Administrative Notes 

Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

Vol. 25, no. 02 GP 3.16/3-2:25/02 February 15, 2004 

HIGHLIGHTS 

Council 

Meeting 1 

Registration 2 

Agenda 3 

USGS Series 

Revised 6 

USGS Maps 

Online 8 

Council's 

Advice 9 

Spring 2004 Depository Library 

Council Meeting Scheduled for 

St. Louis 

Join us in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 18-21, for the spring Depository 

Library Council meeting! This meeting provides depository library staff, 

information professionals, and all others interested in Federal Government 

information dissemination an opportunity to keep up-to-date with Federal 

Depository Library Program activities, provide input into the planning 

process, and exchange ideas among colleagues. Discussions with Public 

Printer Bruce James on digital information verification and preservation 

will provide a focus for the meeting. 

This meeting starts off at 1:15 on Sunday afternoon, April 18, with the 

formal welcome and updates, followed by a plenary session on a new 

economic model for the GPO Sales Program.

The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Westport Hotel, located at 900 

Westport Plaza Dr., in West Port Plaza. A limited number of sleeping 

rooms at the Sheraton are available at the Government rate of $102 per 

night (plus tax) single or double occupancy. This rate will be honored 

through March 18, 2004, and is good for the three (3) days before and 

three (3) days after the meeting. Reservations can be made online at 

<http://www.starwood.com/sheraton/index.html>. Select “Meeting Site” 

at the top of the page, scroll down and select “attend a meeting,” fill in the 

city, state and Meeting Code Number “12487,” select the hotel “Sheraton 

West Port Hotel - Plaza,” fill in the Check in Date and Check out Date and 

continue with the reservation. 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

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Reservations can also be made by calling the 

hotel directly at 314-878-1500 or toll free at 

800-822-3535 and mention the U.S. 

Government Printing Office or the 

Depository Library Council meeting. Parking 

is complimentary with unlimited in and out 

privileges, and the hotel offers a 

complimentary door-to-door shuttle service to 

and from the airport. 

The Council meeting is open to everyone and 

there is no registration fee. 

If you are unable to use the online registration form, fax, e-mail, or mail the form below.

Register online at 

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

REGISTRATION FORM 

SPRING 2004 DEPOSITORY LIBRARY COUNCIL MEETING 

St. Louis, MO – April 18 – 21, 2004

Email or Fax to: 

Mr. William Thompson 

Library Programs Service (SLL) 

U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, DC 20401 

Email: wthompson@gpo.gov Fax: (202) 512-1432 

Name 

Institution 

Library/Office 

Address 

City/State/Zip Code 

Telephone (include area code) Fax

E-mail Address 

_____ I will participate in the entire meeting on April 18-21 and would like to receive a CEU certificate. 

_____ I will attend the reception on the evening of Tuesday, April 20, and additional information is available 

at http://www.umsl.edu/services/library/announcements.html. (information may not yet be available at this 

site)

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

registration. If you have a medical condition, you may want to list someone to contact in case of an emergency.

Special Needs

Emergency Contact Name/Phone
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

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Preliminary Agenda 

Spring Meeting 

Depository Library Council to the Public Printer 

April 18-21, 2004 - St. Louis, Missouri 

Sheraton Westport Hotel 

Sunday, April 18, 2004

12:30 – 1:00 New Attendees Orientation 

• Daniel Barkley, Council Chair 

• Director, Library & Customer Relations, GPO 

1:15 – 3:15 Depository Library Council Plenary Session: Welcome and Remarks 

• Director, Library & Customer Relations, GPO 

• Sara Parker, Missouri State Librarian 

• Daniel Barkley, Council Chair 

• Judith C. Russell, Superintendent of Documents 

• T.C. Evans, Deputy Superintendent of Documents 

3:15 Break 

3:30 –5:00 Depository Library Council Plenary Session: New Economic Model for the GPO Sales 

Program 

• Panel Presentation 

• Discussion 

7:00 –9:00 Depository Library Council Plenary Session: Review of Documents 

• Center for Research Libraries: Standards for Repositories 

• Policy for the GPO Collection of Last Resort 

• Discussion 

9:00 – 11:00 Council Working Session (open to all) 

Monday, April 19, 2004 

8:00 Coffee with Council & GPO staff 

8:30 Depository Library Council Plenary Session: Discussion of Projects (open to all) 

• Management of Legacy Collections 

• Digital Projects Clearinghouse/Registry 

• FDLP Essential Titles for Public Use in Paper Format 

10:00 Break 

10:30 Depository Library Council Plenary Session: Review of Documents (open to all) 

• Report to the Public Printer (Fall Meeting 2003 Response) 

• Report of the Regional Library Meeting (Fall 2003) 

• Report on Incentives & Disincentives for Participation in the FDLP (Fall 2003) 
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12:00 Lunch 

2:00 Depository Library Council Plenary Session: Simple Truths: Results of GPO Fact 

Gathering 

• Bruce R. James, Public Printer of the United States 

3:15 Break 

3:30 – 5:00 Depository Library Council Plenary Session: Questions & Answer Session With 

Depository Library Council and the Public Printer 

• Bruce R. James, Public Printer of the United States 

• Judith C. Russell, Superintendent of Documents 

• Daniel Barkley, Council Chair 

9:00 – 11:00 Council Working Session (open to all) 

Tuesday, April 20, 2004 

8:00 Coffee with Council & GPO staff 

8:30 Council Plenary Session: Document Security 

• Speaker, TBA 

9:15 Overview of Charges for Breakout Groups by Library Type 

Daniel Barkley, Council Chair 

9:30 Break 

10:00 Breakout Discussion Groups by Library Type: 

• Academic Libraries—Large 

• Academic Libraries—Small/Medium 

• Public Libraries 

• Law and Court Libraries 

• Federal/State/Other Libraries 

12:30 Lunch 

2:00 Council Session: Open Forum for Audience Questions 

2:00 Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN) Update 

• John Shuler, University of Illinois, Chicago 

2:00 Promoting Library Programs 

• Ann Furhman, Southwest Missouri State University 

• Tammy Stewart, Southwest Missouri State University 

3:15 Break 

3:30 – 5:00 Council Working Session (open to all) 

3:30 – 5:00 Getting Started With GIS in a Library 

• Linda Zellmer, Indiana University, Bloomington 
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3:30 – 5:00 Information Literacy & Government Documents 

• Heidi Gauder, University of Dayton 

• Brad Vogus, Arizona State University Libraries 

5:30 – 7:00 Reception for Depository Library Council (open to all) 

8:30 – 11:00 Council Working Session (open to all) 

Wednesday, April 21 

8:00 Coffee with Council & GPO staff 

8:30 Council Working Session (open to all) 

8:30 Regional Depository Librarians Meeting 

8:30 U.S. Patent & Trademark Depository Library Program 

• Carol Giles-Straight, St. Louis Public Library 

10:00 Break 

10:30 Council Working Session (open to all) 

10:30 CD-ROM Analysis Project 

• Speaker TBA 

• Speaker TBA (GITCO) 

10:30 GPO Access Open Forum 

12:00 Lunch 

1:30 Future of the Federal Depository Program 

• Daniel Barkley, Council Chair 

2:30 Council Wrap-Up 

• Daniel Barkley, Council Chair 

3:00 Meeting Adjourns 
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USGS Series Revised 

[Text provided by USGS. Changes will be made 

in Administrative Notes, Technical Supplement, 

and in WEBTech Notes.] 

The increased emphasis on an 

interdisciplinary approach to research has led 

the U.S. Geological Survey to revise its 

scientific publication series. The series 

resulting from this change are designed to 

accommodate a broad range of research 

topics in biology, geology, geography, and 

hydrology. 

The resulting series are Circular, Data Series, 

Fact Sheet, General Information Product, 

Professional Paper, Open-File Report, 

Scientific Investigations Map, Scientific 

Investigations Report, and Techniques and 

Methods. 

The following titles will be discontinued and 

absorbed into the revised series: 

Biological Science Report; 

Bulletin; Digital Data Series; 

Geologic Investigations Series (I-maps); 

Hydrologic Investigations Atlas (HAmaps); 

Information and Technology Report; 

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map (MFmaps); 

Techniques of Water Resources 

Investigations (TWRI); 

Topographic Instructions; and 

Water Resources Investigations (WRI). 

The list below outlines the scope of the 

revised series and their relationship with the 

discontinued titles.

TITLE SCOPE INCORPORATES NUMBERING EXAMPLE 

Circular General science and public 

policy topics related to the 

mission of the USGS 

 No change Circular 2345 

Data Series Release of basic data sets, 

databases, computer 

programs, etc. 

Digital Data Series 

Information and 

Technology Report 

Continues the 

numbering of Digital 

Data Series, without 

the DDS prefix 

Data Series 55 

Fact Sheet Brief descriptions of USGS 

science and products 

 Uses year-number; 

numbers start with 

3001+ 

Fact Sheet 

2004-3001 

General 

Information 

Product 

Topics of general interest 

in a variety of formats 

(pamphlets, postcards, 

posters, bookmarks, 

teacher kits, etc.) 

 Sequential General 

Information 

Product 1 

Professional 

Paper 

Premier series of the USGS 

containing comprehensive 

scientific reports 

Biological Science 

Report 

No change Professional 

Paper 3456 

Open-File 

Report 

Interpretive information 

that must be released 

immediately, preliminary 

information, or information 

that does not warrant 

release in one of the other 

USGS series 

 Uses year-number; 

numbers start with 

1001+ 

Open-File 

Report 2004-

1001 
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TITLE SCOPE INCORPORATES NUMBERING EXAMPLE 

Scientific 

Investigations 

Map 

Scientific results of studies 

presented as maps, charts, 

stratigraphic sections, or 

other large illustrations 

Geologic 

Investigations Series 

(I-maps) 

Hydrologic 

Investigations Atlases 

(HA-maps) 

Miscellaneous Field 

Studies Maps (MFmaps) 

Water Resources 

Investigations Report 

(WRI) maps 

Continues the 

numbering of I-maps, 

without the I- prefix 

Scientific 

Investigations 

Map 2456 

Scientific 

Investigations 

Report 

Significant data and 

interpretations of lasting 

scientific interest but 

generally narrower in 

scope than Professional 

Papers 

Biological Science 

Report 

Bulletin 

Information and 

Technology Report 

Water Resources 

Investigations Report 

(WRI) 

Uses year-number; 

numbers start with 

5001+ 

Scientific 

Investigations 

Report 2004-

5001 

Techniques and 

Methods 

Descriptions of procedures 

for collection, analysis, or 

interpretation of scientific 

data 

Information and 

Technology Report 

Techniques of Water 

Resources 

Investigations (TWRI) 

Topographic 

Instructions 

Continues the 

numbering of 

Techniques of Water 

Resources 

Investigations 

(TWRI) 

Techniques and 

Methods Book 

8, Chapter A, 

Part 3 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

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Browse Thousands of USGS Maps Online at the 

USGS Store 

[Text provided by USGS.] 

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

announces the release of the USGS Store, its 

online map catalog, January 1, 2004. The 

USGS Store will provide online ordering 

access to all published products distributed by 

the USGS. The catalog is online at 

<http://store.usgs.gov>. 

The new USGS Store is a full online catalog 

of products that initially presents thumbnail 

images of all 7.5-minute topographic maps 

along with larger images of other selected 

maps. Many of the products will also have 

detailed descriptions available. All USGS 

published products (maps, books, general 

interest publications, etc.) will be available 

from the store. In addition to USGS 

products, the Catalog carries the products of 

other agencies that are available from the 

USGS: for example, US Forest Service maps 

of National Forests, National GeospatialIntelligence Agency (NGA) maps of Vietnam 

and other countries, historic maps from the 

Library of Congress, and land-management 

maps from the US Bureau of Land 

Management. 

This functionality provides a new method to 

communicate recent news and product 

advertisements of USGS published products. 

Ordering options enable users to charge to an 

account, a project number, or a credit card. 

The site also enables customers to check their 

order status and receive email confirmations. 

The USGS Store will replace Earth Explorer 

and MapFinder for the searching and ordering 

of maps. A notice and a link to the USGS 

Store will be posted on both sites to inform 

users of the change in map ordering. The 

products can also be ordered from a network 

of authorized USGS retailers. A listing of 

retailers, by State, is available on the Store 

and also at: <http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/ 

partners/bpmain.html>. For more 

information about the USGS and the products 

it offers, call 303-202-4200, or 1-888-ASKUSGS. 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

9

Depository Library Council's Advice to the 

Public Printer, January 22, 2004

At the Depository Library Council Meeting in 

October 2003, Public Printer Bruce R. James 

challenged the Depository Library Council 

(DLC) to provide advice on three key issues 

integral to the envisioning process Mr. James 

instituted upon his assumption of office in 

December 2002. Mr. James specifically 

highlighted these three topics for Council 

input: 

• What constitutes a version of information 

and how will it be authenticated? 

• How should GPO store information, 

especially in a digital form? Related to 

that, what should GPO do to ensure 

permanent public access to the Legacy 

Collections that have been developed 

over the course of government printing? 

• What types of revenue generation might 

GPO engage in to further enhance, 

improve, and develop new technologies 

that will ensure GPO's future in the 

electronic milieu? 

Over the course of the past several weeks, 

DLC has engaged in spirited debate over 

these issues. Additionally, Council sought 

feedback from the depository library 

community, library associations, and 

information specialists outside the purview of 

the depository library program. Much of this 

feedback is incorporated into our responses. 

Version/Authenticity Control 

Context and Problem: 

A characteristic of the digital information 

environment is the ease with which electronic 

content may be changed. Two major issues 

that ensue from this malleability of digital 

information are version and authenticity 

control. With respect to version control, 

multiple versions of information are often 

publicly available on multiple Web sites, 

which can be confusing and sometimes 

damaging to information users who are not 

aware of the version status of the material 

they are using. With respect to authenticity, 

multiple copies of government information 

available on the Web (and on other digital 

media) allege to be the same version when, in 

fact, some are authentic "official" versions 

and others are unauthentic copies. Again, 

this situation leads to confusion and can be 

damaging to end-users. 

The problems associated with verifying the 

version and authenticity of digital 

information products are particularly critical 

in the genre of government information. 

Authenticity implies that the internal 

integrity, origins, and completeness of digital 

products are verifiable. Users of digital 

government information must be able to 

verify the authenticity of digital products. 

This is especially true for information 

products having primary legal authority, such 

as statutes, regulations, opinions, decisions, 

and guidelines, as well as other categories 

such as health advisory bulletins and Census 

reports, the authenticity of which users will 

expect to be able to verify. Similarly, users 

of public data files need to be aware of the 

date, scope, content and latest modifications 

of datasets. Historians need to be able to 

verify versions of documents that have 

evolved over time.

Council urges GPO to institute practical steps 

to improve user awareness of the version 

status and authenticity of government 

information they are accessing, such as 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

10 

through adherence to best practices and, 

where available, standards that can identify 

versions and the authenticity of government 

information resources. The standards-setting 

process should involve the wide array of 

stakeholders who utilize government 

information and should begin immediately. 

GPO, as the agency responsible for 

coordinating access to and dissemination of a 

substantial volume of digital federal 

government information, should be among 

the lead agencies in inter-agency efforts to 

develop the standards. As a Congressional 

agency, GPO should take the lead on these 

issues as they pertain to congressional 

information. 

Further, Council recommends that a method 

of authentication should be developed and 

implemented as soon as possible that is 

widely recognized, flexible, open (e.g., open 

source and "General Public License," 

[http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html]) 

and portable-over-time. Tools for verifying 

authenticity should be made freely available 

to federal depository libraries and the public. 

GPO should acknowledge that all 

technological means of authentication are 

subject to human and machine error, and 

intentional disruption or fabrication. GPO 

should, therefore, develop polices that reflect 

secure, long-term methods of ensuring 

authentic documents in a widespread 

dissemination and distribution environment 

such as the FDLP. 

Council commends GPO for the vision it has 

shown regarding the version issue, and for its 

preliminary exploration of Public Key 

Infrastructure (PKI) as a mechanism for 

authentication. Council encourages GPO to 

continue its efforts to move ahead to adopt 

strategies for resolving version and 

authenticity issues in the near-term as 

standards are developed. GPO should 

explore multiple approaches to the long-term 

assurance that government information is 

authentic, including, but not limited to, dark 

archives on both government and nongovernment sites, and widespread distribution 

of authentic products to the FDLP. 

Version Categories and Challenges: 

The following list is a core set of categories 

of government publishing and associated 

versioning challenges. Guidelines for 

retention may vary by category. This is 

intended neither as a comprehensive nor 

prioritized list, but rather to be illustrative of 

some of the challenges that will be faced by 

those attempting to develop best practices and 

standards in this area: 

Monographic Materials 

Documents intended as a final product. Are 

copies of each revised or corrected version 

needed? Have users already referenced the 

earlier versions? Policy decisions or research 

might have been based on earlier versions. Is 

there a difference for retention between 

revised and corrected? 

Legislative and Regulatory Documents 

Draft vs. final (interim) 

Daily and weekly version (interim) – need to 

ensure that all data is included in annual 

cumulation rather than aggregated monthly or 

quarterly 

Errata (e.g., hearings) 

Process Documents 

Each version of the document has value, e.g., 

versions of bills. 

Drafts 

How to distinguish which are replaced by 

final version and which remain valuable as 

record of the process. 

Datasets 

Datafiles where information is updated and 

corrected. 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

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Example: Table with ten years of historic 

and actual figures and five years of 

forecast or estimated figures. If estimates 

are replaced with the actual as time 

passes, researchers need mechanism for 

obtaining the original estimates to 

evaluate accuracy of forecasting 

methodology. 

Date of last update 

Freeze on regular basis 

Errata 

Serials 

Date of issue 

Revised or original version 

Errata 

Databases 

Freeze on regular basis 

Errata 

Authentication Challenges and Strategies: 

The following list includes a core set of 

categories of government information 

authentication challenges with suggested 

mechanisms that might address these 

challenges. Many of the concepts in this 

section have been culled from two key resources: 

• Council on Library and Information 

Resources, Authenticity in a Digital 

Environment, May 2000: 

DisplayText cannot span more than one line!

• David Bearman and Jennifer Trant, 

Authenticity of Digital Resources 

Towards a Statement of Requirements in 

the Research Process, June 1988: 

http://www.dlib.org/dlib/june98/06bearm

an.html

Challenge: 

Verify the provenance of government 

information. 

Verify the originality (or faithfulness to the 

original). 

Verify the publication is uncorrupted. 

Mechanisms: 

Mark (watermark) the original publication 

with document identifiers. 

Register document identifiers. 

Maintain “collections of record” which 

contain original or verified copies. 

Register “key” data about documents which, 

“when hashed, or otherwise calculated in a 

publicly available way, should match that of 

the document in hand...” 

Structure metadata to carry document 

authentication declarations or proofs. 

Digital Information Storage and 

Legacy Collections 

Description of a Legacy Collection 

The goal of the FDLP has been one of 

assurance of permanent public access with 

respect to historical and current information 

as published by federal government agencies. 

This authority has been codified in 44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 19. The FLDP Legacy Collection 

now includes all government information 

products, regardless of form or format, which 

are of public interest, provide educational 

value (with the exception of material that is 

produced strictly for administrative or 

operations purposes), or are classified for 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

12 

reasons of national security, or the use of 

which is constrained by privacy 

considerations. 

Further, government information in electronic 

form is now part of the scope of the FDLP 

Electronic Collection. This Collection is 

composed of four major components: 

• Core legislative and regulatory materials 

such as the Congressional Record, 

Federal Register and other materials that 

are found on GPO Access. 

• Internet products that have been 

published or made generally available by 

GPO. 

• Internet products made available by the 

originating federal agency and which 

GPO has identified and provided links to 

the information content. 

• Products that are distributed by GPO in a 

tangible digital format. 

Therefore the Legacy Collection shall include 

all tangible materials distributed to the 

Federal Depositories Libraries throughout the 

life of the Program and all publicly available 

federal government information distributed 

via the Internet. Tangible formats should 

include but are not limited to all types of print 

on paper, micro-formats, and digital products 

such as floppy disks, CD ROMs, and DVDs. 

The singular “collection” is used to imply the 

universe of FDLP government information 

available through the program both online 

and in hard copy, as opposed to the plural 

“collections,” which refers to holdings of 

FDLP items in individual FDLP institutions. 

In its deliberations Council discussed 

strategies for assuring on-going access to 

both the tangible and Internet-based segments 

of the Legacy Collection. The following 

constitute scenarios Council believes merit 

further examination as plausible options for 

preserving the Legacy Collection. Council 

realizes that the models described will entail 

a reorganization of FDLP relationships, a 

reassignment of traditional FDLP 

responsibilities, and the adoption of a key 

new responsibility – the provision of 

permanent access to the Legacy Collection. 

Recent closer ties between GPO and NARA 

provide the opportunity to explore archival 

issues pertaining to FDLP materials. 

Preservation of Tangible Copies: 

A model for assuring ongoing access to the 

tangible format portion of the legacy 

collection would be the designation of a new 

tier of libraries that would acquire, preserve, 

and provide access to archival FDLP 

collections. An important assumption of this 

model is that the general-use copy would be 

digital. An electronic collection would make 

legacy government information widely 

available and save wear-and-tear on the 

original copies. In concert with GPO 

maintaining an archival collection of last 

resort, the new tier of archive collections may 

be organized along these lines: 

 

1. Regionals and selectives would maintain 

as many tangible copies as they deem 

useful for their communities. These 

would also be “general use” copies, still 

subject to the access mandates of Title 44. 

Preservation of these copies would be up 

to the holding institutions. 

2. GPO and the FDLP community would 

cooperate to establish several 

geographically dispersed archival FDLP 

collections that would be as 

comprehensive as possible and be 

preserved using archival standards. The 

archival collections would be accessed 

only if no copy of a document were 

available in the general use collections. 

The intention of establishing multiple 

archival collections is to avoid potential 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

13

catastrophic loss – physical or 

institutional -- inherent in having only a 

single collection. Problems in one 

archival collection would not undermine 

the whole system. Council notes that 

attention to potential natural or man-made 

disasters should be given when 

designating archival collection sites. 

3. GPO would create an archival collection 

of “last resort.” This collection would be 

a non-circulating collection and would 

not be publicly accessible. The collection 

would be the most comprehensive 

archival collection, utilizing state-of-theart standards. The collection would be 

accessed only when a copy of a document 

could not be found among the general-use 

collections or other archival collections. 

Materials requested from this collection 

would be digitized and made available 

through the Electronic FDLP Collection. 

GPO and the depository community should 

investigate previous and current cooperative 

preservation programs and evaluate the 

outcomes in order to determine the optimum 

number of artifact copies needed. This 

optimum number may differ by content, 

format and potential use. The community 

also needs to investigate the number of 

tangible copies GPO should require from the 

agencies for all current and future 

acquisitions to assure permanent public 

access. 

To build the comprehensive Legacy 

Collection, GPO should distribute its own 

needs list with regular updates and should 

closely monitor existing offers lists to acquire 

items being weeded from depository 

collections. 

Digitization of Print Materials for 

Improved Access 

Beyond preservation of the Legacy 

Collection, digitization provides the 

opportunity to improve access, usability and 

visibility of government information. GPO 

must coordinate the implementation of userfriendly searching of all digitized government 

information, a single gateway for access to 

the collection, and multi-format digitization 

where appropriate, such as maps and 

statistical information. 

GPO and the community should begin 

prioritizing and digitizing the tangible 

materials in the legacy collections. These 

tangible materials would include print, 

microfiche, CDs, videos and any other 

tangible formats not mentioned here. Floppy 

discs are archived at <http://www.indiana. 

edu/~libgpd/mforms/floppy/floppy.html>. 

There should be coordination among 

digitization projects in order to avoid 

duplication of effort and to ensure 

comprehensive coverage. The FDLP should 

lead this effort. All digitization projects 

should follow the same standards, perhaps 

those being developed as a result of the ARL 

prospectus. Standards for different types of 

materials should be considered. For example, 

statistical information could be done in 

spreadsheet or statistical package-friendly 

formats instead or in addition to simple 

images. All depository libraries should be 

included in the process, and the FDLP should 

plan for format migrations. Furthermore, 

GPO should establish an authentication 

program to validate digitization projects 

produced by depository libraries in 

accordance with the established standards. 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

14 

Digitized copies should also be preserved or 

archived, perhaps by using a distributed file 

system such as LOCKSS. These preservation 

procedures should be applied not only to 

materials digitized from the tangible 

materials in the legacy collections but also 

“born- digital” materials. 

Preservation microfilm copies of legacy print 

publications should be made if they can 

feasibly be created as part of the digitization 

process. 

Council advises that a minimum of five 

artifact copies of originals should be retained. 

Cataloging 

All materials, tangible and electronic, in the 

Legacy Collection must be cataloged in 

accordance with generally accepted 

cataloging and metadata standards. Complete 

cataloging of tangible legacy collections will 

help establish an accurate estimate of the 

number of existing copies and provide the 

primary means of access. Materials that have 

not been cataloged prior to selection for 

digitization must be cataloged as part of the 

digitization process. 

The GPO should identify pre-1976 catalog 

records for the Legacy Collection. Such 

records would reflect the digitized item, and 

should be made available to all depository 

libraries at no fee. 

Council reaffirms the historic role of GPO as 

cataloger and indexer of U.S. publications 

(whether published by GPO or other 

agencies). GPO should continue to serve as 

metadata provider for both retrospectively 

digitized materials as well as prospectively 

for both print and web-based content. 

Council's Suggested Digitization Priorities 

- unranked 

Titles 

Budget of the U.S. Government 

Climatological Data & Local 

Climatological Data 

Code of Federal Regulations (back to 

1938) 

Congressional Record - bound 

Congressional Serial Set 

Current Population Reports 

Department of State Bulletin

Economic Report of the President 

Ethnology Bulletins 

Federal Register 

Foreign Relations of the United States 

Labor Bureau Bulletins 

Public Papers of the Presidents 

State Department Bulletins 

Statutes At Large 

Treaties and Other International Acts 

State Department Bulletins 

Supreme Court Briefs 

U.S. Reports 

Type 

Agency Annual Reports 

Commission Decisions 

Children’s and Women’s Bureau 

Census Reports 

Congressional Hearings 

Environmental Impact Statements - draft 

and final 

Presidential Commission Reports 

Revenue Generation 

Given the declining sales revenue resulting 

from no-fee Web-based access to GPO 

databases, the Public Printer requested the 

DLC outline principles Council believes 

should not be compromised by future GPO 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

15

initiatives intended to generate GPO revenue 

streams. The Public Printer believes that a 

revenue stream beyond Congressional 

appropriations will be necessary to assure that 

GPO will be fiscally able to adopt new 

information technologies and improve GPO 

products and services. Noting that in the 

print-on-paper environment the GPO sales 

program provided a viable source of costrecovery revenue, Mr. James launched the 

discussion with speculation that a return to 

the old print-on paper model, which provided 

no-fee access in depository libraries, feebased elsewhere, could provide the fiscal 

resources GPO requires. 

Debate was particularly spirited on 

establishing parameters for revenue 

generation. Council spent a great amount of 

time and energy reviewing the information 

received during and shortly after the fall 

Council meeting. Council discussed various 

specific operational suggestions GPO might 

consider to generate revenue – many of 

which were raised during the open questionand-answer period at the Council session -- 

but concluded that the best advice at this time 

should concentrate on principles rather than 

on operations. 

Council appreciates the need for GPO to 

upgrade facilities and equipment, to introduce 

new technologies into the information 

dissemination process, and the desire to 

operate in a fiscally responsible manner. 

Council also understands the significant 

historical role GPO has played in the 

development of government information 

dissemination practices including the 

cataloging, storage, and maintenance of that 

information, and encourages careful 

consideration of the balance between 

principle and operations as the organization 

moves to transform itself. Council 

appreciates the many challenges the Public 

Printer and GPO face in the coming months 

and years. 

Government information is a public good 

which should always be freely and widely 

available to the citizens of the United States. 

As stated in OMB Circular A-130

"Government information is a valuable 

national resource. It provides the public with 

knowledge of the government, society, and 

economy--past, present, and future...The free 

flow of information between the government 

and the public is essential to a democratic 

society." (1) The GPO and FDLP possess 

critical roles in maintaining this national 

resource. 

As Council reaffirmed recently in the 

Envisioning the Future of Federal 

Government Information, “Government 

information is a strategic national resource 

owned by the people and held in trust jointly, 

for the public good, by GPO and by federal 

depository libraries. Together these 

institutions provide stewardship for 

government information throughout its life 

cycle, ensuring timely access as new 

information is produced and permanent 

public access in the future.” (2) 

The fundamental purpose of the FDLP is to 

assure that citizens of the United States have 

no-fee access to information by and about 

their government. As information 

technologies have evolved over the past two 

decades, institutions involved in information 

production and dissemination have 

necessarily changed to adjust to the demands 

and requirements--and opportunities--of 

digital information. To date the FDLP has 

done well in transitioning to the digital era; 

Council encourages FDLP leadership to 

continue taking advantage of opportunities 

presented by digital information technologies 

to advance to the greatest extent possible the 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

16 

FDLP's underlying principle--informing the 

nation. 

Council believes that in the current 

environment of web-based information - an 

environment in which libraries take every 

opportunity to make digital information 

available to their clientele at their desktops - 

the FDLP best serves the government 

information needs of its constituencies by 

extending no-fee access to web-based 

government information beyond library 

walls. In this way the FDLP should make 

every effort to optimize recent library trends 

providing for remote access to digital 

information. 

Council strongly believes that it is the 

responsibility of our elected and appointed 

officials to ensure broad no-fee access to 

federal government information. According 

to GPO's 1996 report on the successful 

transition to a more electronic depository 

system: "The Government should not only 

allow public participation in the democratic 

process by providing access to its 

information, but should encourage public 

participation and use of Government 

information through proactive dissemination 

efforts that ensure timely and equitable public 

access." (3) Council believes such proactive 

dissemination is best achieved by continuing 

the no-fee basis for access to all government 

information, regardless of form or format, to 

all citizens of the United States. 

At a minimum and in order to ensure that the 

public has no-fee access to authentic 

government information via federal 

depository libraries as well as other 

traditional and electronic means, Council 

recommends that GPO seek full funding to 

support the FDLP from Congress. Council 

further recommends that the GPO seek 

additional Congressional funding that would 

help achieve other initiatives such as 

equipment modernization, information 

storage and retrieval systems and other 

technologies as articulated or envisioned by 

the Public Printer. 

Given the recent fully-funded appropriations 

GPO received, Council believes that 

Congress has a knowledgeable grasp of 

GPO's needs and is also mindful of the 

myriad of initiatives GPO is pursuing in order 

to maintain its leadership role in the 

dissemination of government information. 

As active partners in the dissemination of 

government information depository, 

librarians can participate in this process by 

urging their members of Congress to approve 

full FDLP funding as well as full funding of 

other GPO initiatives. 

Should congressional appropriations fall short 

of funding needed to operate the FDLP, 

Council encourages the GPO to seek revenue 

from sources other than the sale of digital 

FDLP or GPO Access information resources. 

In the current digital age characterized by 

ubiquitous access to all Web-based 

information, citizens expect to have no-fee 

access to information by and about their 

government. Charging fees for access to 

FDLP information would limit the public's 

ability to participate fully in our democratic 

society. 

Council realizes that the evolving information 

technologies extending the reach of FDLP 

collections to all American computer 

workstations have, at the same time, posed a 

serious challenge for the GPO Sales Program. 

Council recognizes and applauds the role that 

the sales program played in the age of 

tangible information products -- that of 

assuring the availability of government 

publications on a cost-recovery basis beyond 

the confines of depository libraries. Given 

the program’s importance in the past, Council 

urges the GPO to analyze the sales program 
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

17

both to determine the viability of continuing 

this operation and determine new parameters 

under which it will operate in the digital age. 

Council recommends that in this analysis 

GPO, as the federal government's lead 

information agency, should strive to assure 

that access to FDLP information is as free 

and ubiquitous as possible to support 

America's democratic system and economy. 

The public should have free access to all 

content, as publicly generated, in whatever 

formats and via whatever search interfaces 

are developed at GPO. Even XML-markedup text should be available to the public since 

in the future this will be critical content 

format for depositories and their constituents. 

Council applauded the decision GPO made to 

provide no-fee access to GPO Access in the 

mid-1990s. Today Council cautions that 

efforts to support the sales program not 

undermine levels of no-fee public access 

established at that time. Council believes that 

proposals to provide no-fee access to one 

level of information products while selling 

more sophisticated products to generate 

revenue could promote an environment of 

information rich and poor. Council is 

concerned that establishing this dichotomy of 

products may prompt some future GPO 

administration to disproportionately direct 

resources toward for-sale products at the 

expense of no-fee products. 

There is a category of digital publishing 

services that might be open to GPO that 

would not risk exacerbating or promoting the 

information rich/poor divide. These are 

variously termed as "customization" or 

"personalization" services. Personalized 

services that might be acceptable to the 

library community include such features as: 

individual e-mail notification (of relevant 

proposed regulations from the Federal 

Register, for instance); portals for specific 

audiences (the trucking industry, for 

example); pushing downloads through 

programmed extractions; and personal logins 

that allow users to remember their searches 

and retrievals, create footnotes on the fly, and 

store documents online in temporary folders. 

All of these personalization services are 

geared toward individual users. None of 

these services challenge either the public's 

right to unfettered, no-fee access to all 

government content or government metadata. 

Endnotes 

1. Office of Management and Budget. 

Circular A-130. Revised (Transmittal 

Memorandum No. 4). Memorandum for 

Heads of Executive Departments and 

Agencies. Section 7. B. 

2. Envisioning the Future of Federal 

Government Information: Summary of the 

Spring 2003 Meeting of the Depository 

Library Council to the Public Printer. 

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

ouncil/EnvisioningtheFuture.html

3. Report to the Congress: Study to Identify 

Measures Necessary for a Successful 

Transition to a More Electronic Federal 

Depository Library Program as required 

by Legislative Branch Appropriations 

Act, 1996. Public Law 104-53. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Government 

Printing Office, June 1996. 

4. Richard Grauss. Versions. Photocopied 

summary of remarks provided to Council, 

October 21, 2003.
AN-v25-#02-2/15/04 

18 

Table of Contents 

Depository Library Council Meeting, 2004, Spring, Scheduled for St. Louis ............................. 1 

Depository Library Council Meeting, 2004, Spring, Registration Form...................................... 2 

Depository Library Council Meeting, 2004, Spring, Preliminary Agenda................................... 3 

USGS Series Revised.................................................................................................................... 6 

Browse Thousands of USGS Maps Online at the USGS Store .................................................... 8 

Depository Library Council's Advice to the Public Printer, January 22, 2004............................. 9 

Administrative Notes Cumulative Table of Contents 

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

Updated with each issue 

Searchable by keyword 

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

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

Depository Libraries. 

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

Postmaster send address changes to: The Editor, Administrative Notes 

 U.S. Government Printing Office 

 Library Programs Service, SLLD 

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

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