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[Biennial Report to Congress on the Status of GPO Access 2001]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

Biennial Report to Congress on the Status of GPO Access

U.S. Government Printing Office
December 31, 2001

For additional information, contact the Office of Congressional and Public Affairs
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20401
Phone: (202) 512-1991

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In the past two years, GPO Access has remained one of the leading online sources 
of free, official Government information and the only such system mandated by 
law. Its publicly available resources, covering all three branches of 
Government, have grown to encompass more than 2,200 databases through over 80 
applications, including the popular Congressional Record, Federal Register, and 
Code of Federal Regulations. As of December 2001, the Web site provided access 
to more than 130,000 titles on Government Printing Office (GPO) servers and over 
94,000 additional titles through links to other Federal agency Web sites. Due to 
its efficiency, the cost of the entire GPO Access operation has been much lower 
than originally estimated. 

To measure GPO's success in disseminating electronic Government information, the 
number of document retrievals by users is monitored. Recent statistics indicate 
that GPO Access fulfills approximately 31 million document retrievals per month, 
with a total of more than 355 million retrievals during fiscal year 2001 alone. 
Complementing these figures is the praise extended for the level of service and 
scope of information on GPO Access. GPO Access has been featured and applauded 
by LibrarySpot.com and GovSpot.com, and was also recognized with an E-Gov 2001 
"Trail Blazer" award in June 2001. Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids, the 
educational component of GPO Access, also received accolades from many notable 
organizations, such as the American Library Association, USAToday.com, Skewl 
Sites Newsletter, FirstGov, HomeworkSpot.com, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and 
many others. 

To further the mandates of Public Law 103-40, GPO has taken a number of steps to 
improve the services it provides to the public. New applications and 
publications have been added, and improvements have been made to several 
existing applications. Numerous system enhancements have also been made, 
including the incorporation of "Akamized" files, the monitoring of referrals 
from other Web sites, and improvements to the U.S. Government Online Bookstore. 
Moreover, the initial steps have been taken to develop a GPO Access mirror site 
in a geographically removed location. 

In order to support and constantly improve GPO Access, a number of studies were 
undertaken. Quarterly studies are being conducted with the goal of improving the 
visibility of GPO Access pages in Internet search engines and directories. In 
addition, in order to compare the Legislative resources available via GPO Access 
to resources on other sites, three iterations of the Legislative Resources 
Comparison Report were also completed in the past two years. 

Furthermore, GPO Access was reviewed in the "Performance Measures for Federal 
Agency Websites" report that was conducted by Charles R. McClure et. al. The 
report stated that GPO Access "could serve as a guideline for other agencies in 
establishing or amending their Web site development strategies." 

To achieve its mission and the broader goals of Government, GPO has established 
partnerships with other Federal agencies and educational institutions 
to save time, money, and resources. These partnerships provide effective, 
inexpensive methods of disseminating information while eliminating duplicative 
efforts. Internet-related services that GPO performs on a reimbursable basis 
include hosting 17 agency Web sites and over 30 agencies' databases of 
Government Information Locator Service (GILS) records. 

Because several customers have requested that GPO upgrade its Internet services 
to include a LISTSERV capability to enable them associate such a service with 
their Web sites being hosted by GPO, a LISTSERV mailing list server has been 
made operational. 

On January 1, 2002, the long-standing, successful alliance between GPO and the 
Department of Commerce to provide an online version of the Commerce Business 
Daily (CBDNet) will come to an end. GPO will, however, continue to maintain the 
archive of notices. This will ensure that the public continues to have 
historical reference access to the procurement activities of their government 
during the five-year life of CBDNet. 

Maintaining GPO Access user satisfaction is a major concern of GPO. Therefore, 
GPO educates users about the products and services offered on GPO Access through 
three primary means: training classes, demonstrations at conferences and trade 
shows, and the GPO Access User Support Team. During FY 2000 and 2001, GPO staff 
conducted approximately 25 hands-on training classes and demonstrations for 
Federal depository librarians, members of Congress, professional organizations, 
various other groups, and the public, both locally and across the country. The 
GPO Access User Support Team responded to an average of 6,100 inquiries per 
month, including approximately 4,000 phone calls and 2,100 e-mail messages. Due 
to the unique nature of the recent Presidential election, the number of calls 
and e-mails received by the Team increased dramatically, with over 10,000 user 
inquiries in December 2000. 

Many of the improvements that have been made to GPO Access are in response to 
feedback GPO has received through various channels. On a daily basis, GPO 
monitors user feedback about GPO Access from telephone calls, e-mail messages, 
faxes, and letters, which are directed primarily to the GPO Access User Support 
Team. GPO also uses more formal means of soliciting comments and evaluations. 
GPO has conducted Usability Studies, numerous User Surveys on both GPO Access 
and Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids, and several focus groups and open 
forums throughout the country. 

GPO continues to improve and add to the services available via GPO Access. The 
future includes plans for new applications, such as a Statutes at Large 
application, and the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) application. 
The GPO Access Web Committee has taken steps to apply new GPO Access Web Design 
Guidelines. GPO has also procured equipment and secured a location to conduct 
hands-on GPO Access training classes and demonstrations at the main GPO 
facility.

OVERVIEW OF GPO ACCESS 

Public access to Government information has been transformed by an innovative 
information technology service called GPO Access. Established by Public Law 
103-40, the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement 
Act of 1993, GPO Access offers free electronic access to official information 
from all three branches of the Federal Government. 

GPO Access allows people worldwide to access Federal Government information 
products electronically and to use those products without restriction, unless 
otherwise noted. It provides access to more than 2,200 databases through over 80 
applications, such as the Federal Register and the Congressional Record. More 
than 130,000 titles are housed on GPO Access servers, and links are provided to 
over 94,000 additional titles from other agency Web sites, totaling over 224,000 
titles. Many electronic documents, which are the official published versions, 
appear on the day of publication exactly as they appear in print. The immediacy 
of electronic publishing allows for pre-print updates to existing databases and 
the provision of products that lack a print equivalent. 

GPO Access has been carefully designed, developed, and implemented so that it is 
easy to access and use. Numerous search tools locate Government information 
products by topic, title, agency, or keyword within one database or across 
multiple databases. Links direct users to related databases in order to 
facilitate their searches and to highlight connections among information 
products. An electronic ordering mechanism allows for the secure online purchase 
of products from the GPO sales program. 

GPO uses GPO Access to make online Government information products available to 
Federal depository libraries and the public with the goal of widespread and 
equitable information dissemination. Its efforts include providing GPO Access 
training and user support for Federal depository librarians, Federal agencies, 
and the general public to increase awareness of the service and promote its 
usage; identifying and providing links to official Government information on 
other Federal agency Internet sites; making the information on its servers 
available to other institutions and organizations; providing bibliographic 
information, locator tools, and making this information available on GPO 
servers; and providing electronic information dissemination services for other 
Federal agencies. 

To service a large base of users with varying technological capabilities, GPO 
Access supports a wide range of information dissemination technologies, from the 
latest Internet applications to dial-up modem access. Methods compatible with 
technologies to assist users covered by the Americans With Disabilities Act are 
available. GPO is committed to setting an example for other Federal agencies by 
ensuring that GPO Access pages and hosted sites meet the accessibility 
requirements for electronic and information technology set forth in Section 508 
of the Rehabilitation Act. All efforts are being made to ensure that everyone 
can access and utilize all that GPO Access offers. In order to accommodate 
people without computers, more than 1,300 Federal depository libraries throughout 
the country have public-access workstations for GPO Access usage. This enables users 
to get assistance at the local level from librarians in using GPO Access. 

The system's ability to expand to meet the public's needs and to store 
information indefinitely supports GPO's commitment to provide permanent public 
access to electronic Federal information products. Recent statistics indicate 
that GPO Access averages approximately 31 million document retrievals per month, 
while helping Congress, Federal agencies, and the courts disseminate official 
Government information quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively. The convenience, 
timeliness, versatility, and simplicity of GPO Access have rapidly made it an 
invaluable public resource.

GPO ACCESS LEGISLATION

Summarized below are the key provisions of Public Law 103-40, the U.S. 
Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 
1993, which charged the Superintendent of Documents with developing mechanisms 
to enhance public access to a wide range of Federal electronic information 
products.> 

Electronic Directory, Online Access, and Storage Facility

The Superintendent of Documents is required to (1) maintain an electronic 
directory of Federal electronic information; (2) provide a system of online 
access to the Congressional Record, the Federal Register, and other appropriate 
publications, as determined by the Superintendent of Documents; and (3) operate 
an electronic storage facility for Federal electronic information. Collectively, 
these elements constitute GPO Access. 

Federal Bulletin Board (FBB)

Senate Report 103-27 incorporated the Federal Bulletin Board, which existed 
prior to Public Law 103-40, into GPO Access. The FBB enables Federal agencies to 
provide to the public self-service access to Federal information in electronic 
form.> 

Departmental Requests

To the extent practicable, the Superintendent of Documents shall accommodate 
requests by department and agency heads to disseminate their information through 
GPO Access. In these cases, the publishing agencies will fund the initial 
publishing costs from their appropriations, as they do with current electronic 
information products.> 

Consultation

The Superintendent of Documents shall consult with GPO Access users and other 
providers of similar information services to assess the quality and value of its 
system, in light of users' needs. 

Fees

The Superintendent of Documents may charge reasonable fees for the use of GPO Access, 
except to Federal depository libraries, which shall have access at no charge. 
> If fees are charged, they must be set so as to recover 
the incremental cost of dissemination. >

Status & Biennial Reports

By June 30, 1994, the Public Printer shall submit to Congress a report on the 
status of GPO Access. Beginning in 1995, the Public Printer must submit to 
Congress a biennial report on the status of GPO Access by December 31 of each 
odd-numbered year. This report shall include a description of the functions of 
the service, including a statement of cost savings in comparison with 
traditional forms of information distribution.

Operational Deadline 
 
GPO Access shall be operational by June 8, 1994. 

GPO ACCESS OBJECTIVES

To implement the legislative mandate, the following objectives have been 
established for the program. GPO Access allows users to locate official 
government electronic products available via the Internet and to order these 
products online. The product line includes, beyond legislative information, many 
important products from the executive and judicial branches such as the Federal 
Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, the Commerce Business Daily, and 
Supreme Court opinions, as well as Government Information Locator Service (GILS) 
records for a growing number of Federal agencies. 

The primary objectives of GPO Access are as follows: 

- Provide access to Federal Government information in electronic formats. 
- Provide electronic document delivery and online interactive services that are 
well-designed, easy to use, and available to the public without charge through 
the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). 
- Provide access to Federal Government information that is official and 
complete. GPO secures the integrity of its databases to ensure against 
unauthorized changes in text or graphics. 
- Provide locator tools that assist users in finding Government information. 
- Assure access for a broad spectrum of users with a wide variety of technical 
capabilities both directly and through an active partnership with Federal 
depository libraries. 
- Establish and operate an online interactive service that is capable of rapid 
expansion to meet the needs of Federal agency publishers and public users. 
- Make official Government information available to the public without the 
re-keying of data when possible, and whenever feasible obtain the original 
document from the publisher in electronic format to help ensure the official 
nature of the document. 
- Utilize a variety of dissemination media and methods, including World Wide 
Web, bulletin board services and online interactive search and retrieval 
services in order to achieve cost-effective information delivery that is 
appropriate both to the type of information being disseminated and the needs of 
users of that information. 
- Ensure permanent public access of Government information made available 
through GPO Access and the FDLP via direct provision, the electronic storage 
facility and development of a distributed networked system of partner 
institutions. 
- Provide services to other Federal agencies on a reimbursable basis, to save 
time, money, and other resources.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

GPO measures its online success in numbers and words-Web site usage statistics 
and verbal and written praise of GPO Access from award committees, Government 
officials, and general users. 

Increasing Web Site Usage

Of the metrics available for gauging Web site usage, GPO uses document 
retrievals because they represent units of actual content delivered to users. 
Document retrievals indicate the number of downloads both of documents within 
databases and files outside of databases that have been identified as containing 
Government information content. The more than 26 million retrievals in October 
2000 propelled total usage of GPO Access to over 1 billion documents retrieved 
since the service premiered in 1994. October 2001 produced the highest total 
month's retrievals to date with more than 36 million documents downloaded. Ben's 
Guide to U.S. Government for Kids, the educational component of GPO Access, has 
received nearly 10.3 million retrievals since its debut in December of 1999. Its 
peak was in October 2001 with over 875,000 retrievals. 

GPO recorded more than 355 million document retrievals in FY 2001 at an average 
of 29 million retrievals per month, an increase from an average of 21 million 
retrievals per month in 1999. This figure reflects more than a 25% increase over 
the total number of retrievals for FY 2000. 

The average number of monthly retrievals from GPO Access is currently about 31 
million and the average size of these documents is currently about 49Kb. With 
2Kb equaling roughly one typewritten page, the average size of a document 
retrieved from GPO Access equates to some 24.5 typewritten pages. In turn, the 
average number of monthly retrievals from GPO Access measures almost 1.5 
terabytes in size and is equivalent to about 750 million typewritten pages. 

GPO Access Awards & Commendations

The success of GPO Access is visible not only in usage statistics, but also in 
the numerous awards and commendations that GPO Access has received from 
organizations, publications, and other Web sites. In the comments that follow, 
the success of GPO Access in providing and promoting public access to official 
Federal Government Information is evident.
 
In June 2001, GPO Access was recognized with an E-Gov 2001 "Trail Blazer" award. 
This award was given to Government organizations that demonstrated "exceptional 
[electronic government] solutions that merit recognition within the E-Government 
community." E-Gov.com http://www.e-gov.com> is a government and technology 
portal that delivers Government services by publishing digital newsletters and 
holding conferences related to technology and government, such as E-Gov 2001.
 
In May 2001, LibrarySpot.com http://www.libraryspot.com >, an award-winning 
library and reference portal, selected the U.S. Supreme Court Web site, which is 
hosted by GPO Access, to be featured among the best and most useful library and 
reference sites online. 

In March 2001, the Congressional Bills database on GPO Access was featured in 
the Legislative Branch section of GovSpot.com http://www.govspot.com>. 
GovSpot.com is a non-partisan government information portal designed to simplify 
the search for the best and most relevant government information online.
 
Also, in March 2001, CBDNet was inserted in the e-government global portal 
http://www.egov.it>. Egov.it was developed by a research team at the University 
of Naples Federico II, under the sponsorship of the Dipartimento della Funzione 
Pubblica and was launched in conjunction with the Third Global Conference on 
Reinventing Government, Naples, March 15-17, 2000. 

In addition, in March 2001, the FDLP Desktop site was featured on the Internet 
Law Web site http://www.internetlawweb.com/egovernment.htm > under the heading 
E-Government Law Links. The Internet Law Web site is a portal that provides 
links to various categories of resources, including legal issues, Internet law, 
information technology, e-commerce, and e-government. 

In January 2001, the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States 
database was included in the Current Web Contents Section of the ISI: Fully 
Integrated e-Information Solutions Site 
http://www.isinet.com/isi/products/cc/cwc/webselect.html>. ISI is a database 
that provides information in the fields of science, social science, technology, 
and the arts and humanities. Since its inception, this journal-based resource 
has reflected the strict guidelines for selection developed by the ISI Editorial 
Development Staff.  

In December 2000, Lightspan's StudyWeb http://www.studyweb.com>, one of the 
Internet's premier sites for educational resources for students and teachers, 
selected the U.S. Constitution: Analysis and Interpretation application, 
available via GPO Access, as one of the best educational resources on the Web. 
Since 1996, Lightspan has scoured the Internet to select only the finest sites 
to be included in StudyWeb's listing of educational links. 

In April 2000, GPO Access was voted one of Library Journal's "Best Reference Web 
Sites" for 1999. In addition, in April 2000, Forbes.com http://www.forbes.com> 
mentioned GPO Access in an article about the "Best of the Web."

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids Awards
 
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids, the educational component of GPO 
Access, has received numerous awards and recognitions for its outstanding 
commitment to government and education. In October 2000, The Washington Lawyer, 
a publication for lawyers in the D.C. Metro Area, wrote, "of all the educational 
resources on the World Wide Web, this is one of the best for teaching young 
people about such things as historical documents, branches of government, how 
laws are made, the election process, and much more." Ben's Guide has received 
recognition from the following notable organizations: 

- Skewl Sites Newsletter 
- ConnectingStudents.com 
- SurfNetKids.com 
- StudyWeb.com 
- FirstGov 
- HomeworkSpot.com 
- Blue Web'n 
- Internet Scout Project 
- The Philadelphia Inquirer 
- American Library Association 
- USATODAY.com 
- Newsletter of the Documents Interest Group of Oregon (DIGOR) 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Public access to Government information has continued to be transformed as GPO 
Access provides the public with electronic access to official Federal 
information. A number of new applications and improvements to this service have 
been made in order to facilitate continued use of GPO Access by the public.

System Enhancements

In March 2001, GPO began working with Akamai, a company specializing in Web site 
optimization. In order to deliver content faster and more reliably, selected 
files on GPO Access are retrieved using the Akamai global network of more than 
8,500 servers. When a user requests an "Akamaized" file, the Akamai network 
checks for a cached version of the file on a server within the local region 
before retrieving content directly from GPO-centralized servers. 

Users downloading "Akamaized" GPO Access files and Web pages should experience 
an increase in speed and performance. Employment of the Akamai technology began 
with graphics files, the Supreme Court Web site http://www.supremecourtus.gov > 
and the Federal Register HTML Table of Contents from March 16, 2001 to April 16, 
2001. Other areas of GPO Access will use the service in the future. 

GPO began monitoring the number of referrals to GPO Access from other Web sites 
in October 2000. The monthly referral reports are created by analyzing log files 
that record the URL from which a referred user was directed to a particular page 
on GPO Access. 

While referral log analysis was initially intended to gather referral 
information related to the launch of FirstGov, GPO has continued to review 
referrals in order to learn more about the broad array of commercial, 
government, educational, and military Web sites directing users to GPO Access. 
The referral reports are also used to examine the web traffic directed to GPO 
Access by registered depository Web sites. 

GPO continues to make improvements to its network in order to provide the 
fastest possible response times for GPO Access users. Until July 2000, GPO's 
bandwidth consisted of four T1 lines (each operating at approximately 1.5 
megabits a second) totaling 6 megabits. In July 2000 GPO upgraded to a T3 
connection, with a bandwidth of 12 megabits and the ability to expand to 45 
megabits. On December 18, 2001, GPO expanded the bandwidth to 24 megabits, and 
now will begin preparing the infrastructure for a future increase to 45 
megabits. The multiple T1 lines continue to be maintained in a backup capacity.

New Features and Applications

Since January 2000, a number of new applications have been added to GPO Access, 
several of which are listed below (for a list of most popular applications, see 
Appendix C): 

- The Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations database makes available wage 
determinations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor under the Davis-Bacon and 
Related Acts. GPO Access contains the Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations from March 
2, 2001 forward. The Davis-Bacon database offers full search and browse features 
and is updated every Friday morning by 9:00 am eastern U.S. time. 

- Deschler's Precedents are the parliamentary precedents of the House of 
Representatives, compiled by Lewis Deschler, parliamentarian of the U.S. House 
of Representatives 1928 to 1974. These materials were prepared and published as 
House Document 94-661 in accordance with Public Law 94-551. Deschler's 
Precedents currently consists of 31 chapters arranged in the approximate 
sequential order in which they occurred in the House. Each chapter is subdivided 
into sections, which constitute the document level on GPO Access. All documents 
are available as ASCII text and Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) 
files. 

- The FirstGov search interface has been added to the GPO Access suite of 
Finding Aids to provide greater accessibility to Federal Government information. 
Designed to replace the Pathway Indexer, the agency search engine feature, and 
the discontinued GovBot, users may now search the Federal Government using the 
FirstGov search index. Users have the choice to search either the entire Federal 
Government or just GPO Access pages. 

- The Hinds' Precedents of the House of Representatives is the compilation of 
Asher C. Hinds', Clerk at the Speaker's Table of the U.S. House of 
Representatives from 1895 to 1910, early precedents of the House of 
Representatives, dating from the First Congress. These materials were prepared 
and published by authority of the Act of Congress, approved March 4, 1901. GPO 
Access provides the five volume series, currently consisting of 148 chapters, 
which is available as ASCII text and PDF files. 

- Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States is an official series in 
which Presidential writings, addresses, and remarks of a public nature are 
compiled. Currently, this database contains both volumes of President Clinton's 
Public Papers from 1993-1999. Previous and subsequent volumes will be added on 
an incremental basis. 

- The United States Code is the codification of the general and permanent laws 
of the United States. GPO Access contains the 2000 and 1994 editions of the U.S. 
Code. The 2000 edition codifies the laws that were in effect as of January 2, 
2001. Currently, Titles 1-20 are available for the 2000 edition, with additional 
titles to be added when available. Previous supplements are available for 
research purposes. 

Improvements to Existing Applications

GPO not only added to the total number of applications, databases, and 
publications on GPO Access, but also made improvements to the methods users can 
employ to find and retrieve documents. 

- In addition to the free, online Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), a 
comprehensive list of CFR Titles available containing order icons is provided to 
facilitate the ordering process for patrons who would like to purchase 
individual copies. This checklist is updated on a weekly basis. 

- The Federal Register 2000 database now contains documents with active links to 
Web sites referenced in the document text. The active HTTP-link feature will be 
added to previous Federal Register databases in the future. 

- A new browse feature has been installed to the U.S. Code which allows users to 
browse individual U.S. Code titles, down to the section level, for the latest 
available update. This feature consists of three levels, permitting a more 
precise and timely search. 

- The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents now has a new browse feature, 
presenting publications from January 8, 2001 forward. 

- In May 2001, certain enhancements were made to the U.S. Faxwatch service. 
These enhancements allow Faxwatch users to request documents from the Faxwatch 
database using any messaging application program interface (MAPI), simple mail 
transfer protocol (SMTP), or post office protocol 3 (POP3) compliant e-mail 
client. Users may request any document on the U.S. Faxwatch Service by sending 
an e-mail message to USFaxwatch@gpo.gov. 

- In January 2001, the Federal Bulletin Board's World Group Server(tm) was upgraded 
to the 3.0 version. One of the main features of this new version is its use of 
the Dynamic HTML document format. Dynamic HTML allows for the presentation of 
file library contents in an HTML format that can be read by any Web browser. The 
file library listings are updated in real time and can be viewed immediately. 
Prior to this enhancement, any changes to the library structure could only be viewed after the 
bulletin board server was restarted. In July 2001, a second Federal Bulletin 
Board server was brought online as a fully duplicated backup to ensure continued 
availability of the Federal Bulletin Board during the infrequent periods of 
downtime for routine maintenance.

U.S. Government Online Bookstore 

The U.S. Government Online Bookstore serves as the official online bookstore for 
U.S. Government publications available for purchase from the U.S. Government 
Printing Office. Available on GPO Access at a new and simplified URL, 
http://bookstore.gpo.gov>, the Online Bookstore links to the Sales Product 
Catalog (SPC), Superintendent of Documents New Sales Product Releases, Best 
Sellers, locations of U.S. Government bookstores, information about the U.S. Fax 
Watch service, and links to the Public Documents Distribution Centers in Laurel, 
MD and Pueblo, CO. Also, a group of Special Collections is available for 
customers to browse, including a list of CD-ROMs and other electronic products 
for sale, sales products by topic, the U.S. Government subscriptions catalog, a 
Regulatory Catalog, and a link to the Federal Consumer Information Center's Web 
site that sells GPO's products. 

Customers purchasing items through the online Sales Product Catalog (SPC) are 
assigned a unique GPO Order Number. Customers can reference this number when 
contacting GPO's Order Division with questions about their order. A detailed 
transaction receipt is provided after each order submission and a copy of the 
transaction receipt is sent to the customer's e-mail address if provided on the 
online order form. In addition, customers can now choose the American Express 
payment option when ordering through the SPC. 

A number of additional enhancements are planned for the Online Bookstore. These 
include improved system integration to provide the most up-to-date information 
and to allow for the fastest possible processing of customer orders; the ability 
for customers to select special shipping options, such as Federal Express 
online; and the capability for people placing foreign orders to see all price 
differentials. 

GPOLISTSERV

Through the GPOLISTSERV, GPO users have a quick and easy way to receive 
up-to-date information on various resources available via GPO Access. Customers 
can subscribe to e-mail listservs moderated by GPO or hosted on GPO Access for 
other Federal agencies. Current lists available include the Federal Register 
Table of Contents and Merit Systems Protection Board Decisions and Studies 
Lists. The GPOLISTSERV is available at http://listserv.access.gpo.gov>.

New Titles by Topic E-Mail Alert Service
 
The New Titles by Topic E-mail Alert Service, one service of the GPOLISTSERV, 
allows customers to receive e-mail updates when new publications become 
available for sale from the Superintendent of Documents. Anyone can sign up for 
one or more of the following lists free of charge: Business Publications, 
Elementary and Secondary Education, Defense and Security, Health Care, Military 
History, and Travel and Tourism. This service can also be reached via the U.S. 
Government Online Bookstore at the following address: 
http://bookstore.gpo.gov/alertservice.html>. 

Permanent Public Access and the FDLP Electronic Collection

For 140 years, GPO has produced, distributed, and disseminated Federal 
Government information products. One mission of GPO in the information age is to 
provide current and future permanent public access to electronic Federal 
Government information products of public interest or educational value through 
the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and on GPO Access. 
As directed by Congress, the primary method of making publications available 
through the FDLP is online dissemination. In accordance with this initiative, 
GPO continues to take steps to provide permanent public access to these 
publications. Ensuring permanent access to the broad range of products in the 
FDLP Electronic Collection (FDLP/EC) includes GPO Access databases, and extends 
GPO's responsibilities to include other Government information products. The 
FDLP/EC includes over 224,000 electronic titles, including more than 130,000 
titles on GPO Access itself and more than 94,000 additional titles on agency Web 
sites to which GPO links through electronic finding aids. 

The FDLP/EC consists of the following elements, all of which are covered by the 
permanent public access initiative: 

- Permanent public access to core legislative and regulatory information managed 
by GPO on GPO servers 
- Permanent public access to agency information managed on behalf of agencies by 
GPO on GPO servers 
- Current access, via GPO's bibliographic data and finding aids, to electronic 
Government publications that remain on publishing agency servers 
- Access to electronic Government publications no longer available on publishing 
agency servers, utilizing archived copies stored at GPO or on partner servers 
- Tangible electronic Government publications housed in Federal depository 
libraries 

Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURLs) are assigned to all online 
resources that will permanently link to a document, wherever it may reside. 
PURLs are included in the bibliographic records for electronic items cataloged 
in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) available through GPO 
Access. Additionally, to assure permanent public access to electronic U.S. 
Government information, the FDLP is operating an archive of publications that 
are identified, described, and pointed to as part of the FDLP/EC, when these 
publications are not part of the FDLP in any other form, nor are they guaranteed 
to be permanently available by their issuing agency or entity. Users will be 
directed from GPO's finding aids to the server of the originating agency or 
entity for as long as the publication is available. At the point that a 
publication is no longer available from the source, users will be directed 
automatically to the FDLP/EC Archive, unless it has been removed for reasons of 
national security, classification, official or administrative use only, or 
errors in content. 

In addition to its archiving activities, GPO is actively working with agencies 
to ensure that publications on agency servers remain freely available over time 
through a variety of partnership agreements. For instance, GPO and the National 
Library of Medicine (NLM) reached an agreement that assures permanent public 
access to many of NLM's most popular and important titles; included in the 
agreement are PubMed and NLM Locator Plus, online resources that replaced at 
least eight titles formerly represented in the FDLP in paper or microfiche. For 
a complete list of partnerships, see the Other Partnerships section under 
Outreach. 

GPO's efforts in the area of permanent public access included initiating 
meetings with other Federal agencies, national libraries, Congressional staff, 
public interest groups, and other organizations outside of the Government that 
are concerned with the preservation of and access to Government information 
produced electronically. The Permanent Public Access Working Group has held a 
series of meetings in an environment of cooperation among those engaged in 
related activities. GPO has set up a public Web site on GPO Access that includes 
information about the Permanent Public Access Working Group and its members, its 
goals, and links to resources relevant to the topic. It can be found at 
http://www.gpo.gov/ppa>. The activities related to the permanent public access 
meetings and creation of the Web site helped increase GPO's visibility in this 
area. 

Section 508

In 1998, President Clinton signed the Workforce Investment Act into law. This 
Act amended Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to include 
accessibility requirements for electronic and information technology. Section 
508 now requires that electronic and information technology used by the Federal 
Government, including their Web sites, be made as accessible for people with 
disabilities as it is for people without disabilities. The Federal Access Board 
outlined 16 specific accessibility standards implementing Section 508 as it 
applies to Web pages. The deadline for meeting these standards was June 21, 
2001. Although Section 508 currently only applies to executive branch agencies, 
GPO is committed to ensuring that new and existing GPO Access Web pages along 
with pages on hosted sites meet the 16 accessibility standards outlined in 
Section 508. Therefore, GPO is currently working to ensure that existing pages 
on GPO Access and hosted sites are Section 508-compliant, and that future pages 
will be created specifically with these accessibility standards in mind. 

Authentication/PKI

GPO is working towards using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to ensure that the 
files available on GPO Access were created by the appropriate authority and 
re-disseminated securely. Through PKI, documents submitted to GPO electronically 
will contain a digital signature verifying their authenticity and that they have 
not been altered. GPO Access users will be able to verify that the electronic 
file was created as part of the official process through the use of a free 
plug-in available on the Web site. Currently, GPO has a PKI infrastructure in 
place and preliminary testing has begun using digitally signed congressional 
bills.

Interactive Training CD-ROM and Revised Training Manual

A CD-ROM version of the GPO Access training booklet was released in August 2000. 
Copies were distributed to Federal depository libraries and made available for 
purchase through the U.S. Government Online Bookstore. The CD-ROM version 
provides an overview of the Web interface, instructions for locating and 
retrieving information, sample searches in popular applications, interactive 
elements (such as section quizzes and Web links), and videos that capture 
examples of document searches and retrievals. 

Also, an updated print version of the GPO Access Training Manual was released in 
June 2001. This manual replaced the June 1998 edition and includes an overview 
of GPO Access, searching strategies, application information, instructions for 
tracking legislation and regulations, ordering publications through the U.S. 
Government Online Bookstore, as well as sample exercises. 

Copies were distributed to Federal depository libraries and made available for 
purchase through the U.S. Government Online Bookstore. In order to provide the 
most current training manual possible, the manual and its updates are available 
from the GPO Access Help page to print and add/replace pages in the booklet. 
Updates are announced via various listservs, such as DocTech-L, GovDoc-L, 
Gateways, and DocWorld. 

GPO staff is currently working on production of a new and updated GPO Access 
training CD-ROM to replace the August 2000 version. Future versions of the 
electronic training manual will be made available online. 

STUDIES UNDERTAKEN
 
In order to support and improve GPO Access, a number of studies were undertaken. 
The following is a summary of the findings.

Search Engine Evaluations

One of the most popular ways in which users find the resources available via GPO 
Access is through major Internet search engines and directories. Therefore, GPO 
is involved in an ongoing effort to improve the visibility of GPO Access pages 
in major search engines and directories. 

The project involves quarterly evaluations of the visibility of seven 
representative GPO Access pages in 23 search engines and directories. Searches 
were performed in each search engine using five keyword strings for each of the 
seven GPO Access pages. For each page, a title search was conducted, along with 
four other keyword strings based on the keyword metatags of each page, for a 
total of 35 searches performed in each search engine. To ensure consistency of 
results, identical searches were performed during each of the evaluations. 

The seventh and most recent evaluation showed an overall increase in the 
positioning of GPO Access pages in the 23 search engines studied. Top 30 search 
returns increased from 29% in the sixth evaluation to 33% in the seventh; top 10 
returns increased from 24% to 25%; and top 5 returns increased from 21% to 23%. 
Of the seven GPO Access pages studied, five increased in percentage of top 30 
returns and only two decreased since the sixth evaluation. These increases are 
signs that the various measures undertaken to improve positioning seem to be 
working. A description of these measures follows. 

Based on the feedback given at various Open Forums, the keyword metatags for the 
seven pages in the project were re-evaluated. The result was a complete revamp 
of the keyword metatags of these pages. A few specific strategies were followed 
during this evaluation. The first was the elimination of keyword metatags that 
seemed to be ineffective or repetitive. The second was to rank the keyword 
metatags in order of importance. Information gathered from various sources 
revealed that keywords at the beginning of a list of keyword metatags are 
considered more important and therefore be weighed more when that page is 
indexed by search engines. 

In addition to the re-evaluation of the traditional metatags, GPO is monitoring 
the emergence of a standardized set of metadata to describe online resources, 
one of which is Dublin Core. This is an initiative that is attempting to adopt a 
common set of elements for resource description. Composed of 15 different 
elements (i.e. Name, Author, Contributor, Coverage, etc.), Dublin Core is 
intended to be imbedded within the HTML metadata of Web pages, and has the 
potential to become the standard form of metadata for Web pages. For these 
reasons, Dublin Core has been inserted into the metadata of a number of GPO 
Access pages. 

It was also determined that manual URL submission to search engines was not 
effective enough to improve positioning. Therefore, GPO has procured a software 
package and has subscribed to a fee-based service to assist in the process of 
URL submission. The service submits ten GPO Access URLs to over 1,000 search 
engines on a monthly basis. The submission software is employed on a periodic 
basis. 

After the previously mentioned measures were taken, it was still deemed 
necessary to learn more about the rapidly changing field of search engines and 
directories. Therefore, research is being done through a number of channels. 
First, GPO has subscribed to a fee-based Web site that is maintained by 
personnel who are considered the leading information experts in the industry. 
The site provides information on how search engines and directories work, as 
well as the latest developments in the industry. GPO personnel also obtained 
information at a recent Search Engine Strategies Conference, at which personnel 
from many search engines were attendees and speakers. 

Based on the information gathered from these various channels of research, GPO 
has implemented a test of paid positioning on the popular search engine GoTo, 
which powers the paid listings that appear on many other popular search engines. 
These tests will initially focus on the U.S. Government Online Bookstore portion 
of GPO Access, the results will be studied, and a decision will be made 
regarding how to proceed in terms of the rest of the site. 

GPO will continue to monitor the latest developments in Internet search engines 
and adjust its strategy accordingly. Quarterly reports will also continue to be 
generated.

Legislative Resources Comparison Report

In March 2001, the third in a series of evaluations of legislative resources was 
conducted to further GPO's efforts to improve coverage of congressional and 
other legislative information on GPO Access. This report compares the 
legislative resources available via GPO Access to resources on other sites. This 
iteration was a continuation of the baseline evaluation in October 1999. This 
evaluation reviewed the congressional and other legislative branch information 
available through GPO Access and compared the data to other relevant Government 
and non-government Web sites. Three factors were analyzed: (1) what resources 
are available; (2) the scope of the resources; and (3) the source of the 
resources.
 
To preserve continuity, the same sites were reviewed in all three evaluations to 
see if any changes had occurred, such as expanded years of coverage or newly 
added legislative resources. In-depth comparison and analyses were conducted on 
four Government Web sites: GPO Access, THOMAS (run by the Library of Congress), 
the House of Representatives Web site http://www.house.gov>, and the Senate Web 
site http://www.senate.gov> . The same comparison and analyses were conducted 
on three commercial, fee-based Internet services: Congressional Universe, 
CQ.com, and Lexis-Nexis. The March 2001 comparison yielded these key findings: 

- Often, even if THOMAS, the House Web site, or the Senate Web site has a 
particular legislative resource, there is often a link back to GPO Access for 
other available file formats of a document. There are also disclaimers stating 
that GPO produces the only "official" version of certain legislation. 
- GPO Access is still the leader among the compared sites, housing 19 of the 22 
legislative resources measured. 
- GPO Access has not added any new categories of legislative resources since 
July 2000; however there is now a browse feature for the United States Code, 
which increases the usability of and access to current 
legislative resources. 
- The Statutes at Large are represented as being housed on Lexis-Nexis; however, 
this is merely a table indexing the Public Laws. 
- Whereas the commercial sites appeared to be playing "catch-up" in July 2000 by 
adding more of the resources on GPO Access, no resources have been added to the 
sites since then. Therefore, none of the sites have gained any ground on GPO 
Access. 
- None of the sites houses all 22 legislative resources compared, but GPO Access 
makes available the greatest number (19) of resources. 

The tables below present a summary comparison of the number of resources on each 
service: 
 
GPO Access Compared to Government Web sites:
GPO Access	19
THOMAS		 6
House Web site	 4
Senate Web site	 3

GPO Access Compared to Non-Government Web sites:
GPO Access 		19
Lexis-Nexis		16
Congressional Universe	12
CQ.com			 8

In comparison to other governmental and commercial sites, GPO Access continues 
to be the innovative leader and custodian of legislative resources, providing a 
high level of comprehensive, free legislative information to the public. To get 
the full report with full analysis and accompanying graphs and tables, please 
see access.htm >. Click on Legislative Resources 
Comparison report. 

Performance Measures for Federal Agency Websites 

GPO Access Performance Measures were examined in the "Performance Measures for 
Federal Agency Websites" report, conducted by Charles R. McClure of Florida 
State University, J. Timothy Sprehe of SIMA Inc., and Kristen Eschenfelder of 
the University of Wisconsin, and released on October 1, 2000. The report was 
funded by the Energy Information Administration, Defense Technical Information 
Center, and U.S. Government Printing Office. The full text of the report is 
available on the Federal Bulletin Board at http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/measures.htm>. 

The main objectives of the study were to identify the current best practices in 
Federal agency Web site performance monitoring, and to develop standard measures 
that should be used by Federal agencies to evaluate the services being provided 
by their Web sites. GPO Access fared well in the review of current practices, 
with the report suggesting that the strategy for assessing GPO Access "could 
serve as a guideline for other agencies in establishing or amending their Web 
site development strategies."

PARTNERSHIPS
 
GPO's partnerships with other Federal agencies and depository libraries save 
time, money, and resources by providing effective, inexpensive methods of 
disseminating information while eliminating duplicative efforts. The benefits of 
this type of cooperation are far-reaching, extending to the public, agencies 
that are directly involved in the partnerships, and the Federal Government as a 
whole. 

Client Agencies

Internet-related services that GPO performs for other Federal agencies include 
hosting and maintaining agency Web sites, Government Information Locator Service 
(GILS) records, databases, and other electronic files. GPO Access currently 
hosts 17 Federal agency Web sites and databases of GILS records for over 30 
agencies. 

Non-Government Partnerships

GPO has agreements with depository libraries to provide online Government 
information content and services. These include the following: 

The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) Chambers Library, in partnership with 
the Government Printing Office, assumed responsibility for the "Browse 
Government Internet Sites by Topic" finding aid in 1999. The UCO Chambers 
Library maintains this locator tool, a browseable list of subject-oriented 
bibliographies of Government Web sites, and coordinates volunteers from the 
Federal depository library community to develop or contribute to a topic on a 
regular basis. 

In August 2001, the Federal Depository Needs and Offers (N&O) online list 
service was transferred to the University of North Dakota, Chester Fritz 
Library, through a partnership agreement. The N&O is a tool used by depository 
librarians for collection development purposes, in which selective depositories 
seeking to dispose of publications withdrawn from their collections may list the 
availability of publications to other depositories. Depository libraries can 
offer their discards that are over 5 years old through the Needs and Offers site 
once they have followed their Regional's processes for weeding publications from 
the depository collection. This service was formerly provided by volunteers from 
the Federal depository library community.

Partnership with the National Library of Medicine

As a result of a partnership between GPO and the National Library of Medicine 
(NLM), the NLM has agreed to provide permanent public access to several of their 
publications. The permanent and free public access agreement allows these online 
publications to supersede several paper titles in Federal Depository Libraries: 

MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine's bibliographic database, containing 
information on the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, 
and the preclinical sciences. MEDLINE indexes articles from more 
than 4,300 international biomedical journals, and contains all citations 
published in Index Medicus. Bibliographic citations are available for 
publications from 1966 to the present. 

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is the National Library of Medicine's controlled 
vocabulary thesaurus. The National Library of Medicine uses the MeSH thesaurus 
for indexing articles from biomedical journals; for cataloging books, documents 
and audiovisuals; for indexing the MEDLINE database; and for headings used as 
index terms in the Index Medicus. 

NLM LocatorPlus is the catalog of books, journals, and audiovisuals available 
through the National Library of Medicine. LocatorPlus also includes access 
points to other medical research tools. 

Other Partnerships

In addition to NLM, UCO, and North Dakota, GPO has standing partnerships with 
several Federal agencies and educational institutions to provide online 
Government information content and services. 

- The DOE Information Bridge: A component of EnergyFiles that provides free 
access to full-text reports and bibliographic records of DOE research and 
development in areas such as physics, chemistry, materials, biology, 
environmental science, energy technologies, engineering, computer and 
information science, and renewable energy. This collection includes over 72,000 
reports produced by DOE and the DOE contractor research and development 
community that have been received and processed by OSTI since January 1995. 
Users can search for and download information electronically. 

- PubSCIENCE: Allows users to search across a large compendium of peer-reviewed 
journal literature with a focus on physical sciences and other disciplines of 
interest to DOE. Searches return abstracts and citations for relevant articles 
from more than 1,000 separate journal titles. These abstracts and citations 
contain links to the publishers' servers, where users may retrieve full-text 
articles through a journal subscription, on a pay-per-view basis, by special 
arrangement with a publisher, or through a library or commercial provider. 
Unrestricted access is granted for the full text of some articles. 

- U.S. State Department Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN) Electronic Research 
Collection: Provides permanent public access to archived, electronic State 
Department documents made available through a partnership of the U.S. State 
Department, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and GPO. 
Other Partnerships

- University of North Texas Research Collections: Provides permanent public 
access to electronic publications from disbanded Federal agencies through a 
partnership between the University of North Texas and GPO. Currently includes 
publications from the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, the 
Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals, the 
National Civil Aviation Review Commission, and the Department of 
Transportation's Office of Technology Applications' Highway TechNet, among 
others. 

- Federal Agency Internet Sites: This tool allows users to search or browse a 
list of Federal agency Internet sites through a partnership between Louisiana 
State University and GPO. This list reflects the structure of the Government as 
identified in The United States Government Manual. 

- Documents Data Miner: Provides an extensive suite of tools for finding 
information in the List of Classes of United States Government Publications and 
other administrative files through a partnership of Wichita State University, 
the National Institute for Aviation Research, and GPO. 

- Enhanced Shipping List Service: Enables Federal depository libraries to 
generate check-in records and call-number labels for depository items through a 
partnership between the University of New York at Buffalo and GPO. 

- GPO has also signed a new agency permanent public access agreement with the 
National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, CO. for their electronic reports. 

- GPO is in negotiations for an FDLP site for Census 2000 Summary files.

CBDNet

In August 1996, GPO entered into a strategic alliance with the Department of 
Commerce to develop and operate an online version of Commerce Business Daily 
(CBD) to be known as CBDNet. Through a collaborative effort involving virtually 
every area of GPO, CBDNet went live on December 6, 1996, receiving wide acclaim. 
Since then, CBDNet has operated in a consistently award-winning manner while 
achieving the original alliance goals of utilizing available information 
technology to create a system that worked better, cost less, and expanded the 
availability of procurement information. CBDNet stands as a lesson in 
cooperation not only between two agencies, but also within GPO itself.
 
A recent change in the Federal procurement process will bring about the end of 
this successful alliance on January 1, 2002. After the CBDNet system is used by 
the Federal contracting officials to submit notices for publication in the final 
edition of Commerce Business Daily (dated January 4, 2002) the submission 
portion of the system will be shut down. All of the notices validated for 
publication in the final issue will remain accessible in the active database for 
the required 15 days, until they pass into the archive database and the active 
database will be shut down. 

The archive database will remain permanently accessible to the public through 
GPO Access. This will ensure that the public continues to have historical 
reference access to the procurement activities of their Government during the 
five-year life of CBDNet. While usage will not be as great as the millions of 
notices traditionally retrieved each month from the active database, usage 
patterns for the archive database prove that it is an important and necessary 
resource for GPO Access users.

TRAINING & USER SUPPORT

The three primary means by which GPO educates users about the products and 
services offered on GPO Access are training classes, demonstrations at 
conferences and trade shows, and the GPO Access User Support Team.

Training Classes & Demonstrations

The continued and rapid growth of GPO Access has translated into a number of 
requests for training classes and demonstrations to help educate users about 
electronic products and services. In addition, GPO has participated in many 
trade shows. During FY 00 and FY 01, staff from the Office of Electronic 
Information Dissemination Services (EIDS) conducted approximately 25 hands-on 
training classes and demonstrations on GPO Access for Federal depository 
librarians, members of Congress, and the general public, both locally and across 
the country. Recent sessions were conducted in Pasadena, Indianapolis, 
Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Atlanta. (Refer to Appendix G for a full list of 
training sites and conferences). 

By combining multiple activities in the course of one trip, GPO was able to 
maximize coverage of the widest possible geographic area with minimal costs. 
Consequently, GPO Access training classes are scheduled generally only in 
conjunction with trips where exhibits are planned at trade shows. 

User Support Team

Users needing assistance with GPO Access can contact the GPO Access User Support 
Team. These highly trained specialists are available Monday through Friday 
(except Federal holidays) from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On average, the Team 
receives 6,100 inquiries per month, including approximately 4,000 phone calls 
and 2,100 e-mail messages. Due to the unique nature of the recent Presidential 
election, the number of calls and e-mails received by the Team increased 
dramatically. During the month of December 2000, for example, the Team responded 
to over 10,000 user inquiries. Despite this large volume, the Team was able to 
respond to the additional load in a timely and expert fashion. The Team may be 
reached via: 

E-mail: gpoaccess@gpo.gov 
Phone: 1-888-293-6498 (toll-free) 
202-512-1530 (DC Area) 
Fax: 202-512-1262 

USER FEEDBACK 

On a daily basis, GPO monitors user feedback about GPO Access from telephone 
calls, e-mail messages, faxes, and letters. GPO also uses more formal means of 
soliciting comments about and evaluations of its online products and services, 
such as user surveys and focus groups. Many of the improvements that have been 
made to GPO Access are in response to feedback GPO staff has received through 
these channels.

Usability Testing

In the ongoing process of gathering user feedback, two sessions of usability 
tests of GPO Access were performed, one coinciding with the Computers in 
Libraries Conference on March 14-16, 2001 and the other with the 2001 Fall 
Depository Council Meeting. The usability tests involved watching participants 
who use the site perform a series of scripted tasks on GPO Access. The 
participants were asked to perform tasks of varying degrees of difficulty within 
a specified period of time. These tasks assessed various areas of GPO Access 
including the U.S. Government Online Bookstore, Code of Federal Regulations, the 
Help feature, as well as overall site layout and ease of use. The testing 
sessions were videotaped for future reference and analysis by GPO staff. 

Usability testing continuously proves to be a very useful way to obtain direct, 
observable user feedback regarding GPO Access and its usability. One of the 
volunteers had no previous experience with GPO Access; the others had varying 
degrees of knowledge and familiarity with the site. The range of experience of 
the users gave a respectable cross-section of the average user. Many of the 
problems that users encountered have simple design solutions such as changing 
the icons at the bottom of the screens to be more apparent as to their function 
and use. 

There are plans for future usability studies for GPO Access, including a test to 
determine which search engines and search terms users employ to find GPO Access 
and its applications. More usability testing will be completed through 
partnerships with the library community. 

GPO Access User Survey

On July 25, 2001, a User Survey was posted on GPO Access. It was the fourth 
annual user survey distributed in an effort to learn about GPO Access users, 
their usage patterns, and their opinions of GPO Access. By the deadline of 
September 30, 2001, 478 responses were received. Below, are some of the survey's 
key findings. 

- Personal Affiliation: Federal depository library (35%); general public (20%); 
government (14%); other (13%); academic/education (12%); non-depository library 
(7%). 
- Times GPO Access used per month: 10+ (36%); 0-2 (27%); 3-5 (19%); 6-10 (18%). 
- Gained knowledge of GPO Access: Federal Depository Library (24%); Internet 
search (20%); link from another site (16%); training class (11%); 
conference/trade show (5%); other (26%). 
- The most frequently used Finding Aids were: Catalog of U.S. Government 
Publications (21%), Government Sites By Topic (16%), Federal Agency Internet 
Sites (16%), Government Information Products For Sale By Topic (11%), Sales 
Product Catalog (10%), Government Information on Selected Internet Sites (9%), 
New Electronic Titles (8%), Government Information Locator Service (8%), and 
other (1%). 
- Percentage of the time users find the information they needed: 75%- 100% 
(46%), 50%-75% (32%); 0%-25% (10%); 25%-50% (8%); never (3%). 
- GPO Access Site Search page rating: Good (44%), Fair (28%), Excellent (15%), 
and Poor (14%).

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids Survey

In December 2000, GPO posted two user surveys geared toward assessing the 
effectiveness of Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids and obtaining ideas for 
further development of the site. One survey was targeted to students from 
kindergarten through twelfth grade. The second focused on obtaining feedback 
from parents and educators. The survey was posted for two weeks, and during that 
time, over 1,000 responses were received. Key findings are summarized below: 

Feedback from Students: 

- 39% of the students found the site through a teacher and 43% through an 
Internet search. 
- Most students were in either grades 3-5 or 6-8. 
- According to the students, the most popular sections on Ben's Guide were 
branches of Government (52%), the election process (46%), and games and 
activities (46%). 
- 94% of the students found the sections on Ben's Guide easy to understand. 

Feedback from Adults: 

- 57% of the adults surveyed were teachers. 
- 56% of the adults found the site through the Internet. 
- Survey participants felt that the most useful sections were branches of 
Government, the election process, games and activities, curriculum links, and 
U.S. Government Web sites for kids. 
- The most requested features to be added according to survey participants were 
lesson plans, quizzes, as well as alternative versions of the site (i.e. print 
and online interactive version). 
- 96% of adults felt the sections on Ben's Guide were written appropriately for 
the targeted grade ranges. 

Focus Groups

To further improve GPO Access, GPO regularly conducts focus groups throughout 
the country. These sessions provide insight into how people use GPO Access and 
how the various services could be revised, improved, and enhanced. Participants 
include congressional staff, Federal depository librarians, members of trade and 
professional organizations, private-sector employees, and other public users. 
All participants were uncompensated volunteers. 

In May 2001, the U.S. Government Printing Office had the opportunity to gather 
feedback from local students on Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids. The 
focus group was conducted in conjunction with the Long Island Library Conference 
held in Long Island, New York. This was the first time a focus group was 
conducted about Ben's Guide. 

Three focus group sessions were conducted that included seventh grade students 
from Northport Middle School, as well as fifth and first grade students from 
Ocean Avenue Elementary School. The goal of the focus group was to gather 
information on the usability and curriculum appropriateness of the site, as well 
as technical and reading comprehension skills of the students. 

COSTS & SAVINGS

Expenditures and Operating Costs 

The GPO Access system is much more efficient than originally expected and, 
consequently, has been less costly than originally estimated by the 
Congressional Budget Office (CBO). In 1993, the CBO estimated that creating and 
operating the online computer system would cost approximately $6 million in 
appropriated funds over the next five years. In addition, it was expected that 
provisions allowing free online access for Federal depository libraries would 
cost between $2 million and $10 million per year, assuming appropriation of the 
necessary funds.> It was also expected that, beginning 
in FY 1995, GPO would incur annual costs of $750,000 to keep the directory of publications 
up-to-date and to maintain the electronic storage facility. 

The following table presents total GPO Access operating costs and capital 
expenditures for equipment and software by fiscal year. Operating costs include 
the recurring costs of providing permanent public access to electronic 
Government information products housed on GPO servers. 

Fiscal Year		Annual Operating Cost 
1994				$  696,700
1995				$1,294,200
1996				$1,822,028
1997				$2,749,320
1998				$3,149,615
1999				$3,068,083
2000				$3,114,172
2001				$3,126,793

Savings and Benefits 

GPO Access provides a resource from which users can instantly access a plethora 
of Federal information free of charge, and it has resulted in cost savings for 
GPO by reducing distribution of paper copies. In order to meet public 
expectations for free access to taxpayer-supported information online, GPO 
Access has been available without charge to users since December 1995. GPO 
Access has been cost-effective by expanding public access for a much larger 
audience of users than was previously available through the distribution of 
paper documents. GPO Access has also resulted in savings for many other Federal 
agencies that have their web sites hosted on GPO servers. By placing their 
information on GPO Access, agencies reduce the need to expend additional 
resources and eliminate duplicative efforts. By providing this service, GPO is 
also saving other Federal agencies the time and resources it would take for them 
to house their own information. 

FUTURE OUTLOOK
 
Many new developments, some of which will require additional resources/funding, 
are in the works for GPO Access. Some plans for Web site improvements and 
enhanced training efforts are provided below.

Upcoming Applications

GPO Access is currently working on creating a new Statues at Large application. 
The addition of this application will further enhance GPO Access users' ability 
to track a bill throughout the legislative process.

In the near future GPO Access also hopes to add a browseable list of all 
Congressional Hearings. A browseable list will provide an alternative to the 
current Congressional Hearings database that utilizes a search function to 
retrieve documents. 

GPO is working with the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and 
Records Administration to provide an Electronic Code of Federal Regulations 
Application (e-CFR), that will be updated daily as opposed to the currently 
annually updated Code of Federal Regulations application. The e-CFR will consist 
of two linked databases: the "current Code" and "amendment files." The current 
Code database will be updated according to the effective dates of amendments 
published in the Federal Register. As amendments become effective, the changes 
will be integrated into the current Code database to display the full text of 
the currently updated CFR. For future-effective amendments, hypertext links will 
be inserted into the affected sections or parts of the current Code to take 
users to the pertinent amendment files. Currently, a beta test site of the e-CFR 
is available via GPO Access. 

Standardization of Web Pages

The GPO Access Web Committee has drafted GPO Access Web Design Guidelines. These 
guidelines are intended to help standardize the publication of pages on GPO 
Access; specifically, the Superintendent of Documents home page and related 
pages. These guidelines will be modified as technologies and accessibility 
recommendations change. 

Learning Center

GPO has procured equipment and secured a location to conduct hands-on GPO Access 
training classes and demonstrations at the main GPO facility. This new facility 
will help to minimize costs and leverage the use of available staff to conduct 
GPO Access training classes and demonstrations in the Washington, DC area. It is 
expected that this facility will be used to provide more training on GPO Access 
to the Federal depository library community, Congressional staff, and other 
Federal agency personnel who either work in or visit Washington, DC. 

XML

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is an integral component of the transition to 
the next phase of GPO Access, an enhanced online service that will use 
standardized data structures to provide additional search and retrieval 
capabilities. Because the XML structure can be used from the authoring level 
throughout the publishing process from print and electronic products, regardless 
of hardware or software, GPO anticipates that it will provide more substantial 
savings in the Federal sector than the methods that are currently used. 

In addition to providing new search and retrieval capabilities, the XML database 
structure will permit: 

- Creation of databases at the authoring stage that are suitable for print, 
CD-ROM, and online publication, without data manipulation by GPO, allowing the 
same information to be extracted, reordered, and merged from structured 
databases. 
- Incorporation of data from one publication to another publication that has a 
different printed format without manipulation (e.g., incorporation of 
congressional bills into the Congressional Record or of Federal Register 
documents into the Code of Federal Regulations) 
- Submission of validated machine-readable data by publishing customers. 
- Automated composition or "printing on demand" of data that is extracted from 
electronically disseminated databases in the same format as the "official" print 
publication or in another format chosen by the user. 

Software Upgrade

GPO is currently seeking a new build/search/retrieval software system for GPO 
Access. New databases that use this technology, such as the e-CFR, will provide 
numerous enhancements: 
- Daily updates to compliment existing WAIS databases 
- More numerous and specific Boolean operators to aid in query construction 
- The ability to search multiple specific sections in the body of a document 
- Enhanced ability to link documents. (e.g., direct links to originating 
documents in the Federal Register from e-CFR search results)

Mirror Site

Plans are under development for a GPO Access mirror site, to be housed in a 
geographically separate location. Initially, the site will consist only of two 
servers configured to provide offsite storage of GPO data. Subsequent to 
identifying, procuring, and implementing a replacement for the existing wide 
area information server (WAIS) search engine, appropriate hardware and 
connections will be moved to, and/or procured, and then installed at the 
selected location to permit data to be passed securely to the mirror site. 
Extensive testing of the transferred data will be performed before the mirror 
site goes live in a limited capacity. Once the mirror site has been operating at 
peak levels for data transfer, security, and performance over a predetermined 
period of time, GPO will explore options for its broader deployment.

GPO ACCESS ALIASES 

The following list provides shortcuts (aliases) that have been established for 
various GPO Access applications to make the URLs of these applications easy to 
remember: 

- Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids http://bensguide.gpo.gov> 
- Budget of the United States Government http://www.gpo.gov/usbudget> 
- Bureau of Land Management http://www.gpo.gov/blm> 
- Catalog of U.S. Government Publications http://www.gpo.gov/catalog> 
- Economic Report of the President http://www.gpo.gov/eop> 
- Export Administration Regulations http://www.gpo.gov/bxa> 
- FDLP Desktop http://www.gpo.gov/fdlpdesktop> 
- GPO Access http://www.gpo.gov/gpoaccess> 
- GPO Access Biennial Report http://www.gpo.gov/biennialreport> 
- Locate Federal Depository Libraries http://www.gpo.gov/libraries> 
- New Electronic Titles http://www.gpo.gov/net> 
- National Commission on Terrorism, Countering the Changing Threat of 
International Terrorism http://www.gpo.gov/nct> 
- Office of Management and Budget http://www.gpo.gov/omb> 
- U.S. General Accounting Office http://www.gpo.gov/gao> 
- U.S. Government Online Bookstore http://bookstore.gpo.gov> 

WEB PAGE SAMPLES 

The following seven Web pages were printed from GPO Access to provide samples of 
its new format, applications, and other selected features. Note the standardized 
elements, such as the identifying GPO Access seal and text logo, the 
navigational toolbar and buttons, and the footer, on many of the new Web pages. 

- GPO Access home page http://www.gpo.gov/gpoaccess/>
- Site Search http://www.access.gpo.gov/su--docs/search.html>
- Online Bookstore http://bookstore.gpo.gov>
- Finding Aids http://www.access.gpo.gov/su--docs/tools.html>
- Federal Bulletin Board entrance page http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/>
- Questions/Comments Page http://www.access.gpo.gov/su--docs/amail001.shtml?index.html>
- Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids home page http://bensguide.gpo.gov/index.html>

APPLICATIONS ON GPO ACCESS 

This alphabetical list highlights the most popular applications on GPO Access. 

- Budget of the United States Government 
- Catalog of U.S. Government Publications 
- Code of Federal Regulations 
- Commerce Business Daily (CBDNet) 
- Congressional Bills 
- Congressional Committee Prints 
- Congressional Directory 
- Congressional Documents 
- Congressional Hearings 
- Congressional Pictorial Directory 
- Congressional Record 
- Congressional Record Index (CRI) 
- Congressional Reports 
- Daily House Calendar 
- Daily Senate Calendar 
- Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations 
- Deschler's Precedents 
- Economic Indicators 
- Economic Report of the President 
- Federal Register 
- Final House Calendar 
- Final Senate Calendar 
- GAO Comptroller General Decisions 
- GAO Reports 
- Government Information Locator Service (GILS) Records 
- History of Bills 
- House Appropriations Committee Hearings 
- House Journal 
- House Rules and Manual 
- List of CFR Sections Affected 
- Privacy Act Issuances 
- Public Laws 
- Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States 
- Sales Product Catalog 
- Senate Appropriations Committee Hearings 
- Senate Manual 
- U.S. Constitution, Analysis and Interpretation 
- U.S. Government Manual 
- U.S. Supreme Court Decisions 
- Unified Agenda (Semiannual Regulatory Agenda) 
- United States Code 
- Ways and Means Committee Prints 
- Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents 

STATISTICS 
 
Statistical tables, charts, and graphs are maintained on various aspects of GPO 
Access. Using these resources, GPO is able to analyze its growth and success, as 
well as to identify areas for improvement. 

The following statistical measures are included: 

- GPO Access Retrievals: January 1996 through November 2001 
- Online and Tangible Titles Available through GPO: FY 1999-2002 
- Cumulative Online Titles Available through GPO Access: April 1998 through 
November 2001 
- GPO Access User Support Team: March 1997 through October 1999

GPO Access Retrievals: January 1996 through November 2001 

This table presents monthly totals of document retrievals on GPO Access. During this 
entire period, retrieval rates increased by an average of 304,958 downloads per month.					
Month		Retrievals
January-96	1,956,342
February-96	2,012,502
March-96	2,137,143
April-96	1,947,847
May-96		2,215,555
June-96		2,531,586
July-96		2,430,186
August-96	2,324,419
September-96	2,427,999
October-96	2,880,998
November-96	2,395,494
December-96	2,415,385
January-97	2,813,440
February-97	2,619,294
March-97	4,016,934
April-97	4,549,420
May-97		3,932,660
June-97		4,110,850
July-97		4,674,970
August-97	5,055,587
September-97	6,513,672
October-97	8,195,747
November-97	7,296,710
December-97	7,052,557
January-98	10,532,326
February-98	10,208,373
March-98	13,509,763
April-98	12,350,215
May-98		11,401,457
June-98		13,811,171
July-98		14,295,713
August-98	13,388,403
September-98	15,195,765
October-98	15,516,955
November-98	15,187,908
December-98	16,227,813
January-99	18,218,948
February-99	19,136,768
March-99*	22,162,053
April-99	20,094,842
May-99		20,145,461
June-99		21,249,102
July-99		21,020,675
August-99	19,744,798
September-99	19,610,196
October-99	21,350,991
November-99	21,291,242
December-99	18,075,893
January-00	21,343,968
February-00	23,957,447
March-00	28,848,249
April-00	26,215,474
May-00		24,023,176
June-00		25,258,619
July-00		24,686,455
August-00	24,488,714
September-00	24,262,730
October-00	26,414,308
November-00	28,159,947
December-00	23,581,282
January-01	32,119,447
February-01	28,920,097
March-01	32,150,780
April-01	30,073,626
May-01		30,380,076
June-01		31,937,552
July-01		29,942,390
August-01	31,911,327
September-01	30,351,036
October-01	36,477,548
Total:	1,107,738,376

*Beginning in March 1999, retrievals of static Web pages were included in the count of 
total document retrievals, which previously consisted only of downloads from databases. 
While this addition does account for a significant increase, it should be noted that, prior 
to then, static Web pages did not comprise as much Government information content as they currently do.					

Online and Tangible Titles Available through GPO																
		
										
Fiscal Year 1999-2002										
										
All numbers on this table represent the quantity of titles added or distributed 
for a given month. With the exception of the totals, which are calculated strictly 
with the numbers contained in this table, they do not reflect a cumulative count as of that date.										
Online Titles			

Month	Titles on GPO Access

Oct-98	1,783
Nov-98	123
Dec-98	189
Jan-99	135
Feb-99	6,440
Mar-99	1,894
Apr-99	2,142
May-99	976
Jun-99	1,444
Jul-99	1,087
Aug-99	1,043
Sep-99	629
Sep-00	1,172
Oct-99	1,132
Nov-99	1,668
Dec-99	229
Jan-00	396
Feb-00	748
Mar-00	1,036
Apr-00	1,139
May-00	835
Jun-00	1,207
Jul-00	1,377
Aug-00	776
Sep-00	1,172
Oct-00	2,010
Nov-00	656
Dec-00	560
Jan-01	1,207
Feb-01	1,129
Mar-01	3,694
Apr-01	906
May-01	1,322
Jun-01	1,056
Jul-01	977
Aug-01	925
Sep-01	793
Oct-01	917
Nov-01	1,075
Total:	47,999
										
Month	Titles Linked from GPO Access*

Oct-98	64
Nov-98	2,266
Dec-98	160
Jan-99	36
Feb-99	-1,949
Mar-99	102
Apr-99	123
May-99	99
Jun-99	99
Jul-99	13,017
Aug-99	80
Sep-99	69
Sep-00	2,170
Oct-99	2,750
Nov-99	53
Dec-99	6,047
Jan-00	52
Feb-00	54
Mar-00	48
Apr-00	62
May-00	5,059
Jun-00	71
Jul-00	4,093
Aug-00	132
Sep-00	2,170
Oct-00	3,485
Nov-00	154
Dec-00	160
Jan-01	426
Feb-01	105
Mar-01	86
Apr-01	124
May-01	100
Jun-01	97
Jul-01	143
Aug-01	144
Sep-01	2,606
Oct-01	6,355
Nov-01	139
Total:	51,051

Month	Total Online Titles

Oct-98	1,847
Nov-98	2,389
Dec-98	349
Jan-99	171
Feb-99	4,491
Mar-99	1,996
Apr-99	2,265
May-99	1,075
Jun-99	1,543
Jul-99	14,104
Aug-99	1,123
Sep-99	698
Sep-00	3,342
Oct-99	3,882
Nov-99	1,721
Dec-99	6,276
Jan-00	448
Feb-00	802
Mar-00	1,084
Apr-00	1,201
May-00	5,894
Jun-00	1,278
Jul-00	5,470
Aug-00	908
Sep-00	3,342
Oct-00	5,495
Nov-00	810
Dec-00	720
Jan-01	1,633
Feb-01	1,234
Mar-01	3,780
Apr-01	1,030
May-01	1,422
Jun-01	1,153
Jul-01	1,120
Aug-01	1,069
Sep-01	3,399
Oct-01	7,272
Nov-01	1,214
Total:	99,050

Month	Percent of Total Titles

Oct-98	36%
Nov-98	40%
Dec-98	12%
Jan-99	6%
Feb-99	64%
Mar-99	33%
Apr-99	36%
May-99	28%
Jun-99	30%
Jul-99	83%
Aug-99	29%
Sep-99	17%
Sep-00	71%
Oct-99	63%
Nov-99	48%
Dec-99	67%
Jan-00	18%
Feb-00	24%
Mar-00	33%
Apr-00	38%
May-00	77%
Jun-00	39%
Jul-00	77%
Aug-00	34%
Sep-00	71%
Oct-00	81%
Nov-00	31%
Dec-00	31%
Jan-01	58%
Feb-01	50%
Mar-01	67%
Apr-01	51%
May-01	53%
Jun-01	58%
Jul-01	58%
Aug-01	54%
Sep-01	78%
Oct-01	84%
Nov-01	53%
Total:	55%

Tangible Titles
 
Month	Paper Titles

Oct-98	1,036
Nov-98	776
Dec-98	775
Jan-99	1,143
Feb-99	1,059
Mar-99	1,151
Apr-99	771
May-99	610
Jun-99	1,166
Jul-99	1,024
Aug-99	1,153
Sep-99	1,203
Sep-00	1,010
Oct-99	830
Nov-99	902
Dec-99	969
Jan-00	917
Feb-00	1,084
Mar-00	1,141
Apr-00	816
May-00	1,161
Jun-00	1,065
Jul-00	1,136
Aug-00	1,391
Sep-00	1,010
Oct-00	786
Nov-00	1,015
Dec-00	1,103
Jan-01	856
Feb-01	667
Mar-01	922
Apr-01	490
May-01	523
Jun-01	423
Jul-01	375
Aug-01	660
Sep-01	453
Oct-01	729
Nov-01	664
Total:	34,965

Month	Microfiche Titles**

Oct-98	2,176
Nov-98	2,756
Dec-98	1,704
Jan-99	1,640
Feb-99	1,464
Mar-99	2,827
Apr-99	3,208
May-99	2,166
Jun-99	2,362
Jul-99	1,799
Aug-99	1,526
Sep-99	2,112
Sep-00	333
Oct-99	1,372
Nov-99	906
Dec-99	2,040
Jan-00	1,073
Feb-00	1,435
Mar-00	1,046
Apr-00	1,073
May-00	547
Jun-00	858
Jul-00	494
Aug-00	306
Sep-00	333
Oct-00	439
Nov-00	604
Dec-00	316
Jan-01	179
Feb-01	425
Mar-01	708
Apr-01	374
May-01	612
Jun-01	347
Jul-01	326
Aug-01	131
Sep-01	265
Oct-01	438
Nov-01	283
Total:	43,003

Month	CD-ROM Titles

Oct-98	66
Nov-98	33
Dec-98	32
Jan-99	103
Feb-99	51
Mar-99	41
Apr-99	74
May-99	34
Jun-99	55
Jul-99	54
Aug-99	85
Sep-99	54
Sep-00	35
Oct-99	56
Nov-99	60
Dec-99	52
Jan-00	65
Feb-00	57
Mar-00	23
Apr-00	33
May-00	46
Jun-00	86
Jul-00	32
Aug-00	72
Sep-00	35
Oct-00	56
Nov-00	23
Dec-00	66
Jan-01	76
Feb-01	22
Mar-01	41
Apr-01	32
May-01	18
Jun-01	21
Jul-01	30
Aug-01	65
Sep-01	30
Oct-01	27
Nov-01	44
Total:	1,885

Month	USGS Titles

Oct-00	0
Nov-00	191
Dec-00	88
Jan-01	73
Feb-01	129
Mar-01	170
Apr-01	98
May-01	94
Jun-01	57
Jul-01	70
Aug-01	56
Sep-01	223
Oct-01	178
Nov-01	98
Total:	1,525

Month	Total Tangible Titles

Oct-98	3,278
Nov-98	3,565
Dec-98	2,511
Jan-99	2,886
Feb-99	2,574
Mar-99	4,019
Apr-99	4,053
May-99	2,810
Jun-99	3,583
Jul-99	2,877
Aug-99	2,764
Sep-99	3,369
Sep-00	1,378
Oct-99	2,258
Nov-99	1,868
Dec-99	3,061
Jan-00	2,055
Feb-00	2,576
Mar-00	2,210
Apr-00	1,922
May-00	1,754
Jun-00	2,009
Jul-00	1,662
Aug-00	1,769
Sep-00	1,378
Oct-00	1,281
Nov-00	1,833
Dec-00	1,573
Jan-01	1,184
Feb-01	1,243
Mar-01	1,841
Apr-01	994
May-01	1,247
Jun-01	848
Jul-01	801
Aug-01	912
Sep-01	971
Oct-01	1,372
Nov-01	1,089
Total:	81,378

Month	Percent of Total Titles

Oct-98	64%
Nov-98	60%
Dec-98	88%
Jan-99	94%
Feb-99	36%
Mar-99	67%
Apr-99	64%
May-99	72%
Jun-99	70%
Jul-99	17%
Aug-99	71%
Sep-99	83%
Sep-00	29%
Oct-99	37%
Nov-99	52%
Dec-99	33%
Jan-00	82%
Feb-00	76%
Mar-00	67%
Apr-00	62%
May-00	23%
Jun-00	61%
Jul-00	23%
Aug-00	66%
Sep-00	29%
Oct-00	19%
Nov-00	69%
Dec-00	69%
Jan-01	42%
Feb-01	50%
Mar-01	33%
Apr-01	49%
May-01	47%
Jun-01	42%
Jul-01	42%
Aug-01	46%
Sep-01	22%
Oct-01	16%
Nov-01	47%
Total:	45%

Month	Total Online and Tangible Titles

Oct-98	5,125
Nov-98	5,954
Dec-98	2,860
Jan-99	3,057
Feb-99	7,065
Mar-99	6,015
Apr-99	6,318
May-99	3,885
Jun-99	5,126
Jul-99	16,981
Aug-99	3,887
Sep-99	4,067
Sep-00	4,720
Oct-99	6,140
Nov-99	3,589
Dec-99	9,337
Jan-00	2,503
Feb-00	3,378
Mar-00	3,294
Apr-00	3,123
May-00	7,648
Jun-00	3,287
Jul-00	7,132
Aug-00	2,677
Sep-00	4,720
Oct-00	6,776
Nov-00	2,643
Dec-00	2,293
Jan-01	2,817
Feb-01	2,477
Mar-01	5,621
Apr-01	2,024
May-01	2,669
Jun-01	2,001
Jul-01	1,921
Aug-01	1,981
Sep-01	4,370
Oct-01	8,644
Nov-01	2,303
Total:	180,428

*  The decrease of nearly two thousand titles in February 1999 is attributed to the 
discontinuation of the Eric Pilot Project.  The increase of over 13,000 titles in July 
1999 is due primarily to the addition of titles on the DOE Information Bridge.										
										
** This figure represents the total number of microfiche titles produced both in-house and on contract.										

Cumulative Online Titles Available through GPO Access April 1998 through November 2001							
The figures on this table represent the cumulative number of online titles available 
through GPO Access as of a given month.  Figures were first available for April 1998.				

Month	Titles on GPO Access

Apr-98	67,342
May-98	71,064
Jun-98	71,176
Jul-98	71,511
Aug-98	72,589
Sep-98	83,394
Oct-98	85,177
Nov-98	85,300
Dec-98	85,489
Jan-99	85,624
Feb-99	92,064
Mar-99	93,958
Apr-99	96,100
May-99	97,076
Jun-99	98,520
Jul-99	99,607
Aug-99	100,650
Sep-99	101,279
Oct-99	102,411
Nov-99	104,079
Dec-99	104,308
Jan-00	104,704
Feb-00	105,452
Mar-00	106,488
Apr-00	107,627
May-00	108,462
Jun-00	109,669
Jul-00	111,046
Aug-00	111,822
Sep-00	112,994
Oct-00	115,004
Nov-00	115,660
Dec-00	116,220
Jan-01	117,427
Feb-01	118,556
Mar-01	122,250
Apr-01	123,156
May-01	124,478
Jun-01	125,534
Jul-01	126,511
Aug-01	127,436
Sep-01	128,229
Oct-01	129,146
Nov-01	130,221

Month	Titles Linked from GPO Access

Apr-98	42,204
May-98	43,150
Jun-98	43,582
Jul-98	43,722
Aug-98	44,117
Sep-98	45,281
Oct-98	45,345
Nov-98	47,611
Dec-98	47,771
Jan-99	47,807
Feb-99	45,858
Mar-99	45,960
Apr-99	46,083
May-99	46,182
Jun-99	46,281
Jul-99	59,298
Aug-99	59,378
Sep-99	59,447
Oct-99	62,197
Nov-99	62,250
Dec-99	68,297
Jan-00	68,349
Feb-00	68,403
Mar-00	68,451
Apr-00	68,513
May-00	73,572
Jun-00	73,643
Jul-00	77,736
Aug-00	77,868
Sep-00	80,038
Oct-00	83,523
Nov-00	83,677
Dec-00	83,837
Jan-01	84,263
Feb-01	84,368
Mar-01	84,454
Apr-01	84,578
May-01	84,678
Jun-01	84,775
Jul-01	84,918
Aug-01	85,062
Sep-01	87,668
Oct-01	94,023
Nov-01	94,162

Month	Total

Apr-98	109,546
May-98	114,214
Jun-98	114,758
Jul-98	115,233
Aug-98	116,706
Sep-98	128,675
Oct-98	130,522
Nov-98	132,911
Dec-98	133,260
Jan-99	133,431
Feb-99	137,922
Mar-99	139,918
Apr-99	142,183
May-99	143,258
Jun-99	144,801
Jul-99	158,905
Aug-99	160,028
Sep-99	160,726
Oct-99	164,608
Nov-99	166,329
Dec-99	172,605
Jan-00	173,053
Feb-00	173,855
Mar-00	174,939
Apr-00	176,140
May-00	182,034
Jun-00	183,312
Jul-00	188,782
Aug-00	189,690
Sep-00	193,032
Oct-00	198,527
Nov-00	199,337
Dec-00	200,057
Jan-01	201,690
Feb-01	202,924
Mar-01	206,704
Apr-01	207,734
May-01	209,156
Jun-01	210,309
Jul-01	211,429
Aug-01	212,498
Sep-01	215,897
Oct-01	223,169
Nov-01	224,383

Note 1:  The decrease of nearly two thousand titles linked from GPO Access 
in February 1999 is attributed to the discontinuation of the Eric Pilot 
Project.  There are no plans to provide permanent access to these titles 
at this time.					
					
Note 2:  The increase of over 13,000 titles linked from GPO Access in 
July 1999 is due primarily to the addition of titles on the DOE Information 
Bridge.					
					
Note 3:  The increase of over 5,000 titles linked from GPO Access in May 
2000 is due primarily to the addition of titles on the DOE Information Bridge.					
					
Note 4: The Titles Linked from GPO Access is subject to change due to 
pending Department of Energy adjustment for DOE Information Bridge. 
The expected date for this change is December 2001.					

GPO Access User Support Team March 1997 through November 2001					

This table presents monthly totals of phone calls and e-mail messages answered by the		
GPO Access User Support Team. Although the Team also responds to inquiries submitted via		
fax and postal mail, the figures for these submission methods are negligible and therefore not tracked.						

Month	Phone Calls

Mar-97	4,265
Apr-97	4,352
May-97	3,582
Jun-97	3,733
Jul-97	4,534
Aug-97	4,060
Sep-97	3,849
Oct-97	4,205
Nov-97	3,481
Dec-97	3,633
Jan-98	4,949
Feb-98	4,533
Mar-98	4,477
Apr-98	4,081
May-98	3,374
Jun-98	4,859
Jul-98	4,786
Aug-98	4,267
Sep-98	5,015
Oct-98	5,364
Nov-98	4,608
Dec-98	4,132
Jan-99	4,490
Feb-99	4,582
Mar-99	5,756
Apr-99	4,748
May-99	3,375
Jun-99	3,771
Jul-99	4,036
Aug-99	4,332
Sep-99	3,600
Oct-99	3,472
Nov-99	3,490
Dec-99	3,023
Jan-00	3,908
Feb-00	4,488
Mar-00	4,618
Apr-00	3,982
May-00	4,341
Jun-00	4,058
Jul-00	3,653
Aug-00	4,207
Sep-00	3,608
Oct-00	3,849
Nov-00	3,409
Dec-00	3,265
Jan-01	4,604
Feb-01	3,764
Mar-01	3,865
Apr-01	3,595
May-01	3,577
Jun-01	3,672
Jul-01	3,646
Aug-01	3,696
Sep-01	2,961
Oct-01	3,212
Nov-01	2,853

Month	E-mail Messages

Mar-97	1,583
Apr-97	2,127
May-97	1,793
Jun-97	2,039
Jul-97	1,444
Aug-97	1,686
Sep-97	1,816
Oct-97	2,225
Nov-97	1,788
Dec-97	1,469
Jan-98	2,293
Feb-98	1,993
Mar-98	2,201
Apr-98	2,404
May-98	1,609
Jun-98	2,178
Jul-98	2,298
Aug-98	1,924
Sep-98	2,699
Oct-98	2,879
Nov-98	2,428
Dec-98	2,166
Jan-99	2,263
Feb-99	2,088
Mar-99	2,551
Apr-99	2,342
May-99	1,673
Jun-99	1,748
Jul-99	2,013
Aug-99	2,036
Sep-99	1,804
Oct-99	1,911
Nov-99	2,085
Dec-99	1,554
Jan-00	2,279
Feb-00	2,439
Mar-00	2,546
Apr-00	2,086
May-00	2,378
Jun-00	2,131
Jul-00	1,913
Aug-00	2,200
Sep-00	1,836
Oct-00	2,222
Nov-00	2,512
Dec-00	7,259
Jan-01	3,209
Feb-01	1,840
Mar-01	2,202
Apr-01	1,411
May-01	2,216
Jun-01	2,238
Jul-01	2,304
Aug-01	2,103
Sep-01	1,920
Oct-01	2,087
Nov-01	1,927

Month	Total Inquiries

Mar-97	5,848
Apr-97	6,479
May-97	5,375
Jun-97	5,772
Jul-97	5,978
Aug-97	5,746
Sep-97	5,665
Oct-97	6,430
Nov-97	5,269
Dec-97	5,102
Jan-98	7,242
Feb-98	6,526
Mar-98	6,678
Apr-98	6,485
May-98	4,983
Jun-98	7,037
Jul-98	7,084
Aug-98	6,191
Sep-98	7,714
Oct-98	8,243
Nov-98	7,036
Dec-98	6,298
Jan-99	6,753
Feb-99	6,670
Mar-99	8,307
Apr-99	7,090
May-99	5,048
Jun-99	5,519
Jul-99	6,049
Aug-99	6,368
Sep-99	5,404
Oct-99	5,383
Nov-99	5,575
Dec-99	4,577
Jan-00	6,187
Feb-00	6,927
Mar-00	7,164
Apr-00	6,068
May-00	6,719
Jun-00	6,189
Jul-00	5,566
Aug-00	6,407
Sep-00	5,444
Oct-00	6,071
Nov-00	5,921
Dec-00	10,524
Jan-01	7,813
Feb-01	5,604
Mar-01	6,067
Apr-01	5,006
May-01	5,793
Jun-01	5,910
Jul-01	5,950
Aug-01	5,799
Sep-01	4,881
Oct-01	5,299
Nov-01	4,780

WEB SITES HOSTED BY GPO ACCESS 

The following Federal agency Web sites are hosted by GPO Access. This list-with 
links to each site-is available online at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su--docs/sites.html>. 

- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 
- Federal Labor Relations Authority 
- Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission 
- Merit Systems Protection Board 
- National Council on Disability 
- National Gambling Impact Study Commission 
- National Labor Relations Board 
- National Mediation Board 
- Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board 
- Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission 
- Office of Compliance 
- Office of Government Ethics 
- Supreme Court of the United States 
- U.S.China Security Review Commission 
- U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century 
- United States Commission on Civil Rights 
- United States Trade Deficit Review Commission 

GILS RECORDS HOSTED BY GPO ACCESS 

Databases of Government Information Locator Service (GILS) records for the 
following Federal agencies are hosted by GPO Access. This list-with links to 
each agency's records-is available online at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su--docs/gils/browse-gils.html>. 

- Central Intelligence Agency 
- Consumer Product Safety Commission 
- Department of Commerce 
- Department of State 
- Department of Treasury 
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 
- Environmental Protection Agency 
- Office of Administration, Executive Office of the President 
- Farm Credit Administration 
- Federal Communication Commission 
- Federal Emergency Management Agency 
- Federal Labor Relations Authority 
- Federal Maritime Commission 
- Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission 
- Federal Reserve Board 
- Federal Trade Commission 
- General Services Administration 
- Government Printing Office 
- International Trade Commission 
- Merit Systems Protection Board 
- National Archives and Records Administration 
- National Commission on Libraries and Information Science 
- Office of Government Ethics 
- Office of Management and Budget 
- Office of Personnel Management 
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation 
- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 
- Railroad Retirement Board 
- Securities and Exchange Commission 
- Selective Service System 
- Social Security Administration 
- U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 
- U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board 

GPO ACCESS TRAINING SITES/LOCATIONS 

This table lists the training sites and conferences attended by GPO staff from 
January 2000 through December 2001 to educate users about the products and 
services offered on GPO Access.

American Library Association -San Antonio, TX, January 2000
Department of State -Washington, DC, February 2000
Drake University -Des Moines, IA, March 2000
Conference of Black Political Scientists -Washington, DC, March 2000
Public Library Association National Conference -Charlotte, NC, March 2000
Depository Library Council Meeting -Newport, RI, April 2000
Texas Library Association -Houston, TX, April 2000
University of Wisconsin -Madison, WI, May 2000
Special Libraries Association -Philadelphia, PA, June 2000
Interagency Depository Seminar -Washington, DC, June 2000
Mississippi GODORT -Jackson, MS, June 2000
American Library Association Annual Conference -Chicago, IL, July 2000
5 State Depository Meeting -Flagstaff, AZ, August 2000
Western New York Library Resources Council -Buffalo, NY, September 2000
Fort Worth Public Library -Fort Worth, TX, September 2000
Federal Depository Library Conference/Council -Arlington, VA, October 2000
Legal Tech 2000 Conference -Atlanta, GA, November 2000
American Library Association Midwinter Conference -Washington, DC, January 2001
Computers in Libraries Conference -Washington, DC, March 2001
Depository Library Council Meeting -San Antonio, TX, April 2001
Long Island Library Conference -Huntington, NY, May 2001
Medical Library Association Conference -Orlando, FL, May 2001
Rollins College -Winter Park, FL, May 2001
Interagency Depository Seminar -Washington, DC, May 2001
American Library Association -San Francisco, CA, June 2001
American Association of Law Libraries -Minneapolis, MN, July 2001
University of Minnesota -Minneapolis, MN, July 2001
University of California -Northridge, CA, November 2001
Internet Librarian 2001 -Pasadena, CA, November 2001
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis -Indianapolis, IN, November 2001
American Association of School Librarians -Indianapolis, IN, November 2001

GPO ACCESS OPERATING SYSTEM 

GPO Access resided on multiple Digital AlphaServer 1000A and 1200 computers, 
running processor speeds of up to 533 Mhz. Many of these servers contain 
integral Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) units for high performance 
and high availability data storage. All servers utilize the Digital UNIX 
Operating System. The Web and application servers run Web server software 
created by Netscape Communications Corporation, while the database servers run 
wide-area information servers (WAIS) software created by WAIS, Incorporated. All 
of these servers are directly connected to a 100 megabits-per-second (Mbps) FDDI 
ring, which is connected to the Internet over a partial T3 connection provided 
by GTE Internetworking. The T3 connection, operating at 12 Mbps, currently 
averages 55% capacity during peak usage of GPO Access. 

GPO Access has backup systems, in the event that GPO experiences primary server 
failures or server shutdowns for routine maintenance. The backup systems are 
located in a secure, geographically separate GPO facility, and they reside on a 
10 Mbps Switched Ethernet LAN segment, which in turn is connected to the primary 
service FDDI ring via a 100 Mbps fiber-optic uplink. 

Another backup/archival site, which is located in Kentucky, is hosted on an 
Alpha 3000/4000 platform running Digital UNIX. WAIS is the primary application 
in use. The 56 kilobits-per-second Internet connectivity is provided by the 
University of Kentucky.

KEY TERMS 
 
Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF): A file format developed by Adobe Systems for 
viewing with free Adobe Acrobat Reader software. It preserves a printed document's original 
appearance; achieves a high aesthetic quality through the use of text, graphics, photos, and 
color; and provides full-text search capabilities. It also is independent of computer platform 
and distribution media. For these reasons, it is one of the primary file formats on GPO Access.

Alias: Web address shortcuts, also known as "symbolic links", that can be used in place of the 
full pathname. On GPO Access, aliases to applications were created to provide short, memorable 
URLs. 

Application: A computer program that serves a specific purpose or task, such as accessing the 
text of congressional bills online. On GPO Access, a single application may be comprised of one 
or more databases and/or Web pages. For example, the Code of Federal Regulations is one 
application that relies upon 150 separate databases per year of volumes, while the list of 
CD-ROMs for sale is one application that contains approximately 200 Web pages.

ASCII Text: A file format that contains the raw data of a document without formatting, such as 
graphics or font formats (e.g., bold, italic, underline). It is one of the primary file formats 
on GPO Access. ASCII stands for "American Standard Code for Information Interchange."

CGI Script: Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is a standard for running programs on a server from a 
Web page. A CGI script allows these programs to interact with a Web server in real time. On GPO 
Access, CGI scripts are most often used to retrieve information from a database and format it in 
HTML. For example, when a user submits a query to the Sales Product Catalog, a CGI script 
retrieves the relevant sales records from the database and displays them on a search-results Web 
page. Because a CGI script retrieves information in real time, it may return different results at 
different times depending on the update schedule of the database; some databases, such as the 
Sales Product Catalog, are updated nightly.

Database: A collection of data that is organized for easy searches, retrievals, and management of 
its content. On GPO Access, one or more databases may constitute a single application. For 
example, 150 separate databases comprise each full year of the Code of Federal Regulations 
application.

Dissemination: The act of making Government information products available to Federal depository 
libraries and/or the public, through either tangible distribution of those products or provision 
of access to them via an electronic Government information service.

Dublin Core: The Dublin Core is an initiative that is attempting to adopt a common set of 
elements for resource description. Composed of 15 different elements (i.e. Name, Author, 
Contributor, Scope, etc.), the Dublin Core is intended to be imbedded within the HTML Meta Data 
of Web pages, and has ambitions of becoming a standard form of Meta Data for Web pages. 

Encryption: A method of encoding data so that it is unreadable to everyone except the recipient. 
This technology is used on the Internet principally to ensure private, secure transactions for 
customers who submit personal information, such as credit-card numbers, to product and service 
providers. On GPO Access, encryption is used when customers order information products through 
sales applications, such as the Sales Product Catalog.

Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP): A nationwide, geographically dispersed system that 
consists of libraries acting in partnership with the U.S. Government for the purpose of providing 
free, local access to Federal Government information for the public. Depository libraries 
maintain tangible Government information products for use by the public, offer professional 
assistance in locating and using Government information, and provide local capability for the 
public to access electronic Government information services, such as GPO Access. This program was 
established under the provisions of 44 U.S.C. Chapter 19 and is administered by the 
Superintendent of Documents. 

Government Information Locator Service (GILS): A decentralized collection of Federal agency-based 
information locators that assist users in finding and obtaining publicly available Government 
information resources in tangible and electronic media. Through its GILS application, GPO is 
attempting to provide a single point of access to all Federal GILS databases. 

Government Information Product: A publication or other work of the U.S. Government that is 
conveyed in a tangible medium, such as a book or CD-ROM, or disseminated through an electronic 
information service established and maintained by a Government agency or its authorized agent, 
such as GPO Access. 

Host: To provide the infrastructure for housing a Web site or other electronic resource on a 
server. For the Web sites hosted by GPO Access, GPO provides the hardware, software, and 
communication lines required by its servers, but the information content is controlled by the 
originating agency. 

HTML: A file format that consists of ASCII text with tags that signal how an Internet browser 
should display the contents, which may include formatted text, graphics, and hypertext links. 
While the majority of Web pages on GPO Access are coded in HTML, the file format is increasingly 
being used for documents on the service as well. HTML stands for "Hypertext Markup Language." 

Interface: The means by which people interact with something, such as a Web site. On GPO Access, 
the word "interface" refers generally to a Web page's aesthetic and functional elements, such as 
text, graphics, layout, links, and search and retrieval options. 

Metadata: Simply put, metadata is "structured data about data." The Dublin Core Metadata 
Initiative defines metadata as "descriptive information about an object or resource whether it be 
physical or electronic." 

PDF: See "Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF)."

Permanent Public Access: The maintenance of continual, no-fee, public access to all tangible and 
intangible Government information products within the scope of the Federal Depository Library 
Program. 

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI): A combination of software, encryption technologies, and services 
that allows organizations to protect the integrity of electronic communications and transactions.

Retrieval: On GPO Access, a download of either a document from a database or a file outside of a 
database that contains Government information content. 

Screen Capture: A short video clip of a computer screen that records both sound and action. On 
the GPO Access interactive training CD-ROM, these videos demonstrate how to use the Web site by 
showing the user every mouse click, scroll, and text input to make from search to retrieval. 

Section 508: An amendment to the Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that requires Federal 
departments and agencies that develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information 
technology to ensure that Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities have 
access to and use of information and data, comparable to that of the employees and members of the 
public without disabilities unless it is an undue burden to do so. 

Server: A computer dedicated to controlling network traffic and resources. GPO Access servers 
process Web and database information requests and store information for permanent public access. 

SWAIS: A system that allows users to search ASCII text files through an Internet telnet session 
or a direct modem dial-up session. SWAIS stands for "simple wide-area information system." 

WAIS: A distributed information service that allows simple natural-language input, indexed 
searching for fast document retrieval, and the influence of initial searches on future searches 
through a "relevance feedback" mechanism. Most of the Government information products on GPO 
Access are maintained in WAIS databases. WAIS stands for "wide-area information server" and is 
also the name of the company that developed this software. 

XML (Extensible Markup Language): A subset of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) 
designed to be a standard format for exchanging structured documents and data on the Web.
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