

aware of security issues inherent with this recommendation, Council suggests that GPO does 

the following to facilitate public access to GPO Web resources beyond the depository 

community: 1) continue to rearrange, redesign, and enhance its Web site to meet the needs of 

various user groups such as the legislators, depository librarians, reference librarians, and the 

general public; 2) develop internal location tools to facilitate searching and locating 

information sources within the GPO site (i.e., Index-This-Site); and 3) devise methodologies 

that facilitate the inclusion of GPO information into the results of popular Web search engines 

like Yahoo, AltaVista, InfoSeek and other appropriate Web crawlers and information gathering 

mechanisms. 

Frames Technology

Council supports the use of frames technology on the GPO Web site, as long as users accessing 

the pages using Lynx or non-graphical software have functionality comparable to those using 

graphical user interfaces. 

Rationale: Frames technology has the potential of providing GPO Web site users with a quick 

and more user-friendly method of accessing materials located on the GPO Web site. Council 

recognizes that some users accessing the GPO Web site lack the software necessary to use 

frames technologies. Council supports the premise that people using lower end technologies to 

access the GPO Web pages should be as well served as users employing more sophisticated 

means of access. Therefore, Council recommends that GPO utilize alternative methods for 

providing access to the information included within the frame which would allow users to 

select the frames or non-frames version of the Web page. 

Core Documents of Democracy

Council endorses the concept behind development of the Core Documents of Democracy: An 

Electronic Collection as originally presented to Council for review. This collection "should be 

made available for free, permanent, public access via GPO Access service"and should include 

vital information beyond the scope of the original list. However, Council recommends that 

GPO delete the words "of democracy" so that it can more readily include information beyond 

the scope of the original list. Furthermore, Council recommends that GPO formulate a 

collection development policy in cooperation with the library community to ensure that it 

defines such issues as criteria for inclusion, authenticity of information, and organization of 

this collection. 

Rationale: As the Internet continues to become one of the primary resources for permanent 

public access to Federal Government information, GPO needs a mechanism whereby it can 

proactively identify information that belongs in a permanent electronic collection and arrange 

for its incorporation into GPO Access. Furthermore GPO must have the ability to include 

information already in electronic format as well as to arrange for conversion to electronic 
AN-v18-#10-7/15/97 

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format of other information of historical importance. Council believes that the public's right to 

know includes access to information beyond the scope defined as Core Documents of 

Democracy and looks forward to seeing a more fully developed concept. 

ACTION ITEMS:

Biennial Survey

The Working Group on Statistical Measurement will continue to work with the Government 

Printing Office to develop the 1997 and 1999 Biennial Surveys. Council recognizes the short 

lead time before the 1997 survey is to be conducted and, therefore, suggests that the depository 

community be alerted to the general nature of the changes in the survey from the 1995 version 

as soon as possible. Council believes that the survey should use standard library definitions, 

ask for basic information, provide for longitudinal analysis and result in a report of benchmark 

data for the library community. 

Service Guidelines Working Group

Council will appoint a working group to draft public services guidelines for electronic 

Government information in depository libraries. The working group will include 

representation reflecting various types of depository library concerns. It will present a 

progress report at the Fall 1997 meeting and a final report to Council at its Spring 1998 

meeting. 

COMMENDATIONS:

Commendation to William W. Thompson, GPO staff

The Depository Library Council commends William W. Thompson of the staff of the Director 

of the Library Programs Service for his professionalism and resourcefulness in support of 

Council's work. We deeply appreciate his efforts on our behalf, including the planning and 

coordination he does prior to the meetings and his cooperative “can-do” spirit when we need 

him to work his magic to smooth out logistical problems during our sessions. 

Commendation on the GILS Application on GPO Access

Council commends the Government Printing Office for creating the Government Information 

Locator Service (GILS) application on the GPO Access system. This application provides a 

single point of access for users to search the GILS records of 26 executive branch agencies. 

The recent enhancement that provides transparent remote access through this application to the 

GILS records of an additional 14 agencies increases the value of this unique service. We 

commend GPO for developing a partnership with the National Archives and Records 

Administration to fulfill the Privacy Act provisions of the GILS mandate for all Federal 

agencies. The impressive user statistics for this application and the very positive public 
AN-v18-#10-7/15/97 

33 

comments demonstrate that this centralized point of access is a valuable means of locating 

Government information in all formats. We encourage the GPO to continue to develop the 

GILS application on GPO Access as a valuable service for libraries and the American public. 
AN-v18-#10-7/15/97 

34 

Depository Library Council to the Public Printer

 CURRENT MEMBERS (as of 7/2/97)

TERM EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 30, 1997: 

Phyllis R. Christenson 

Director, Information Services Center 

U.S. General Accounting Office 

441 G Street NW. 

Washington, DC 20548 

(202) 512-2647 or 

(202) 512-8405 

christensonp@gao.gov 

Susan Dow 

Electronic Information Services Librarian 

Law Library 

State University of New York at Buffalo 

O'Brian Hall - Amherst Campus 

Buffalo, NY 14260-1110 

(716) 645-2347 

(716) 645-3860 (Fax) 

lwlsusan@acsu.buffalo.edu 

Janice Anita Fryer - CHAIR 

Reference Librarian 

152 Parks Library 

Iowa State University 

Ames, IA 50011 

(515) 294-2849 

(515) 294-5525 (Fax) 

jfryer@iastate.edu 

Stephen M. Hayes - SECRETARY 

Reference & Public Documents Librarian 

313 College of Business Library 

University of Notre Dame 

Notre Dame, IN 46556-0399 

(219) 631-5268 

(219) 631-6367 (Fax) 

shayes@vma.cc.nd.edu 

David R. Hoffman 

P.O. Box 247 

Harrisburg, PA 17108-0247 

(717) 232-7926 

TERM EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 30, 1998: 

Eliot J. Christian 

Chief, Data and Information Management Staff 

Information Systems Division 

U.S. Geological Survey 

802 National Center 

Reston, VA 20192 

(703) 648-7245 

(703) 648-7069 (Fax) 

echristi@usgs.gov 

Dan Clemmer 

Head Librarian 

Ralph J. Bunche Library 

U.S. Department of State 

IM/IS/OIS/LR, Room 3239 

Washington, DC 20520 

(202) 647-3002 

(202) 647-2971 (Fax) 

clemmer@class.org 

Lynn G. Walshak 

Head, Government Documents Department 

Zach Henderson Library 

Georgia Southern University 

Statesboro, GA 30460-8074 

(912) 681-5117 

(912) 681-5034 (Fax) 

lwalshak@gasou.edu 

Anne Watts 

Coordinator, Information &Technology Services 

St. Louis Public Library 

1301 Olive 

St. Louis, MO 63103 

(314) 539-0377 

(314) 539-0393 (Fax) 

bookie@vulcan.inlink.com 

Dr. Richard Hume Werking 

Director, Nimitz Library, Associate Dean and 

Professor of History 

U.S. Naval Academy 

Annapolis, MD 21402-5029 

(410) 293-6901 

(410) 293-3669 (Fax) 

rwerking@nadn.navy.mil 
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35 

TERM EXPIRES SEPT. 30, 1999: 

Thomas K. Andersen 

Head, Government Publications 

California State Library 

Government Publications Section 

P.O. Box 942837 

Sacramento, CA 94237-0001 

(916) 654-0243 

(916) 654-0241 (fax) 

tanderse@library.ca.gov 

Carol Bednar 

Government Documents Coordinator 

Department of Technical Service 

University Library 

California State University Fullerton 

Fullerton, CA 92634-4150 

(714) 278-7035 

(714) 278-2439 (fax) 

cbednar@fullerton.edu 

Denise Davis 

Reference Collection Specialist 

Howard County Library 

6600 Cradlerock Way 

Columbia, MD 21045-4912 

(410) 313-7750 

(410) 313-7742 (Fax) 

dd46@umail.umd.edu 

Diane Eidelman 

Documents Librarian 

Suffolk Cooperative Library System 

627 North Sunrise Service Rd. 

Bellport, NY 11713 

(516) 286-1600 ext. 325 

(516) 286-1647 (fax) 

diane@suffolk.lib.ny.us 

Margaret S. Walker 

Head, Government Documents Department 

Florida Atlantic University 

3130 Millwood Terrace, #M109 

Boca Raton, FL 33431 

(407) 367-3788 

walker@acc.fau.edu 

TERM EXPIRES SEPT. 30, 2000: 

Duncan M. Aldrich 

Head, Business & Government Information 

Center 

University Libraries 

University of Nevada, Reno 

Reno, NV 89557-0044 

(702) 784-6500 

(702) 784-4398 (Fax) 

duncan@unr.edu 

Mary Alice Baish 

Assistant Washington Affairs Representative 

American Association of Law Libraries 

Georgetown University Law Library 

111 G Street, NW 

Washington, DC 20001-1417 

(202) 662-9200 

(202) 662-9202 (Fax) 

baish@law.georgetown.edu 

Diane L. Garner 

Head, Documents & Non-Book Formats 

Lamont Library 

Harvard University 

Cambridge, MA 02138 

(617) 496-2532 

(617) 496-0440 (Fax) 

dgarner@fas.harvard.edu 

Gregory W. Lawrence 

Government Information Librarian 

Albert R. Mann Library 

Cornell University 

Ithaca, NY 14853 

(607) 255-3242 

(607) 255-0318 (Fax) 

GWL1@cornell.edu 

Julia F. Wallace 

Head, Government Publications 

10 Wilson Library 

University of Minnesota 

309 19th Avenue South 

Minneapolis, MN 55455-0414 

(612) 626-7520 

(612) 626-9353 (Fax) 

j-wall@tc.umn.edu 
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Table of Contents

Update Your Item Selections Online....................................................................... 1 

Register for Fall 1997 Depository Library Council Meeting.......................................... 2 

GPO, State Department, University of Illinois-Chicago Join in FDLP Partnership............... 3 

Michigan and New York Add Gateways to Free Federal Information via Web Link............. 4 

U.S. FAX Watch: Your Source for Shipping Lists ..................................................... 5 

Depository Library Program Update: Young, ALA 6/97.............................................. 7 

Inventing the Wheel: Baldwin, ALA 6/97...............................................................13 

GPO Access Update: Evans, ALA 6/97 .................................................................18 

Depository Administration Branch Update: 6/97.......................................................21 

Depository Services Update: 6/97 ........................................................................23 

Cataloging Branch Update: 6/97 ..........................................................................25 

Electronic Transition Staff Update: 6/97.................................................................27 

Recommendations, Depository Library Council, 1997, Spring......................................29 

Members, Depository Library Council (1997)..........................................................34