Administrative Notes 

Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

Vol. 19, no. 15 GP 3.16/3-2:19/15 November 25, 1998 

Superintendent of Documents Update 

Remarks by Francis J. Buckley, Jr. 

Superintendent of Documents 

Before the Depository Library Council 

Monday, October 19, 1998 

San Diego, CA

Good morning! I can’t believe that it was only a year ago that I appeared before many of you in 

Clearwater just after agreeing to serve as the Superintendent of Documents. It has been quite a 

year for me, for GPO and for Washington--for different reasons in each case. I must thank Mr. 

DiMario for bringing me in to GPO during such interesting times. This morning, I would like to 

talk about some of the activities within GPO and those that affect the programs that I oversee as 

the Superintendent of Documents. 

Before that discussion, however, I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the departure of Jay 

Young, who retired in September after 27 years with GPO. As many of you know, within the 

last two decades, Jay twice served as the Director of Library Programs Service (LPS). During 

his first stint with LPS from 1980-82, he managed much of the transition of Government 

documents to microfiche format which, as many of us remember, was quite a feat for that time. 

The expanded use of microfiche was not only a cost-saving measure, but enabled greater 

inclusion of fugitive titles. From 1993-98, he had a major role in the depository program’s 

transition to include electronic formats. While heading up that electronic push forward for the 

FDLP, he also served as Director, Documents Sales Service, a position he had held since 1985. 

Jay reported directly to me, in both positions, and I appreciate his many contributions in planning 

and implementing so much that we now take for granted. 

It was under Jay’s stewardship that the Electronic Transition Staff (ETS) was established. As 

many of you know, since 1995 we have had six outside “expert consultants” serve for one to two 

years in LPS to work on the FDLP transition. An integral part of these transition activities was 

the production of the 1996 GPO Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful 

Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program. 

Jay has been gone a little over a month and he is missed already. I know we all wish him much 

luck as he works on his golf game in Florida. 

In another personnel note, I would like to congratulate Tom Andersen on his new position within 

the California State Library as CLSA Coordinator. Tom, I know that, even with your new 
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responsibilities, you will always remain committed to providing Government information to the 

public. Best of luck. 

Now to discuss some of our policy and program concerns: 

I know there has been much discussion on GOVDOC-L in recent weeks about access to libraries, 

fees and related issues. I want to reinforce the message that Sheila McGarr, our Chief of 

Depository Services, posted September 28 on GOVDOC-L: 

Providing free access to Government information disseminated via the Federal 

Depository Library Program (FDLP) is the foundation of the program and an obligation 

that all depositories share. Fees cannot be charged to access depository materials. The 

public's right to use these materials free of charge is guaranteed in Title 44, Section 1911 

of the United States Code, i.e., “Depository libraries shall make Government publications 

available for the free use of the general public. . .” 

Comparability is a factor for servicing, maintaining, and preserving the FDLP collection 

but comparability is not applicable to charging patrons to use depository materials. As 

noted in the Instructions to Depository Libraries: 

As a minimum standard for the care and maintenance of depository property, the 

Government Printing Office insists that the maintenance accorded to depository 

materials be no less than that given to commercially purchased publications. 

Reference service offered to members of the general public using depository 

materials will be comparable to the reference service given to the library's primary 

patrons. 

Depository users may be charged comparable fees for services that are beyond the 

requirements for depository libraries. Examples of fee services are: 

 photocopies 

 microfiche copies 

 printouts 

 circulation 

However, charging a fee to access and use depository materials within the library is not 

consistent with the law's requirements. 

A related topic also discussed on GOVDOC-L was of Internet access. LPS staff is in the process 

of drafting an “FDLP Internet use policy” to address this issue. Our initial opinion is that 

“access to online Federal Government information provided through the FDLP must be available 

to any library user free of fees or other restrictions, such as age, residency status, or filtering 

software, following the same principle of free access that governs the use of traditional 

depository materials, based on Title 44, United States Code.” We hope this will be discussed 

during the conference here in San Diego. We would like your feedback. 

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Sales Program 

I would like to discuss several activities within the Sales Program that will not be covered by 

LPS staff reporting on FDLP issues. 

As you know, Washington has been abuzz over the release of the Independent Counsel’s 

materials, also known as the “Starr reports,” and the President’s lawyers’ response. Over several 

weeks in September and early October, GPO was tasked with getting the materials from the 

Independent Counsel into usable formats for the House Judiciary Committee, the Congress and 

the public. The high degree of security required for the reports to be produced in print and 

electronic formats meant that all of the work was done under the watchful eyes of the GPO 

Police force. The Starr reports, three in all, were disseminated in multiple ways for use by 

different audiences. They were released in hard copy and microfiche to the depository program; 

there was distribution on-line via the House Website, LC’s Thomas and GPO Access, in addition 

to other public and media sources; and the GPO Sales Program has made them available in both 

hard copy and CD-ROM. We have been quite proud of the work of GPO’s Production staff in 

the quick turnaround time from receiving the materials to making it available. 

The Sales Program reported brisk business, especially in the bookstores. As you are aware these 

are all House documents. I would like to briefly give you some sales statistics. 

1. The first document issued called the “Starr Report,” is 221 pages long, weighs 10 ounces 

and costs $14. To date, over 6,600 copies have been sold. In fact, when that first report 

was released, the GPO Main Bookstore was open on Saturday, September 12 from noon 

until 4 p.m., an unheard-of event, but nonetheless successful. On that day, we sold 306 

copies to 194 customers and attracted local and national news media. When the store 

opened that day at noon, the line of people stretched to the corner of the building, with 

foot traffic until closing time. 

2. The second Starr report was released a little over a week later and was a two-volume set, 

costing $68, running 3,221 pages and weighing almost 7 lbs. We have sold about 2,000 

copies of the set. 

3. “Starr 3,” released in early October, contains additional appendices to the original report, 

is a three-volume set, costing $92, running 5,100 pages and weighing 10 lbs. 9 oz. More 

than 1,200 sets have been sold so far. 

The President’s lawyers’ response was also released as a House document. T.C. Evans will 

provide more details about the report and its impact on the operation of GPO Access for the past 

few weeks. But I would like to note that although we encountered some technical problems, it is 

evident that the reports brought many new users to GPO Access, who are now aware of the site 

and are continuing to use it for other information. 

Since it is so early into this new fiscal year, I don’t have sales numbers to report for FY 1998. 

We did have negative sales figures in August due to lower volume of sales as well as unexpected 

charges for equipment depreciation and the financial management audits, but we are optimistic 

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that the Starr reports provided a positive cash flow for September and into October. We know 

that people who came into our bookstores to purchase the Starr-related documents also bought 

other Government information products. 

I know you have heard much over the past year or so about the Integrated Processing System or 

IPS. This has been a huge project with many GPO staff working on numerous details. By the 

end of this month, we plan to have the system operational in terms of basic functionality. At that 

point, staff will be tasked with writing procedure manuals. Following that, hundreds of 

employees will begin their training, which should take five to six weeks. We want to ensure that 

the staff are trained properly in the use of the new system before beginning implementation. 

Our realistic goal? To have IPS up and running in January. It has not been easy, but we have 

made much progress and are not discouraged. The staff is moving forward to see that the system 

will be available for our customers. 

There are numerous hardware and software issues. Customer files must be dedupped in order to 

be ready for the cutover. New computer workstations, new printers, and a new NT network must 

be installed. Software integration and modifications are underway. 

In addition we are working on our concepts of the sales collection, especially the identification of 

historically important titles which should be retained for sale indefinitely--Congressional Record, 

Public Papers of the President, U.S. Reports, other Decision series, military histories, etc. 

Conclusion 

The staff has planned a great program over the next few days to go along with the discussions 

and deliberations of the Council. I am very much looking forward to talking with many of you 

here, and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have. 

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Library Programs Service Update 

Remarks by Gil Baldwin 

Chief, Library Division 

Before the Depository Library Council 

Monday, October 19, 1998 

San Diego, CA

Good morning, everyone! It’s a privilege to be here today to talk about the status of the Federal 

Depository Library Program and hear your views on how we are doing and where we should be 

going over the coming years. It’s been over 11 years since we last met in San Diego, and I'm 

really pleased to be back. California's a wonderful depository state, by my count you have 100 

of the Nation's depositories. We really appreciate the warmth and hospitality you're extending to 

us and to everyone at this meeting. 

These years have seen enormous changes in the world of information; in what citizens expect 

from their Government and in how the Library Programs Service (LPS) operates. For example, 

when Council last met here in 1987 we were asked how many personal computers LPS had to 

support FDLP operations, and incredibly enough, the answer was none. Thank goodness that's 

changed, but of course we now face other challenges, some helped by the now ubiquitous 

automation, and others, such as the Year 2000 problem, caused by it. 

We are still engaged in that long process of incorporating electronic Federal Government 

information products into the FDLP. Many of our efforts in FY 1998 reflect LPS' initial 

realization of the policies and plans for the FDLP Electronic Collection. As might be expected 

in any transition period, our work is divided between maintaining and enhancing the traditional 

functions that relate to the management of tangible Federal Government information products, 

and developmental activities. The developmental efforts focused on expanding the FDLP 

Electronic Collection and using information technology solutions to improve services to the 

depository library community and the public. 

FY 1998 Highlights 

LPS 1998 highlights include: 

 Refining the "FDLP Electronic Collection" concept 

 Developing askLPS 

 Increased distribution of tangible products, especially microfiche 

 Increased cataloging output 

 The DOE Information Bridge partnership 

 Using PURLs to improve access to Internet resources 

 Outreach activities 

 LPS employee orientation program 

 New Web applications developed by LPS staff 

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FDLP Electronic Collection 

LPS staff continued to refine a policy defining GPO's management of the various electronic 

Federal Government information products made available through the FDLP as a library-like 

collection. 

The policy is documented in our paper entitled “Managing the FDLP Electronic Collection: A 

Policy and Planning Document,” also known as the Plan. I know you’ve been hearing us talk 

about this paper for a long time, and I’m very pleased that copies are finally here for you. The 

Plan provides a foundation for policies and procedures, and defines organizational 

responsibilities for managing the Collection. It was developed by a team led by LPS, joined by 

staff from the Office of Electronic Information Dissemination Services (EIDS), the Documents 

Sales Program, and the GPO Production Department. In April, it was presented to GPO upper 

management, and subsequently was discussed at the spring Depository Library Council (DLC) 

meetings. In May, a draft of the Collection Plan was reviewed by the Council members, who 

provided significant input. Additional discussions took place at the American Library 

Association Annual Conference in June. We are publishing the Plan in Administrative Notes, 

[later decision was to publish separately] and it should be up on GPO Access today, at 

<www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/ecplan.html>. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to read it, 

and send us comments or questions. 

Even before it was published, the Plan shaped how we in LPS think about our role in developing 

the FDLP Electronic Collection, the relationship between the Collection and our cataloging and 

locator services, and our role in ensuring current and permanent public access to information 

provided through the FDLP. 

GPO's efforts to coordinate the development of the Collection are intended to complement the 

strategic goal of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to provide the 

public with access to the essential evidence of our Government. In July, GPO staff met with Dr. 

Lewis Bellardo, Deputy Archivist of the United States, and members of his staff, to discuss 

GPO’s and the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) common interests. 

Copies of the draft plan were shared with NARA. Overall, NARA's reaction was supportive, and 

their comments helped us further clarify the difference between NARA's responsibility for the 

preservation of Federal records and GPO's permanent public access role for FDLP publications. 

There are several useful distinctions in what is collected and maintained by NARA and GPO: 

First, the FDLP Electronic Collection is not comprised of the record copies of electronic 

products. The Collection consists of permanent access reference copies maintained by GPO or 

its partners for the convenience of reference. GPO or its partners will initiate steps, whenever 

feasible and cost-effective, to migrate the content or refresh the operating software as necessary 

to make the content readily accessible to a broad spectrum of users. Inclusion of an agency 

electronic information product in the Collection is in no way intended to be a substitute for the 

issuing agency's disposition of that product to NARA in accordance with a records schedule. 

Like all other Federal agencies, GPO has a responsibility to transfer to the National Archives 

those products that are scheduled as permanent records of GPO's operation. This has historically 

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included a record set of the tangible agency publications distributed in the FDLP as well as 

record copies of GPO publications such as the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government 

Publications. GPO will continue to work within applicable records schedules to ensure that its 

records management responsibilities are fulfilled in all media and formats. 

Second, the content of the Collection is significantly narrower in scope than the full range of 

Federal records in the purview of NARA. Content of the Collection is limited to digital 

publications which have public interest or educational value, except for those that are 

administrative in nature, or for internal use by the agency, or restricted for reasons of national 

security. 

Third, NARA intends to maintain electronic records in a format that is independent of any 

specific hardware or software requirements, and requires agencies to transfer such records to 

NARA in accordance with regulatory specifications that support that independence. In addition, 

it is critical for NARA to maintain the provenance of the records and other contextual 

information in order to document how the records were used to carry out the functions and 

activities of the creating entity. This contextual information enables the records to provide 

evidence and accountability, and must be preserved as well as the content of the Government 

information products that are archival records. 

During our discussions at NARA we once again raised the idea of working with NARA to attain 

affiliated archive status for GPO, focusing first upon the core legislative and regulatory products 

on GPO Access. I'm convinced that attaining this recognition is a critically important step for 

GPO. Within the Federal agency community it could go a long way to improve the recognition 

of our obligation and our ability to assure permanent public access to electronic Government 

information. This is clearly a topic that must be investigated and discussed further, and both 

GPO and NARA agreed to keep the lines of communication open. 

Distribution of Tangible Products by LPS 

Of course, not all FDLP information is electronic. A substantial amount of our work is still 

distributed in tangible media; paper, microfiche, or CD-ROM. After several years of declining 

numbers the amount of material going out to the libraries rebounded in FY 1998, particularly in 

terms of microfiche going through the program. In fact, this year GPO distributed nearly 40,000 

titles to depositories in tangible mediums. This represents an increase of nearly 29% compared 

to the previous year. This is particularly striking considering that it was the second session of the 

Congress, which typically results in a lower number of titles being processed. 

NCLIS Assessment 

In June, pursuant to the interagency agreement between GPO and the National Commission on 

Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), a contract was awarded to Westat Inc., a social 

science research firm. Westat is conducting the basic research and will produce a report of 

findings for the NCLIS/GPO Assessment of Government Electronic Information Products. 

GPO's purposes for funding the Assessment are to: 

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 Identify medium and format standards that are the most appropriate for permanent public 

access. 

 Assess the cost-effectiveness and usefulness of alternative medium and format standards. 

 Identify public and private medium and format standards that are or could be used for 

products throughout their entire information life cycle. 

During the summer, Westat, NCLIS, and GPO identified 24 agencies in all three branches of the 

Federal Government that are now participating in the study. With your help and the input from 

the agencies, we selected nearly 400 information products that are being studied in detail. With 

Westat and NCLIS we developed the survey instrument, held numerous briefings for the 

participating agencies' personnel, and distributed the survey questionnaire to the agencies. Our 

goal is to have a report of the project's findings available for publication and distribution by the 

end of February 1999. The Assessment will provide important baseline information on the 

Federal Government's electronic product plans and practices, information that will enable GPO 

to improve its ability to advise the depository library community about the types of products that 

they may expect to receive. In addition, results will also assist GPO to provide permanent public 

access to FDLP electronic information, and will identify possible areas for future standards and 

policy development discussions. 

I want to thank Bob Willard, the Executive Director of NCLIS, for all his support in moving this 

project forward. I’ve attended several of the sessions with the participating agencies, most 

recently at the Supreme Court, and Bob has left no doubt as to how important this project is to 

NCLIS and the FDLP. Woody Horton, who is a consultant retained by NCLIS, is working very 

closely with us and with Westat on the Assessment, will be here on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 

p.m. in the Terrace Room. Woody will provide a much more detailed update on the progress of 

the study, so I won't steal any more of his thunder. 

Substituting Online Versions of Government Information 

Last April, Council recommended that we provide the FDLP community with guidance on the 

propriety of removing copies of tangible products from depository collections when those same 

products are available in the FDLP Electronic Collection. Council's rationale pointed out that 

GPO is now providing permanent public access to many Congressional and administrative 

publications through GPO Access. GPO is also developing plans for the FDLP Electronic 

Collection. In light of these developments, depositories are asking whether they may withdraw a 

tangible product and rely on the electronic version as their official depository copy. 

In response to this recommendation, LPS is formulating guidance to the depository community 

on the retention of tangible products when official and reliable electronic alternatives are 

available. At our request the GPO General Counsel is reviewing the legislative history and 

extant opinions relevant to retention of publications also available via online databases. In our 

preliminary discussions, the General Counsel has advised us that incorporating an online 

electronic product into a depository collection by substituting it for a tangible product is 

acceptable, providing that certain conditions are satisfied. First, the electronic product must be a 

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complete and official version. Second, permanent accessibility to the electronic version must be 

assured. Third, the library must be able to offer to its users unimpeded access to any electronic 

product incorporated into the library's depository collection. And fourth, the procedures for 

disposition of the tangible product copies shall conform to the requirements established by the 

Superintendent of Documents and the regional depository library. 

We will be pleased to work with Council and the community on formulating the guidelines to put 

this advice into practice. Some issues that you might consider is whether GPO should prepare a 

list of electronic products that are approved for such replacement with online versions, and what 

the proper role of the regional is in the process. For example, how does the regional manage the 

replacement process within its service area, and is it reasonable to extend this replacement 

authority to the regional itself, or should regionals be expected to maintain complete collections 

of publications in all of the media in which they were disseminated. 

FDLP Internet Use Policy Guidelines 

As those of you who follow GOVDOC-L have seen, there's been a discussion recently about 

access issues. One message in particular dealt with Internet use policies and how local library 

policies relate to the free access requirements of the FDLP. Council has worked to develop the 

Depository Library Public Service Guidelines for Government Information in Electronic 

Formats, which were just published in Administrative Notes. As you just heard, we are working 

through the issues surrounding the substitution of online products for tangible versions. But 

there seems to be a need to articulate an FDLP Internet use policy, one that establishes that 

legitimate library security measures must be developed on a basis consistent with FDLP service 

guidelines and public access requirements. We thought that the best way to deal with this is for 

GPO and Council to develop and publish a model Internet use policy that depositories can refer 

to and, if necessary, adapt to fit their local needs. This is a proactive approach to what we see as 

an emerging issue, and a more positive way of putting the depository concerns up front, rather 

than working in a reactive mode and trying to intervene in each individual situation which may 

develop. 

So we have put together a discussion draft, which is one of the many handouts available at the 

registration table. I'd like to start the discussion here, by summarizing the FDLP Internet Use 

Policy draft. 

Access to online Federal Government information provided through the FDLP must be available 

to any library user free of fees or other restrictions, such as age, residency status, or filtering 

software. This is the same principle of free access that governs the use of traditional depository 

materials. 

Depository libraries should have a written policy regarding access to FDLP information on the 

Internet that addresses these issues: 

 Use or access may be mediated or unmediated 

 Security measures must be consistent with FDLP guidelines and requirements 

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 Patrons cannot be required to present identification 

 Log-in or sign-up sheets may be used (confidentiality of these records must be assured, as 

with circulation records) 

 Special passwords may be used 

 E-mail capability may be blocked 

 Free and unrestricted searching may be provided at one or more workstations (time limits and 

the use of sign-up sheets are acceptable) 

 Users may be charged the "usual and customary" fees for printing and diskettes 

LPS Orientation Program 

An orientation program was developed and implemented during FY '98 to provide current LPS 

and EIDS employees with an overview of basic job functions within all work areas of LPS. 

Managers and supervisors from LPS worked together on developing the program. Although the 

orientation is not mandatory, employee participation has been strongly encouraged. The ultimate 

goal of the program is to build a stronger work force that better understands the mission of LPS. 

By participating in the orientation, staff have gotten an understanding of how each individual 

position makes a difference in the accomplishment of the LPS mission. The program has 

fostered positive working relationships among employees in both LPS and EIDS. We have 

received feedback and recommendations from the participants that should help us to improve our 

efforts to serve the depository library community. 

There have been six sessions since the program began in January 1998. Consisting of eight halfdays, the program has been held over a two-week period. In FY 1998, 31 employees participated 

with five to six employees from various work areas within LPS and EIDS in the sessions. We 

are presently taking an extended break, to accommodate the fall Council, the winter holidays, 

and preparations for ALA Midwinter, but we expect to resume these orientations in the spring. 

We view the orientation as essential to transition our workforce to meet the challenges of a more 

electronic FDLP. 

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Recent Happenings in the Depository Administration Branch 

Remarks by Robin Haun-Mohamed 

Chief, Depository Administration Branch 

Before the Depository Library Council 

Monday, October 19, 1998 

San Diego, CA 

Good morning! It’s been over six years since I moved from Southern California to Washington. 

I am pleased to be back for this visit not to just see the sights, but also to find some great and 

inexpensive local specialty food. 

This morning I would like to bring you up-to-date on the physical operation of Library Programs 

Service. Potomac Business Center, Inc. (PBC) of Washington, DC began handling outgoing 

depository shipments June 1, 1998. PBC administrators have extensive management experience 

and have also provided mailing services to various agencies within the Department of Defense 

and other businesses located in the Washington metropolitan area. 

PBC has secured United Parcel Service (UPS) as its subcontractor. Nearly all depository 

shipments, as well as other shipments sent to your depository through GPO, should be received 

through UPS delivery. Some libraries will continue to receive their mail through the U.S. Postal 

Service, which accounts for less than 10% of all depository shipments. Shipments should be 

received in the libraries within seven working days after being picked up from GPO. 

Please continue to contact the LPS claims office to report non-receipt of shipments or receipt of 

damaged materials. LPS claims personnel can be reached on (202) 512-1024. 

You may have noticed the change in shipping list numbers for all shipping list formats. 

Beginning October 1, 1998 the heading on the shipping list changed to 99-0001-P. The last 

shipping list numbers for FY 1998 are 98-0381-P for the paper shipping lists, 98-0055-S, for 

separates, 98-0076-E for electronic lists, and 98-1138-M for microfiche shipping lists. 

As with all government services, LPS is concerned with programming changes to bring our 

“legacy” mainframe systems into compliance with the Year 2000 requirements. In DAB, these 

systems are the Depository Distribution Information System (DDIS) and the Acquisitions, 

Classification and Shipment Information System (ACSIS). Work has already begun on 

reprogramming these systems. We anticipate completion by March 1999. 

Related to our efforts to bring our electronic systems into compliance with the Year 2000 

requirements, we anticipate having the entire year on the shipping list heading. Thus, beginning 

October 1, 1999 the shipping lists will follow this format: 2000-0001-P. This shipping list 

number change is being made not only for the shipping list systems, but will also be incorporated 

in ACSIS. 

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LPS currently has 14 full-service microfiche contracts in place to provide material to the Federal 

depository libraries. As many of you have noted in e-mail messages to the discussion lists and to 

GPO, we continue to have problems with the contractors. One of our contractors, Lake George 

Industries, has applied for bankruptcy. At this time they only have two of the five contracts they 

have been awarded, and material that has been sent to them is being carefully monitored. 

Another contractor, Wilkins, Inc., continues to work with our Term Contracts Division and 

Quality Assurance staff to review material distributed under their contract. There are three 

remaining contractors, CRS, ReMac, and Engineered Systems that have the other 11 contracts. 

I want to thank those in the depository community who continue to relay information on receipt 

of material from the microfiche contractors. In DAB, we also inspect shipments for faulty fiche, 

shipping list problems, and distribution problems. If you find you are having a persistent 

problem with a microfiche contractor, please let us know. It is always helpful to have all the 

information on the problem, such as the type of claim made, the length of time for non-receipt of 

material after a claim has been made, or the type of persistent problem your library has been 

encountering. And of course all libraries are to receive a copy of each shipping list, regardless 

of library size or item selection percentage. 

Here are a few comments in response to the frustrations I hear expressed about the microfiche 

contractors. Given the number of libraries in the Program and the amount of material converted, 

there are bound to be some errors by the contractors. This is expected. But when the contractor 

is advised of the error and the appropriate action in not taken, you need to let GPO know. Please 

also remember, at this time you must submit claims via the official shipping list. It is not 

acceptable to take a printout of an electronic version of a shipping list, put the contractor’s 

mailing information on the bottom and fax it to the contractor. 

With regard to claims in general, it is not appropriate at this time to submit claims to LPS via email or an electronic inquiry form. You must continue to submit claims via fax or regular mail 

using the official shipping lists. LPS staff continue to work on automating the shipping list and 

claims process. I know you have heard of the other projects our programming people have been 

working on. In fact, programming for many of the new online services have been done by these 

fine folks, but there are just not enough people to do all the changes in an immediate time frame. 

We are committed to making electronic claims a reality, but we wish to do so in a comprehensive 

framework, replacing the largely manual and extremely time intensive system currently in place 

for the production of the shipping lists and filling of claims from the shipping lists. 

And this brings me to askLPS. In April 1998, LPS brought the askLPS service live via the 

Internet. It has truly been an educational experience, as we knew it would be. In general, I have 

been pleased with the performance of the system, and again, I would like to thank the folks 

throughout LPS and GPO who make it work. We continue to have some problems with the 

service, generally dealing with the sheer number of inquiries submitted, but we are attempting to 

meet our goal of answering the inquiries within 10 business days of receipt. 

For the first time we are systematically keeping track of inquiries sent to LPS for all areas. The 

numbers are pretty dramatic. Since March, over 12,400 inquiries have been received through all 

LPS channels with some 11,600 responses sent, generally within the 10 working day time frame. 

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Most of the remaining inquiries are of a very detailed nature requiring coordination with agency 

officials. 

As a depository inspector, one of my favorite phrases was, “I know you are making do with 

existing staff and LPS appreciates your effort.” Well, this applies also to the inquiry process in 

LPS. The inquiries are being researched and answered using existing staff--the same folks that 

order, classify, catalog or distribute the material sent to the libraries. And of course, as in the 

libraries, the priority of inquiries shifts from day to day. 

One very successful part of askLPS is the WEBTech Notes database. I appreciate the many 

librarians who are checking this resource before sending in their inquiry (well, not always, 

because it means there are fewer repeat questions, therefore placing the remaining questions into 

the problem or difficult to answer category). Another highly successful and useful component of 

askLPS is the FAQs & News service. LPS continues to post information to GOVDOC-L, but the 

information is also posted to askLPS. And my personal favorite is the online Directory with item 

lister option. I use this service several times each day. 

So, if you feel your askLPS question has been lost, mislaid, etc., it may have been. Please let me 

know and we will try to find the request and resolve the problem. And remember, you can 

always send an inquiry without using the online form by sending an e-mail message to 

asklps@gpo.gov. If you feel your question is too complicated to convey via an e-mail message, 

please continue to use the Depository Library Inquiry Form (GPO Form 3794) to mail or fax the 

inquiry. 

Beginning with volume 142 of the bound Congressional Record, GPO is producing this material 

on the DocuTech. I have brought a copy of the Record produced via the new process for anyone 

who wishes to take a look. There will be additional changes to the product, because the paper 

used in the DocuTech is very thick compared to the paper we are used to seeing in the Bound 

Record. I will convey any feedback you have on the volume back to the Congressional Printing 

Management Division. 

When you have a few minutes, take a look at the handout for DAB. On October 2, 1998, LPS 

loaded three new files onto the Federal Bulletin Board (FBB) related to the List of Classes and 

the location is listed on the handout. The new files are Appendix II, Classes No Longer Active 

with Explanation, The List of Items and Class Stem, and the Inactive or Discontinued Items from 

the 1950 Revision of the List of Classes. This last file was issued as a separate publication and 

will now be updated each May on the FBB. 

Now that all portions of the List of Classes are available in an electronic format on a monthly 

basis, LPS would like to change the frequency of the paper List of Classes from a quarterly to a 

semi-annual publication. Currently LPS spends $26,000 to print the List of Classes. If we 

change the frequency to twice a year, LPS could save $13,000 a year. Additional savings of 

$6500 could also be realized by distributing only one copy to each library on the twice year 

schedule. LPS seeks Council’s advice on changing the frequency of the List of Classes from 

quarterly to a semi-annual and also on decreasing the number of paper copies distributed from 

two copies to one copy each. 

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Finally, I’d like to close with a brief update on the distribution of material from the National 

Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA). Effective October 1, 1998, NIMA publications are 

being distributed via the lighted bin system rather than directly from NIMA and DLA. This step 

was taken because of past problems in obtaining distribution and cost information from NIMA 

on a regular basis. LPS also has had problems in recent years in making changes to library item 

selection profiles for NIMA related material. The DDIS system reflects the library current 

profiles, but programming changes at NIMA had not been done in several years. 

In bringing this material back into GPO for distribution, we have come across a number of 

problems, not the least of which is the production of labels for the map selective housing sites. 

We believe at this time that we have solved the problems, but thank you in advance for your 

patience during the conversion process. One of the projects we are still in process of completing 

is a review of all selective housing sites for maps. We will be sending a letter to all parent 

depository libraries and the map selective housing sites to verify the map libraries should be 

receiving the maps they are currently profiled to receive. We also wish to obtain copies of all 

selective housing agreements. 

ETS Activities and Projects 

Remarks by Judy Andrews 

Expert Consultant 

Before the Depository Library Council 

Monday, October 19, 1998 

San Diego, CA 

It’s so nice to be back in California. I started my career in California - a little further up the 

coast, in Santa Barbara. Today I'm speaking as a member of GPO's Electronic Transition Staff 

(ETS). The changes in Government information keep accelerating and like Alice, we seem to be 

running as hard as we can just to keep up. ETS assists in identifying and managing these 

changes. I'd like to take the next few minutes to talk about some of our recent projects and 

future plans. 

My first project when I joined ETS this summer was to take a look at the Locator and Cataloging 

Services. My study has investigated 14 different services to see if there is duplication of effort 

and if the original intent of the service is still served and necessary. It is an ongoing study, as I 

gather statistics and discuss the various services with Tad Downing and others in the new 

Cataloging and Locator Services Team. It has been a wonderful introduction to ETS, the LPS 

services and the people that design and maintain those services. 

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ETS is involved in Pathway Services, Web applications for depository library services and 

permanent public access for electronic products. Pathway Services provide ways to navigate 

GPO electronic products. One of my favorites is the "Browse Topics." Currently there are 171 

topics, covering such things as air pollution, cost of living, health care, Pacific rim, social 

security and waste management. These pages link to Government Internet sites on the topic and 

are developed by volunteers from the depository and information community such as yourselves. 

There are still a few topics that need to be developed if you are interested. 

Another Pathway Service that I'd like to highlight today is the Pathway Indexer page from which 

you may index between 150,000 to 200,000 Web pages from over 1600 .gov and .mil servers. 

This service may change depending upon the outcome of our tests of the Advanced Search 

Facility (ASF). ASF has been developed during the last year by the Commerce Department, 

under a directive by the Executive Office of the President. Two private companies subcontracted 

the work and are working with about 30 test sites to try it out. ETS and EIDS are both involved 

in testing ASF. ASF should be much faster than the Harvest search engine we are now using. It 

will also be Z39.50 compliant and able to search GILS records. It is anticipated that the search 

engine will be able to compile rudimentary metadata and index it. Agencies will then be 

responsible for a part of the Government Web pages that use ASF. This will be a wonderful, 

cooperative way for agencies to provide indexing for their Web pages. 

Lee Morey has been the ETS member who has worked most closely with these Pathway 

Services. She has been doing a great job and now I must tell you the sad news that she is leaving 

GPO, as of today, to take a job in private industry. We will truly miss all the great work Lee has 

done for LPS during the last eight years and especially for ETS during the last 26 months. Her 

duties will be distributed among the rest of LPS. 

Now on to happier subjects. Joe Paskoski continues his wonderful work with LPS Web 

applications. The LPS “virtual” tour went live in April and has received great reviews. Joe 

updates the LPS pages regularly and has nearly completed, "U. S. Congressional Serial Set: 

What It Is and Its History" adapted from a presentation by Virginia Saunders, GPO 

Congressional Documents Specialist. It should be up by the time you get home. You can find 

this, as well as askLPS, Council recommendations and responses, the Item Lister and other 

FDLP materials on the FDLP Administrative Page at 

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

Finally, I'd like to talk about the Partnerships. George Barnum, who remains with GPO for a 

second year as an expert consultant, has been instrumental in bringing about the FDLP/ERIC 

Digital Library Pilot Project. This project allows the 300+ depository libraries that select the 

ERIC depository microfiche to make these public domain reports available electronically via 

OCLC FirstSearch interface. Reports from January 1997 forward, previously provided to the 

FDLP in microfiche, are converted to TIFF image format and stored at OCLC. Using the 

authorizations and passwords distributed last summer, these depository libraries will be able to 

provide depository ERIC reports electronically, free of charge, to their patrons. This pilot 

project will provide the participants, FDLP, the National Library of Education and OCLC with 

useful information on managing a dynamic electronic collection. Since the beginning of the 

project LPS has been expecially interested in the economic aspects of data archiving. Data will 

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be analyzed in the first months of calendar year 1999. The project is currently scheduled to 

conclude December 31, 1998. 

Information Bridge, another of our partnerships, began in December 1997 when an interagency 

agreement was signed between GPO and the Department of Energy (DOE)/Office of Scientific 

and Technical Information (OSTI). This agreement provides depository libraries and the public 

with electronic access to more than 26,000 reports, containing over 2 million full-text pages, that 

have been produced by DOE/OSTI since January 1996. OSTI staff introduced Information 

Bridge during the April 1998 Federal Depository Conference. Since that time over 5,000 

documents have been added to the system. 

During the first month of operation to the depository community, Information Bridge was a 

"Pick of the Week" from Yahoo!, the Web navigation and indexing site. In September, the 

Information Bridge Project Team at OSTI was selected to receive a FY 1998 DOE Information 

Management Quality Award for Technical Excellence. This award is designed to recognize 

those individuals, organizations, teams, and/or groups who have made significant quality 

contributions to DOE's Information Management Program. This project continues to furnish a 

vast amount of scientific research to the public and is a wonderful success story in providing 

permanent public access to government information. 

One project that has made a significant step forward is the NTIS/GPO Image Format Pilot 

Project. GPO and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) are implementing the 

December 1997 agreement that enables depositories to have free online access to scientific and 

technical documents that are currently available in electronic format from the NTIS collection. 

The University of California, Davis started with a pre-pilot project in 1997 and University of 

Nevada, Reno joined in mid-1998. Both NTIS and FDLP found this pre-pilot successful in 

testing the technological aspects of making electronic documents from NTIS available through 

depository libraries. We are now ready for the next step. 20 additional libraries have been 

selected by GPO and will join the pilot project next month. Documents from the NTIS PB 

collection, the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) and OSTI, some from August 1996 

on, will be searchable using Oracle software. Currently there are over 87,000 documents and 

more are added each day as they are received. I am the contact person for the project and expect 

this to be an exciting part of my year at GPO. 

Another project under discussion is a joint project with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

(NRC). Due to possible reductions in the NRC budget and the implementation of the NRC 

Agencywide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), in which all NRC 

documents from implementation forward will be represented in electronic form, the NRC is 

reviewing the possibility of terminating the Local Public Document Room (LPDR) Program. 

The approximately 70 LPDR collections in microfiche from 1981 on, include NRC reports in the 

NUREG series, Weekly Information Reports, transcripts of Commission meetings, existing and 

proposed regulations and amendments, NRC licensing files and correspondence on technical, 

legal, regulatory and policy matters. The LPDRs exist to provide public access to information 

about nearby commercial nuclear power plants with operating or possession-only licenses, or 

under construction, as well as potential high-level radioactive waste repository sites, gaseous 

diffusion plants, certain fuel cycle facilities and certain low-level waste disposal facilities. We 

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are talking with NRC about the possibility of bringing these collections into the depository 

library program and preserving permanent public access to the collections. 

This gives you a thumbnail sketch of what ETS has been doing recently. We will continue with 

these projects and forge new ones in the days to come. If you have any questions, ideas or 

comments I'd be happy to talk with you during the next few days. Thank you. 

GPO Access Update 

Remarks by T.C. Evans 

Assistant Director, Office of Electronic Information Dissemination 

Before the Depository Library Council 

Monday, October 19, 1998 

San Diego, CA 

It is a pleasure to be with you this morning to report on the continuing growth and development 

of GPO Access. As I am sure you are aware, recent events have presented great challenges to 

both the operators and users of GPO Access. The Congressional release of the materials 

associated with the Independent Counsel’s investigation of the President has significantly 

increased the traffic on our site. The increase has been so large that regular users have 

experienced difficulty in using the GPO Access services that they rely on. 

In anticipation of receiving the large volume of Independent Counsel materials from Congress, 

two additional dedicated servers were configured into the existing gang of servers that provide 

round-robin service to GPO Access users. A third was added later when the full nature and 

scope of these materials became known. The extremely large image files that Congress placed 

on GPO Access, without accompanying plain text versions, posed difficult challenges to system 

resources. The additional servers provided adequate processing capability to handle the 

extraordinary amount of new traffic for these materials, but performance was hampered in other 

ways. 

Over the past year the bandwidth available to connect users to GPO Access had consistently 

been running at 40 to 50 percent of capacity during peak hours. As a result of the dramatic 

increase in traffic associated with the Independent Counsel’s Report and the supplemental 

materials that followed, these pipelines began operating at 100 percent capacity during peak 

hours. Not exceeding 70 to 80 percent of capacity is recommended for best performance. 

Because the necessary bandwidth has not always been available, some user packets have been 

unable to get in to our servers, and in some cases the return packets being sent back to users from 

our servers have been unable to get out. This has made using the normally speedy resources of 

GPO Access much more difficult and at times resulted in users receiving error messages. 

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We view this reduced performance as an unacceptable condition. Efforts to upgrade began as 

soon as our monitoring indicated that we had exceeded acceptable levels. An expedited 

procurement is well underway that will double our available bandwidth. In addition, a powerful 

server array controller system is on order. This system is being successfully employed on some 

well known high-volume sites and will greatly enhance GPO Access performance by monitoring 

server performance, automatically routing incoming inquiries to the most available server, and 

speeding responses to users. As soon as the additional T1 lines have been installed and loadbalanced and the server array is installed, users should see a significant improvement in response 

time. 

Our expansion efforts are planned to provide more than sufficient capacity in advance of load 

increases on our system. The incredible jump in system usage caused by the Independent 

Counsel’s report went beyond anything we had envisioned, but we are taking steps to ensure that 

we will be fully prepared for such jumps in the future. 

Despite all of this, GPO Access performed rather well during the Starr crisis according to 

statistical results from a study conducted by Inverse Network Technology. Our performance 

ranked behind only CNN and substantially ahead of the other congressional sites serving as 

official sources for the Starr material. This included a download failure rate of only 5.4 percent, 

compared to 2.9 percent for CNN, 74.6 percent for the House of Representatives, 10.8 percent 

for Thomas, and 59.2 percent for the House Judiciary Committee. For highest average 

throughput CNN achieved 3.07 kilobytes per second (Kbps), the New York Times 2.43 Kbps, 

GPO Access 2.16 Kbps, Thomas 1.20 Kbps, Judiciary 0.95 Kbps, and the House at 0.02 Kbps. 

The good news is that it appears that many of the users who became aware of GPO Access as a 

result of this high profile material have discovered the many other valuable resources we have to 

offer. Traffic on our site has remained high even after the initial rush brought on by the 

congressional release of Mr. Starr’s work. Inquiries to the GPO Access User Support Team 

definitely show an influx of new users asking the kinds of questions frequently put forth by 

individuals new to our site. 

Even though processing the huge volume of log files for September has been time consuming 

and difficult, it seems that about 15.2 million documents were downloaded from GPO Access 

during the month. I firmly believe that this number would have been significantly higher if the 

necessary bandwidth had been available. This means that a total of more than 137.2 million 

documents were downloaded from GPO Access in fiscal 98, compared to about 46 million in 

fiscal 97, or almost triple the previous year. 

When you take the number of seconds in the year and divide it into the total number of 

downloads recorded, you find that, on average 44 documents were downloaded from GPO 

Access every second. This is amazing, considering the fact that many of the documents 

downloaded were quite large. 

The troubles caused by the huge influx of traffic also made supporting users a more difficult task 

during this period. I wish to publicly thank our user community for their patience and 

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understanding in this time of trial for GPO Access and the dedicated professionals on the GPO 

Access User Support Team for their diligent efforts to aid frustrated users. The unsung heroes in 

our Production Department definitely deserve a hearty well-done for the many long hours they 

put in during this time. 

Throughout this recent turmoil the development and growth of GPO Access has continued. 

Work on our redesigned home page was completed and the new page has received a favorable 

response from most users. My thanks to all who assisted this process by providing feedback and 

participating in focus groups. Browse options have been added for the Code of Federal 

Regulations, the Congressional Record, and the Federal Register. A new GPO Access Training 

Manual was released in June. GPO Access is now hosting a Web site for the National Council 

on Disability, bringing the number of agency sites hosted to 14. 

A new feature that allows the free download of MOCAT and SPC data files was released this 

past Friday. Anyone can download these complete sets of official records from the Federal 

Bulletin Board. The data sets for MOCAT contain the final edited records used to create the 

printed version of MOCAT, with the latest set released monthly. An updated file for the SPC 

will be available each day. These files are provided in ASCII text and have been compressed 

into self-executing zipped form to speed downloading. It is our hope that these files will be used 

by libraries, value-added providers, and others to further awareness of the Government 

information products available through the Federal Depository Library and Sales Programs. 

The new promotional brochures pertaining specifically to Congressional and National Archives 

and Records Administration (NARA) products and services available through GPO Access have 

been approved. These area-specific brochures join the standard GPO Access brochure and the 

specialized brochure for CBDNet. Copies are available out on the information table and will be 

featured at the many conferences and tradeshows we participate in throughout the year. These 

new brochures, like the existing ones, can be provided to you in limited numbers for use in your 

libraries. 

Work is continuing to improve the research and ordering capabilities for our sales applications. I 

am pleased to report that approximately $11.5 million worth of sales resulted from user activity 

on the GPO Access Web site in fiscal year 1998. This includes both online orders and orders 

resulting from forms downloaded from the site and sent in for processing. To put this in 

perspective, that total represents just over 15 percent of total revenue for the Sales Program. 

A new List of Sections Affected (LSA) application is being released today on GPO Access. The 

LSA adds another valuable tool for utilizing the Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal 

Register. Preparations for adding the House Journal to GPO Access is well underway and should 

be released soon. A Senate version is also being discussed for the future. We also learned last 

week that the Bureau of Export Administration has accepted a GPO proposal to take over the 

production and dissemination of their Export Administration Regulations. This will result in an 

electronic version being added to the free services of GPO Access. 

I would also like to remind you that requests for GPO Access training classes should be 

submitted to Sheila McGarr by January 1, 1999. A copy of the training request form is available 

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in the July 15, 1998 issue of Administrative Notes [v. 19, no. 9]. We will only be able to honor a 

limited number of requests, so it is important that all requests sent in for consideration arrive in a 

timely manner. 

Please join me on Tuesday, at 10:45, in the Crystal Room to hear more about the future 

development of GPO Access. I also invite you to participate with me in an informal focus group 

on Wednesday, at 10:45, in the Garden Room. I look forward to discussing with you there, and 

at any time, the ways in which you feel that GPO Access could be improved. 

GPO Access: Future Development 

Remarks by T.C. Evans 

Assistant Director, Office of Electronic Information Dissemination 

Before the Depository Library Council 

Tuesday, October 20, 1998 

San Diego, CA 

[Based on slides from a PowerPoint presentation] 

Topics to Cover 

 What GPO Access is today 

 What GPO Access will be tomorrow 

 What challenges will be faced in getting from here to there 

What GPO Access is today 

Almost 129,000 Electronic Titles 

 Databases 

 Locator Tools 

 Storage Facilities 

 Downloadable Federal Files 

 User Aids 

 Program Information 

 Hosted Agency Web Sites 

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Objectives of GPO Access 

 Authentic and up-to-date 

 Electronically accessible to all, free of charge 

 Produced as a by-product of the production process for the official paper version 

 Permanent access to the information available through GPO Access 

 Provide support for users 

Databases on GPO Access 

 Almost 1,000 WAIS databases and growing 

 A small number of databases using OpenText 

 Approximately 45 GB of data 

 With extra copies for load-balancing and backup, the total footprint comes to about 135 

GB 

 An average of almost 15 million documents are download by users each month 

Locator Tools 

 Browse Titles 

 Browse Topics 

 GILS 

 MOCAT 

 SPC 

 Pathway Indexer 

Downloadable Federal Files 

 Individual documents such as the Starr Report and supplemental releases 

 Federal Bulletin Board 

 Various GPO documents 

User Aids 

 GPO Access User Support Team 

 Helpful Hints 

 GPO Access User Guide 

 About GPO Access 

 GPO Access Training Booklet 

 More About These Databases 

 New and Noteworthy 

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Program Information 

 About the Superintendent of Documents 

 Federal Depository Library Program 

 FDLP Administration 

 askLPS 

 Depository Library Council 

 WEBTech Notes 

Hosted Agency Web Sites 

 Currently 14 agencies have chosen GPO Access as the host of their Web sites, and more 

are on the way 

 These are official agency sites 

 Content is controlled by the agency 

 These sites are mounted on GPO servers and maintained by GPO 

What GPO Access will be 

 It will continue to expand 

 Usage will continue to increase 

 Technology will change 

 Managing this collection will become more and more difficult 

 Users will continue to expect GPO Access to be quick and easy to use 

Challenges for GPO Access 

 Resources ($ and Personnel) 

 Infrastructure 

 Which technology to use 

 Migration to new technology 

 Regulatory changes 

 Competition 

 Security 

 Educating users 

 Serving user needs 

 Serving client agency needs 

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What GPO is doing 

 Electronic Collection Management Plan 

 Regular planning meetings 

 Increasing outreach to agencies 

 Working towards a GPO Access Learning Center 

 Train-the-trainer sessions 

 Improved notification of changes to our user community 

Any Questions? 

If not, I look forward to working with you on developing the future of GPO Access

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24 

Table of Contents

Superintendent of Documents Update / Buckley, Council Meeting, 10/98.................................. 1 

Library Programs Service Update / Baldwin, Council Meeting, 10/98........................................ 5 

Recent Happenings in the Depository Administration Branch / Haun-Mohamed, Council 

Meeting, 10/98 ............................................................................................................................ 11 

ETS Activities and Projects / Andrews, Council Meeting, 10/98............................................... 14 

GPO Access Update / Evans, Council Meeting, 10/98............................................................... 17 

GPO Access: Future Development / Evans, Council Meeting, 10/98 ........................................ 20 

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

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

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

address changes to: The Editor, Administrative Notes 

 U.S. Government Printing Office 

 Library Programs Service, SLLD 

 Washington, DC 20401 

Internet access via World Wide Web at URL: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/adnotes.html 

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