Administrative Notes 

Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

Vol. 30, no. 01-02 GP 3.16/3-2:30/01-02 Jan. 15/Feb. 15, 2009 

HIGHLIGHTS 

Spring Council 

Meeting 1 

2009 Library of 

the Year 2 

FDLP Desktop 

Re-launched 2 

FDsys Release 3 

Authenticated 

Congressional 

Bills 3 

Compilation of 

Presidential 

Documents 3 

Report on 

Regional 

Depository 

Libraries 4 

STAT-USA 

Passwords 4 

Census 

Documents 

Recalled 5 

FDLP of the 

Future 6 

Administrative 

Notes Will 

Cease 6 

Update, ALA 

Midwinter 7 

Registration Open for Spring 

Depository Library Council Meeting 

Presentation Proposals Invited 

Registration is now open for the spring meeting of the Federal Depository 

Library Council, to be held April 20 -22, 2009 in Tampa Bay, FL. For 

details, including hotel location and registration, links for the educational 

programs proposal form, and vendor information, visit the events page on 

the FDLP Desktop, at: 

<http://www.fdlp.gov/component/events/view_detail/2009/4/20/8>. 

Call for Presentations at 2009 Spring Depository Library Council 

Meeting: 

GPO invites the Federal documents community to submit proposals for 

presentations at the spring Depository Library Council meeting. The 

spring meeting offers numerous opportunities to share your ideas and 

knowledge, explore new developments, and network with your colleagues. 

The scheduling committee invites presentations from introductory to 

advanced levels on topics related to Federal information librarianship, 

especially on "nuts & bolts" issues, including but not limited to: 

• Collection development 

• Managing electronic information 

• Electronic reference service 

• Weeding 

• Cataloging and other methods for access 

• Depository library operations, training, or management 

• Regional/Selective issues 

• Depository library promotion 

• Preservation of depository materials 

Presentations may run for 45 minutes or 90 minutes, with a sole presenter 

or a panel. Audiovisual equipment will be provided. 

To submit a proposal, please visit the FDLP Desktop events page. Please 

submit proposals by February 28. 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

Nominate the 2009 Library of the Year 

Nominations are now being accepted for the 

2009 Federal Depository Library of the Year 

Award. The chosen library will be announced 

during the Fall 2009 Federal Depository 

Library Conference and Meeting of the 

Depository Library Council. 

The Federal Depository Library of the Year 

Award provides special recognition for a 

library that furthers the goal of the Federal 

Depository Library Program by ensuring that 

the American public has free access to its 

Government's information. 

You are invited to nominate any Federal 

depository library, regardless of its size or 

type. Past winners, libraries of current 

Depository Library Council members and 

libraries on probation are ineligible for 

consideration. 

The nomination deadline is July 1, 2009. The 

winning library will be notified by the end of 

July 2009. 

Read more about the Library of the Year 

Award, the nomination guidelines, and access 

the nomination form on the FDLP Desktop at 

<http://www.fdlp.gov/home/about/102-loty>. 

FDLP Desktop Re-launched with New Design 

On mid-January, 2009, the U.S. Government 

Printing Office (GPO) re-launched the FDLP 

Desktop. Visitors to http://www.fdlp.gov will 

see that the beta version has been replaced by 

the new design. At the same time, the 

homepage for the legacy FDLP Desktop 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/ind

ex.html> will redirect users to fdlp.gov. 

This re-launch comes after a year of 

development and community feedback and is 

designed to streamline GPO's dissemination 

of Program-related news, content, and tools 

to enhance library participation and public 

services. 

Highlights of the re-launch include: 

• Homepage news organized by 

categories 

• Easy login using your depository 

number and internal password 

• Access to depository-only services (e.g., 

promotional ordering) 

• The ability to bookmark Desktop pages 

within your library's login 

Please note the following: 

• URLs to content may have changed. 

Please update your bookmarks. 

• The navigation scheme has changed. 

• Content is continually being migrated 

from the legacy FDLP Desktop. 

• Individual accounts are no longer active 

on the FDLP Desktop. 

• Social networking tools (e.g., blogs, 

forum) are consolidated under the 

FDLP Community site 

<http://community.fdlp.gov>. Users are 

encouraged to sign up and participate. 

More information on the structure, design, 

and functionality of the FDLP Desktop is 

available under Tutorials, which is available 

from FDLP Desktop homepage. 

2 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

FDsys Public Beta Released 

GPO is pleased to announce that FDsys is 

now available as a public beta. The system 

may be accessed through 

<http://fdsys.gpo.gov>. The information on 

GPO Access is in the process of being 

migrated to GPO's Federal Digital System 

(FDsys), a process that will be complete in 

mid-2009. The migration is occurring on a 

collection-by-collection basis. The 

information on GPO Access will remain 

current and continue to be available until 

migration is complete. Users will continue to 

be able to access all GPO Access content as 

described in the A-Z Resource List. 

Collections currently available for search in 

FDsys are: 

• Congressional Bills 

• Congressional Documents 

• Congressional Hearings 

• Congressional Record 

• Congressional Reports 

• Federal Register 

• Public and Private Laws 

• Compilation of Presidential Documents 

GPO is requesting your feedback on the 

system. All questions and comments should 

be directed to pmo@gpo.gov. For more 

information on the capabilities of FDsys by 

release, visit 

<http://www.gpo.gov/projects/fdsys_capabilit

ies.htm>. 

Authenticated Congressional Bills Now Live on 

GPO Access 

After successful beta testing, GPO has 

integrated Authenticated Congressional Bills 

into the live Congressional Bills application 

on GPO Access at 

<http://www.gpoaccess.gov/bills/index.html>

. Users of this application will notice digital 

signatures on bills from the 110th and 111th 

Congresses. 

New Daily Compilation of Presidential 

Documents Replaces Weekly 

Concurrent with the change in 

Administrations, the Weekly Compilation of 

Presidential Documents has been replaced by 

the Daily Compilation of Presidential 

Documents, effective January 20, 2009. The 

Daily Compilation will keep the same SuDoc 

class (AE 2.109:) and item number (0577-A) 

as the previous title. GPO catalog records will 

be updated to reflect the title and frequency 

change. 

The Weekly Compilation of Presidential 

Documents will continue to be available on 

GPO Access and the new Daily Compilation 

of Presidential Documents will be accessible 

through GPO Access and through FDsys. 

3 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

GPO Releases Report on Conditions of 

Regional Depository Libraries 

In 2008, at the request of the Joint Committee 

on Printing (JCP), GPO undertook a study of 

the organizational, financial, and 

technological conditions in regional 

depository libraries and their affect on public 

access to depository materials. The final 

report, Regional Depository Libraries in the 

21st Century: A Preliminary Assessment, was 

delivered to the JCP and is now available on 

the FDLP Desktop 

<http://www.fdlp.gov/home/about/209-

studyofregionals>. 

GPO thanks the depository library 

community for participating in the study 

process and for providing valuable 

information, comments, and supportive 

letters. 

Issuance of New STAT-USA Passwords 

Postponed 

The issuance of new STAT-USA passwords, 

originally scheduled for the last week of 

January 2009, has been postponed. 

Through their partnership, STAT-USA and 

GPO continue to offer free access for Federal 

depository libraries to STAT-USA products, 

which include STAT-USA(r)/Internet(tm) 

and USA Trade(r) Online. 

Based upon best practices in database 

security, STAT-USA and GPO are taking this 

opportunity to review and revise the Account 

Validation Form. We are also working to 

develop a FAQ Web page that will be posted 

on the FDLP Desktop. 

When revision of the form is complete, all 

depository libraries wishing to have free 

access to STAT-USA will be required to 

complete, sign, and return the new Account 

Validation Form, and new passwords will be 

issued. 

Please continue to use your current passwords 

at this time. More information will be 

provided as it becomes available. 

4 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

Census Documents Recalled 

In January 2009, GPO was advised by the 

U.S. Census Bureau that some Census Bureau 

publications sent to depository libraries from 

1992 to 1998 should not have been 

distributed. These materials were intended for 

internal use only, for field agent testing. 

Public access to these documents could 

compromise the integrity of the Census' 

program for field agent testing. For that 

reason the publications are considered to be 

sensitive. Therefore the Superintendent of 

Documents requested that depository libraries 

withdraw these publications from library 

collections. Notifications were disseminated 

via the FDLP Desktop, FDLP-L, and through 

an announcement placed in each library's 

depository shipping box. 

To allow librarians more time to research 

their collection holdings, the deadline for the 

date of the recall for Census publications was 

extended to February 23, 2009. 

 

The Census 2000 Field Testing Materials (1997/1998)

Form# Title Item# SuDoc Shipping 

List#

Shipping 

List Date

D-267 

(S) 

Examen Para La Seleccion De Empleados De 

Campo, Censo de Puerto Rico -1990, Forma D267A PR, April 10, 1989 

0146-M

C 

3.272:D267 APR

1989-0528-

P 8/31/1989 

D-267A Field Employee Selection Aid - Decennial 

Census, Form D-267A, February 13, 1996 0146-M

C 

3.272:D267 A 

1996-0183-

P 4/3/1996 

D-267A 

(S) 

Examen Para la Seleccion de Empleados de 

Campo, Vigesimo Primer Censo Decenal-1990, 

Formulario D-267A(S), (Spanish) 

0146-M

C 

3.272:D267 A(S)

1990-0276-

P 5/7/1990 

D267A(S)-

1997 

Examen Para La Seleccion De Empleados De 

Campo (United States Census 2000) August 5, 

1997 

0146-M

C 

3.272:D267 

A(S)/997

1998-0026-

P 10/27/1997

D-267A1 

Field Employee Selection Aid Answer Sheet, 

Test A, United States Census 2000, January 12, 

1998 

0146-M

C 

3.272:D267 A 1 

1999-0056-

P 11/23/1998

D-267B1 

Field Employee Selection Aid Answer Sheet 

Test B, United States Census 2000, January 12, 

1998 

0146-M

C 

3.272:D267 B 1 

1999-0050-

P 11/19/1998

D-270A 

Field Employee Selection Aid for Supervisors 

Test A (United States Census 2000) September 

3, 1997 

0146-M

C 

3.272:D270 A 

1998-0026-

P 10/27/1997

D-270A1 

Field Employee Selection Aid for Supervisors - 

Answer Sheet Test A, United States Census 

2000, December 4, 1997 

0146-M

C 

3.272:D270 A 1 

1999-0050-

P 11/19/1998

D-270B 

Field Employee Selection Aid for Supervisors 

Test B, United States Census 2000, December 

4, 1997 

0146-M

C 

3.272:D270 B 

1998-0376-

P 9/25/1998 

5 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

Further Instructions 

After you have determined whether your 

library should have received these documents 

please locate them within your library and 

contact us. When you find any or some of 

these publications please pull them from the 

shelves and do not circulate them. They will 

need to be returned to GPO. Please use the 

contact form to receive further 

instructions. If any titles should be in the 

library but cannot be found, we would 

appreciate knowing this as well. 

If your depository did not select these item 

numbers, you may disregard this notice. 

Thank you very much for cooperating in this 

effort. 

Comments on the FDLP of the Future Invited 

Discussion from the last two meetings of the 

Depository Library Council on the future and 

strategic direction of the FDLP was 

incorporated into a draft strategic plan, 

Federal Depository Library Program Strategic 

Plan, 2009-2014: Creating an informed 

citizenry and improving quality of life. 

The draft plan is posted on the FDLP Desktop 

for comment. It will be updated with more 

details once input is received from the 

depository library community and the 

strategic direction is approved by the 

Council. GPO invites your comments and 

thoughts on the draft plan as well as your 

vision of the FDLP of the future. Please use 

the comment form provided through the 

Desktop's strategic plan page: 

<http://www.fdlp.gov/home/about/237-

strategicplan>. 

Administrative Notes Will Cease with 

Nov.-Dec. 2009 Issue 

Since 1980, Administrative Notes has served 

to inform the depository library community 

of policies, procedures, and news relating to 

the Federal Depository Library Program. It 

was first published in paper (initially on a 

monthly basis and later bimonthly, with 

additional issues as required) and then went 

online-only. When distributed in paper, each 

issue was distributed to all libraries in regular 

depository shipments, along with an annual 

microfiche cumulation. 

Today, the information that has been 

published in Administrative Notes is not as 

timely as new Internet technologies have 

emerged and matured (e.g., email alerts, 

RSS). Therefore, after a 30-year run, the 

Administrative Notes newsletter will cease 

with the November-December 2009 issue. 

The FDLP Desktop will be the primary 

communication vehicle about the Federal 

Depository Library Program. The 

Administrative Notes archive, including the 

searchable cumulative table of contents, will 

remain on the FDLP Desktop. 

6 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

Update from Ric Davis 

Acting Superintendent of Documents and Director, Library 

Services and Content Management

Federal Documents Task Force Meeting

ALA 2009 Midwinter Meeting

Denver, CO

January 2009 

Good afternoon! First I want to extend my 

gratitude to the Federal Documents Task 

Force for inviting me to speak to you today 

and say how happy I am to be here with you 

for another ALA Midwinter Meeting. 

Throughout the week, as always, I want to 

encourage you to approach me or any 

member of my staff and talk with us about 

any of the initiatives you hear about today. I 

am always available for questions or 

comments, and if you think of any after we 

return home, you can always e-mail me 

directly at rdavis@gpo.gov. 

Today I am going to update you on many of 

our important initiatives within GPO’s 

Library Services & Content Management, but 

first, one quick item of note to speak of. As of 

January 20th, the start of President Obama’s 

administration, the Office of the Federal 

Register is no longer producing the Weekly 

Compilation of Presidential Documents as it 

has traditionally done. This has been replaced 

with a version that is updated continuously, 

as new documents are available. The 

Compilation of Presidential Documents is 

available within GPO’s Federal Digital 

System (FDsys) and on GPO Access. GPO 

Access and FDsys will continue to provide 

access to the older, archived Weekly 

Compilations. 

GPO’S FEDERAL DIGITAL SYSTEM 

(FDSYS) 

On January 15, 2009, the public beta of 

GPO’s FDsys was released to the public. The 

system may be accessed through 

<http://fdsys.gpo.gov>. The information on 

GPO Access is in the process of being 

migrated to FDsys, a process that will be 

complete in mid-2009. The migration is 

occurring on a collection-by-collection basis. 

The information on GPO Access will remain 

current and continue to be available until 

migration is complete. Users will continue to 

be able to access all GPO Access content as 

described in the A-Z Resource List. 

Collections currently available for search in 

FDsys are: 

• Congressional Bills 

• Congressional Documents 

• Congressional Hearings 

• Congressional Record 

• Congressional Reports 

• Federal Register 

• Public and Private Laws 

• Compilation of Presidential Documents 

GPO is requesting your feedback on the 

system. All questions and comments should 

be directed to pmo@gpo.gov. 

At tomorrow’s Government Information 

Technology Committee (GITCO) session, 

you will have the opportunity to hear from 

GPO’s Program Management Office staff. 

They will be addressing FDsys. Staff at GPO 

have been working hard on this important 

7 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

system, and tomorrow, you will hear more 

about the status of FDsys and how it benefits 

GPO and the library community. 

THE VALUE OF THE FDLP AND THE 

FUTURE OF THE FDLP 

If you haven’t yet seen it, I encourage you to 

visit a Web page on the FDLP Desktop, "The 

Value of the FDLP." This page offers a venue 

to highlight the value of being a Federal 

depository library including services GPO 

provides FDLP members, the expertise and 

services FDLP members provide one another 

as part of the larger network, and the local 

value individual libraries place on the FDLP 

within their institution. 

The web page provides a mechanism for 

depositories to submit success stories to the 

FDLP Community Forum that GPO will use 

to build a repository for sharing across the 

FDLP. Submissions may include any manner 

of information that conveys how depository 

users, your institution, or your library finds 

value in the FDLP. Members of the FDLP 

can benefit from how you are discovering and 

growing the value of the FDLP in your 

community. 

In August, I sent a letter to depository library 

directors, asking them to identify the value 

Federal depository designation creates at the 

local level for the library, its staff, and users. 

The letter also actively sought out success 

stories and anecdotes about the value of the 

depository. The response was overwhelming, 

and I was so pleased to read all of the 

glowing remarks about the FDLP. The 

collection of these responses is also posted on 

the Value of the FDLP Web page on the 

FDLP Desktop. The stories we received were 

helpful in our strategic planning process for 

the future. 

FDLP STRATEGIC PLAN 

Speaking of strategic planning for the future, 

we have also recently released a draft of our 

FDLP Strategic Plan. 

At the Federal Depository Library 

Conference and Fall Depository Library 

Council meeting in 2007, GPO was advised 

by the Depository Library Council to plan 

strategically for the future. Initial discussions 

began at the Spring 2008 Meeting of the 

Depository Library Council in Kansas City 

on the vision, mission, and assumptions for 

the Plan. A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, 

opportunities, threats) analysis of the FDLP 

was also started at the Meeting. 

Feedback was gathered throughout the 

following months via the FDLP Desktop, as 

well as at various library events throughout 

the year, about the future direction of the 

FDLP. Based on feedback from the 

depository community, the draft strategic 

plan was created. 

The strategic plan will serve to be an essential 

component in guiding the future direction of 

the FDLP. It builds on the work that is being 

done for the FDLP now and looks forward to 

the year 2014. 

I’d like to share with you the major 

conclusions in the report: 

• The Principles for Government 

Information will still be the FDLP’s 

core ideology. 

• Federal depository libraries will 

continue to facilitate access to the 

American public through traditional 

services as well as through enhanced or 

new services made possible by the 

digital age. 

• GPO, working actively with 

depositories, will ensure accessibility, 

findability, and usability of government 

information dissemination products. 

• The options for building Federal 

8 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

depository collections will increase. 

• Regional depositories will continue to 

have the responsibility for permanent 

public access for tangible publications 

that remain in their collections. 

• GPO will ensure permanent public 

access to, provide version control of, 

and authenticate Federal digital content. 

• Communication will exist, and improve, 

between and among GPO, depository 

libraries, other Federal agencies, and 

the public and communities served by 

depository libraries. 

• Consumers of Federal information will 

be able to access it from where ever 

they are and when ever they need it. 

The Plan is now available online from the 

FDLP Desktop. 

REGIONAL STUDY 

I want to take a moment to speak on the 

Study on the Conditions of Regional 

Depository Libraries. As we all know, The 

FDLP operates under the authority and 

mandates of Title 44, U.S. Code. The existing 

structure of selective and regional depository 

libraries dates back to the Depository Library 

Act of 1962, which established regional 

depository libraries. Over the years, there 

have been attempts to revise Chapter 19, and 

variations within the regional/selective model 

have been implemented. 

GPO’s September 2007 request of the Joint 

Committee on Printing (JCP) to approve a 

proposed shared regional designation across 

state lines highlighted the growing challenges 

confronting regional depositories in 

maintaining and supporting effective public 

access through the FDLP. 

GPO was subsequently directed by the JCP to 

conduct a study on the conditions of regional 

depository libraries. The purpose of the study 

was to evaluate the extent to which public 

access to Federal depository resources may 

be impaired by current or projected 

organizational, financial, technological, or 

other conditions affecting regional libraries. 

After consultation with and input from 

depository libraries, in June 2008, GPO 

released a draft report and made it available 

for depository comment. All comments were 

reviewed, and a final report of findings was 

created. This report, entitled “Regional 

Depository Libraries in the 21st Century: A 

Preliminary Assessment,” was submitted it to 

the JCP earlier this month. The report is 

available directly from the homepage of the 

FDLP Desktop. 

Out of the report came three major 

recommendations for the JCP: 

1. Support continued appropriations for 

GPO’s initiative to create machinereadable bibliographic records for the 

tangible collection of pre-1976 depository 

publications to ensure its completion in a 

timelier manner; 

2. Undertake a more in-depth look at the 

organizational, financial, and 

technological issues affecting the FDLP 

in its entirety, regionals and selectives 

alike, and analyze the results to develop 

recommendations for policy and/or 

statutory revision that will provide for 

effective operation of the FDLP in the 

21st century; and 

3. Continue to support GPO’s initiatives to 

authenticate the Government’s digital 

information dissemination products. 

Once we hear of next steps or instructions 

from JCP, we will alert the library 

community immediately. 

9 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

AUTHENTICATION 

Progress is continuing in regard to our 

authentication initiative. 

As you know by now, GPO is implementing 

digital signatures to certain electronic 

documents on GPO Access that not only 

establish GPO as the trusted information 

disseminator, but also provide the assurance 

that an electronic document has not been 

altered since GPO disseminated it. A digital 

signature, viewed through the GPO Seal of 

Authenticity, verifies document integrity and 

authenticity on GPO online Federal 

documents, at no cost to the end user. 

Last year alone, we have: 

• Implemented an Automated PDF 

Signing System, which allows 

documents to be authenticated in bulk, 

• Digitally signed and certified the FY 

2009 Budget of the U.S. Government, 

and 

• Launched authenticated Public and 

Private Laws as a permanent application 

on GPO Access. 

Just days ago, after successful beta testing, 

we launched authenticated Congressional 

Bills on GPO Access. Digitally signed PDF 

files are now available for the entire 

collection of Congressional Bills from the 

110th Congress, and Bills from the 111th 

Congress are being digitally signed as they 

are published. Of course, GPO Access users 

can still search and browse unsigned Bills 

from the 103rd Congress forward. Digitally 

signed Congressional Bills are also available 

on GPO’s FDsys. 

ILS 

The overall goal of the implementation of 

GPO’s Integrated Library System (ILS) is the 

provision of access to depositories and the 

public to bibliographic records of Federal 

government publications, many containing 

links to the electronic version of the 

publication, and the use of the system’s 

power and capabilities to provide services to 

depository libraries and to the public. The 

goal is also to streamline workflow and 

internal activities in support of the FDLP, and 

to reduce use of and dependency on legacy 

systems. A lot of new and exciting things 

have been happening in regard to the ILS. 

The ongoing development of the Aleph 500 

integrated library system at GPO enhances 

GPO’s ability to perform statutorily 

authorized functions of the FDLP and the 

Cataloging and Indexing Program. Several 

ILS features and functions have been recently 

developed and released: 

1. Desktop access was granted to all staff in 

GPO’s Library Technical Information 

Services to the Aleph staff client through 

Citrix; 

2. The new Federal Depository Library 

Directory administrative module was 

released, enabling depository libraries to 

edit their own directory information; 

3. The public interface to the new Federal 

Depository Library Directory launched; 

4. Access to the Catalog of U.S. 

Government Publications (CGP) via the 

Z39.50 communications protocol for 

search, retrieval, and download of 

bibliographic records was granted to 

depository libraries; 

5. Acquisitions, phase 1: monographic 

materials workflow changes/brief records 

was implemented; 

6. The Aleph software was upgraded from 

version 16.02 to version 18; 

7. A requirements document was created, 

vendor selection was made, and a contract 

was awarded for authorities cleanup and 

10 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

ongoing authority control; 

8. CGP Web interface enhancements were 

made to improve functionality and ease of 

use. 

9. For ease of navigation between the 

Federal Depository Library Directory and 

the FDLP Desktop, the depository eagle 

symbol in both the FDLD administrative 

module and the public interface links to 

the FDLP Desktop and opens a new 

browser window. The FDLD public 

interface in the left navigation menu also 

has a text link to the FDLP Desktop. 

Coming later this year, we have several 

enhancements planned: 

1. Implementation of a login page 

specifically for depository libraries to 

take advantage of authenticated services 

in the CGP. This will include 

configuration of the circulation module 

and the creation of depositories as 

patrons. An example of an authenticated 

service will be the ability for FDLP 

libraries to set up their own search criteria 

for email notification from the CGP when 

records meeting those criteria are added 

to the catalog; 

2. Ability of the CGP to display authorities 

cross-references; 

3. Page design and configuration of 

resources for federated searching 

(MetaLib); 

4. Serials control (check-in of individual 

serials issues). All active serials are the 

ultimate goal. We will start with a subset 

and work forward; 

5. The addition to CGP records of 

searchable serial issue-level 

Superintendent of Documents 

classification numbers and shipping list 

numbers for distributed titles and issues; 

and 

6. Enhancements to the Federal Depository 

Library Directory. 

DIGITIZATION 

As most of you know by now, GPO has been 

working with the library community, other 

Federal agencies, and the public on a national 

digitization project with the goal of digitizing 

all retrospective federal publications back to 

the earliest days of the Federal Government. 

The project includes the digitization of the 

complete legacy collection of tangible U.S. 

Government publications most of which are 

held in libraries participating in the FDLP. 

The objective is to ensure that the digital 

collection is available, in the public domain, 

for no-fee permanent public access through 

the FDLP. The goal of the project will ensure 

that the collection is digitally reformatted for 

both preservation and access purposes. 

GPO envisions a cooperative, mutually 

beneficial relationship with a private or 

public sector participant(s) where the 

uncompressed, unaltered files created as a 

result of the conversion process are delivered 

to GPO at no cost to the Government. These 

files will serve as the digital master copies 

that will be preserved and used for the 

creation of access derivatives within FDsys. 

In exchange, the contractor or contractors 

shall be able to maintain a collection of files 

produced in the process for inclusion in their 

collections (e.g., search indices, book search 

sites). This content will be made available 

online, free of charge from GPO. 

To help meet this challenge, A Statement of 

Work was created, and a Request For 

Proposal was posted to Federal Business 

Opportunities. The review of the proposals is 

almost complete. Once GPO makes a 

decision for award, JCP must then approve 

that potential selection before work can 

begin. 

11 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

We are also continuing down additional paths 

in regard to digitization. This past year, we 

worked with other Federal agencies on the 

National Digital Standards Advisory Board, 

Federal Still Image Digitization Working 

Group. The goal of this project is to establish 

common standards, methods, practices, and 

guidelines for the digitization of visual 

material (excluding motion picture images). 

Common digitization standards will enhance 

the exchange of research results and 

developments, encourage collaborative 

digitization practices among Federal agencies 

and institutions, provide the public with a 

product of uniform quality, and set a common 

benchmark for digitization service providers. 

The Web site for the Federal Agencies 

Digitization Guidelines Initiative is available 

at <http://www.digitizationguidelines.gov>. 

The initiative represents a collaborative effort 

to establish a common set of guidelines for 

digitizing historical materials. 

The Web site currently features two 

documents developed by the Still Image 

Digitization Working Group that are open for 

comment until mid-November. The first 

proposes a minimal set of embedded TIFF 

metadata for use in historical and cultural 

heritage digital imaging. The second two-part 

document presents a taxonomy of digital 

image characteristics and provides 

corresponding metrics and criteria to describe 

and validate imaging performance and 

quality. The Web site also provides a glossary 

of digitization terms and concepts, and 

presents digitization-related news and events 

on the subject from the participating 

agencies. 

I’d also encourage you to visit our 

Digitization and Preservation Initiatives Web 

page on GPO Access and review our list of 

priorities for digitization. If you have any 

materials we can utilize in coordination with 

that list, please contact Robin HaunMohamed or James Mauldin through the 

LSCM Contact Form on the FDLP Desktop. 

Finally, I want to encourage you to share with 

us any collaborative efforts in regard to 

digitization. In the last few months, we 

launched an enhanced version of the Registry 

of U.S. Government Publication Digitization 

Projects at <http://registry.fdlp.gov>. Some 

notable features of the new Registry include 

the ability to: 

• Browse digitization projects by 

category or alphabetically by title. 

• Search the entire Registry or filter 

searches by category or fields. 

• Quickly access new and recently 

updated listings. 

• Utilize RSS feeds to keep informed of 

new and updated projects. 

• View listings by contributor. 

• Contact fellow digitization participants. 

• Recommend listings to others. 

• Report broken links. 

Project listings derive from voluntary and 

solicited contributions from Federal 

depository and other libraries, Federal and 

other government agencies, and other nonprofit institutions. 

BEN’S GUIDE Ben’s Guide to U.S. 

Government, which was created in 1999 as 

the educational component of GPO Access, 

will soon be getting a new look. 

We are currently soliciting feedback from the 

Ben's Guide user community in the form of 

two web site usability surveys. One survey is 

geared toward kids and students, and the 

other toward parents, educators, and others. 

The goal of the surveys is to capture user 

feedback about Ben's Guide. This includes 

asking users specific questions regarding 

what features they like about Ben's Guide as 

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AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

it is now, and also what they would like to 

see in light of a redesigned Ben's Guide. Also 

as a result, we hope to learn more about the 

Ben's Guide user base, and use that 

information for future considerations for the 

site. Some examples of the information we 

are looking for include: how the user came 

across the site, what information sections 

they use on the site, technical/navigational/ 

interactive features they would (or would 

NOT) like to see on Ben's Guide, other 

suggested improvements, and various other 

questions. 

The survey will be available until February 2, 

2009. We already have over 3,500 

respondents. The survey is open to any who 

wishes to participate, and it can be accessed 

from the Ben’s Guide homepage, the FDLP 

Desktop, and the GPO Access homepage. 

After survey results are compiled, planning 

will continue to determine the next steps for 

Ben's Guide. We are very interested in 

obtaining beta testers for the next version of 

Ben’s Guide. If you would like to be a beta 

tester after a new design has been developed, 

please see Kelly Seifert, and she will obtain 

the necessary contact information from you. 

You may also contact me at rdavis@gpo.gov 

if you are interesting in beta testing. 

FDLP MARKETING PLAN 

Last summer, LSCM disseminated the FDLP 

Marketing Plan and launched the “Easy as 

FDL” marketing campaign. Our main goal in 

this initiative is to assist FDLs in marketing 

their unique and valuable services to the 

widest audience possible, as well as to 

provide FDLs with the tools necessary to 

market their own services to both the general 

public and non-Federal depository libraries. 

If you haven’t done so already, I encourage 

you to visit the FDLP Desktop, review the 

Plan, order the new “Easy as FDL” 

promotional products, and use the tips and 

strategies provided to promote your library. 

Additionally, we debuted our first FDLP 

promotional video in October. You will can 

view and download that video from the FDLP 

Desktop. In the coming months, you will see 

the release of Phase II of the FDLP 

Marketing Plan. Phase II will provide more 

tips and strategies on how to market your 

library and more tips on how to utilize the 

Easy as FDL promotional products. 

FDLP DESKTOP 

The FDLP Desktop is continuing to evolve 

with the latest Web technologies and your 

input. As part of the evolution of the FDLP 

Desktop, the site has been divided into 

fdlp.gov and community.fdlp.gov. 

I am pleased to announce that the final 

redesign of fdlp.gov has been launched. Since 

its launch on January 5, 2009, the Desktop 

has seen over 19,000 article views. 

FDLP.gov provides dissemination of 

Program related content, services and news. 

Community.fdlp.gov provides social 

networking tools which enable registered 

individual members to communicate and 

network with others in the community. There 

are current almost 150 FDLP Community 

members. 

While content is the first and foremost focus 

of the new Desktop, we also want to provide 

you with the latest and greatest social 

networking technologies to help everyone in 

the community collaborate together. 

I want to encourage you to visit the new 

fdlp.gov and to join FDLP Community. If 

you are interested in more information, Kelly 

Seifert has an informational handout on the 

features of the new fdlp.gov and the 

Community Forum. 

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AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

AUTOMATED METADATA 

EXTRACTION 

In late 2007, GPO entered into an Interagency 

Agreement with the Defense Technical 

Information Center (DTIC) in collaboration 

with Old Dominion University (ODU) to 

create cataloging records using automated 

metadata extraction software tools and 

processes currently being used by DTIC. 

ODU will determine if the engine component 

developed for the DTIC and NASA projects 

can be used for GPO collections, including a 

sample of the GPO EPA harvested collection. 

However, GPO collections differ 

significantly from the DTIC and NASA 

collections and therefore, the scope of the 

work will be expanded to take the domain 

into account and answer questions as to what 

metadata can be extracted. 

ODU will also conduct a feasibility study and 

exploratory prototyping of major types of 

documents from GPO’s collections to 

determine if automated metadata extraction is 

a viable method for creating metadata for 

these materials. 

The Automated Metadata Extraction 

agreement is being conducted in two phases 

over two years, with project completion 

expected in October 2009. The first phase of 

the agreement, which focuses on GPO EPA 

harvested documents, is almost completed. 

During the first phase: 

• GPO identified and provided FDLP, inscope, harvested EPA PDF files to 

ODU for analysis. 

• Directly working with GPO, ODU 

analyzed the documents to identify 

major classes of documents in the 

collection, metadata elements present in 

each class, and issues with existing 

template language for extracting 

metadata. 

• ODU provided GPO with a report on 

the findings of this analysis and made 

enhancements to the automated 

metadata extraction software. 

• ODU made several refinements to the 

templates, software, and engine. 

• GPO has received an initial batch of 

extracted metadata and is conducting an 

internal review of this data. 

• Final testing and evaluation of the phase 

one extracted metadata produced 

through this tool is expected to be 

completed in early 2009. 

As part of the second phase of the agreement, 

GPO has identified and provided 1,000 FDLP 

in-scope Congressional PDF files to ODU for 

analysis. ODU has analyzed the documents 

and provided GPO with a characterization 

and feasibility report. Next steps include 

GPO evaluating and testing metadata 

extraction records. 

CD-ROM ASSESSMENT 

I wanted to take a moment to speak on the 

CD-ROM assessment project. Last fall, GPO 

sent out a call for volunteers to participate in 

a project to assess depository CD-ROMs and 

identify discs at risk for content loss. 

The project involves reviewing CD-ROMs in 

depository library collections for system 

requirements, file formats, proprietary 

software, and other factors that could 

jeopardize access to the content. 

GPO is working on an initial assessment 

based on GPO catalog records, and through 

volunteers, is getting assistance from Federal 

depository libraries that have the discs in 

their collections in order to get a complete 

assessment and categorization of at-risk 

content. We had a brainstorming session to 

collaborate with libraries in order to get a 

thorough assessment of CD-ROM collections 

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AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

and identify first, those at the highest risk. 

We have also identified a potential partner 

who has made some discs available online for 

evaluation. We are working to examine the 

list and to finalize the members of our 

working group with depository partners and 

will use this information to approach content 

originating agencies to discuss how the 

content of these discs can be made available 

for permanent public access. GPO will 

coordinate with Federal agencies to assure 

permanent public access to the content. 

DARTS 

I wanted to give you a brief update in regard 

to DARTS - Access to Reports, Technical 

and Scientific. 

The FDLP DARTS experiment was a success 

in giving the Federal Depository Library 

community access to a portion of the NTIS 

technical reports collection. In early 2009 the 

National Technical Information Services 

(NTIS) will be launching the National 

Technical 

Reports Library (NTRL) to even further 

enhance accessibility to the NTIS technical 

reports collection. 

While NTIS does not have plans to 

discontinue or upgrade DARTS output, the 

purpose for introducing the NTRL is to 

provide a more sophisticated platform to 

disseminate federally funded full-text 

technical reports to the widest possible 

audience. 

The NTRL operates on a system interface 

that allows users to do queries on the large 

NTIS bibliographic database. The intent is to 

broadly expand and improve access to over 

2.5 million bibliographic records (pre-1960 to 

present) and 500k full- text documents in 

PDF format that are directly linked to that 

bibliographic database. Documents not in 

digital format will continue to be available 

for ordering on the NTIS Webstore in 

microfiche and print formats. 

As required by Federal Law, the NTRL will 

operate on a cost-recovery subscription 

business model. The goal is for NTRL to be 

available to subscribers beginning April 1, 

2009. Subscription rates will be based on 

Full-Time-Equivalent (FTE) at the 

customer’s site with subscription costs 

starting at $4,500 per year for small 

institutions. 

Some Federal Depository Libraries are 

already accessing information as beta-testers 

of the NTRL. As a DARTS subscriber, NTIS 

is willing to open your IP range access 

through March 31, 2009 to the NTRL on a 

complimentary, trial basis. 

A VISITING SCHOLAR 

I’d also like to tell you about a special guest 

we have with us at the GPO. Professor 

Nobuhiro Igawa is an Associate Professor 

from The International University of 

Kagoshima in Japan. In conjunction with the 

Library of Congress and GPO, Professor 

Igawa is studying how the United States 

Government distributes Government 

information to its citizenry through the 

FDLP. Professor Igawa is researching the 

organizational structure, governing bodies, 

legal, and program requirements of the 

FDLP. He is looking at how a similar model 

may be applied in Japan. 

Recently, I participated in an interview with 

Federal News Radio on this endeavor. That is 

now available on the FDLP Desktop for 

download. 

COMMUNITY OUTREACH 

Finally, there are several facets of community 

outreach that I would like to touch on today. 

• Outreach Travels of GPO Staff; 

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AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

• Public Access Assessments; 

• Partnerships; 

• Online Training; and 

• GPO’s Upcoming Meeting. 

TRAVELING 

Recently, many GPO staff members have 

been on the move, participating in outreach 

events around the country. Locations include 

Phoenix, Arizona; Seattle, Washington; 

Anaheim, California; Rapid City, South 

Dakota; Portland, Oregon; Iowa City, Iowa; 

Boston, Massachusetts; Gainesville, Florida; 

Trenton, New Jersey; and Ottawa, Ontario to 

name a few. We also participated in a 

depository anniversary celebration for the 

first time via a presentation on DVD to the 

University of Louisiana Monroe, University 

Library. If you would like to request GPO 

participation at your library, for special 

events such as anniversaries, or perhaps if 

you need assistance from GPO with an 

assessment of your library's adherence to the 

FDLP, there is a form available on the 

Desktop to request GPO personnel to visit 

your institution. 

PUBLIC ACCESS ASSESSMENTS 

Public Access Assessments have started. The 

Public Access Assessment program, also 

known as PAA, is GPO's individual 

depository library operation assessment and 

consultation program. It focuses on free, 

public access to depository resources and also 

the services and cooperative efforts that 

support the visibility and use of the 

depository resources at the library. 14 

different sizes and types of volunteer libraries 

participated in a test of the PAA processes 

last fall. We are currently preparing our full 

schedule. We anticipate most Public Access 

Assessments will be conducted by state or 

region. Depositories will be notified before 

these start. If you wish to have current 

depository management activities 

documented by GPO now and your state or 

region is not part of an upcoming round of 

PAA, you may request one at any time 

through the Request for GPO Participation 

Form on the FDLP Desktop. 

To assist in the development of successful 

depository operations, GPO continues its 

ongoing efforts to share information about 

FDLP legal and program requirements and 

related guidance and best practices. We 

continue to contact the five remaining 2007 

Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries nonresponders in D.C., Florida, Texas, and 

Missouri in an effort to obtain submissions of 

this legally required survey from the libraries. 

We are also continuing our review of the 

2007 Biennial Survey by groups of major 

areas of concern noted. In some cases, we are 

highlighting these concerns through direct 

contacts with depository personnel and 

through consultation with regional depository 

personnel. Please keep in mind that 

depositories continue to determine locally all 

of the procedures developed to apply the 

legal requirements and the requirements and 

other guidance in the Federal Depository 

Library Handbook. We strongly encourage 

you to contact us anytime you have a 

question about depository management so 

that we may discuss the issues and various 

options or best practices you may consider. 

This is just one way we continue to partner 

together for a more efficient and effective 

FDLP. Lastly, we are very excited by a new 

educational resource in development that 

updates the Self-Study of a Federal 

Depository Library. This will be for 

voluntary self-educational or strategic 

planning use. We believe you may use some 

or all of the Self-Study to review how your 

library applies FDLP legal and program 

requirements and related guidance. We 

anticipate rolling out modules of the new 

Self-Study as they become available in the 

very near future. 

16 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

PARTNERSHIPS 

GPO has been developing partnerships with 

Federal depository libraries and other Federal 

agencies to increase access to electronic 

Federal information since 1997. With an 

increasing amount of Federal information 

available electronically, partnerships ensure 

permanent public access to electronic content 

and provide services to assist depositories in 

providing access to electronic material and in 

managing their depository collections. 

These partnerships also allow GPO to take 

advantage of the expertise of Federal 

depository librarians and the services they 

have developed. FDLP partnerships generally 

fall into three categories: Content 

Partnerships, Service Partnerships, and 

Hybrid Partnerships. Partnerships are not 

limited to these categories, however, and 

GPO will consider partnership proposals that 

fall outside of these categories. 

• Content partnerships assist with 

providing permanent public access to 

electronic U.S. Government 

information. Partners agree to provide 

storage capacity and user access 

without restrictions on re-dissemination. 

In the event the partner is no longer able 

to provide free, public access to this 

electronic information, the partnership 

requires the agency or library to transfer 

a copy of the content to GPO. GPO will 

then make the content available either 

through GPO Access or in cooperation 

with another partner. 

• Service partnerships assist GPO to 

provide enhanced services to Federal 

depository libraries. These partnerships 

can focus on repurposing GPOprovided information or on providing 

other services to depository libraries 

and the public. These services may 

provide assistance to librarians with 

administering their depository 

collections. 

• Hybrid partnerships are a mixture of 

content and service partnerships. For 

example, providing permanent public 

access to electronic U.S. Government 

information and also offering a service 

important to the administration of the 

FDLP collection. 

In the past year, GPO developed three new 

partnerships. The first, with the Naval 

Postgraduate School, allows depository 

libraries to gain access to the Homeland 

Security Digital Library (HSDL). 

In the second partnership for FY2008, GPO 

joined with the University of Illinois at 

Chicago and the other participating Federal 

depository libraries to promote the 

“Government Information Online: Ask a 

Librarian” (GIO) service. 

In the third partnership with the U.S. 

Government Accountability Office, 

permanent public access is ensured for the 

GAO Reports and GAO Comptroller General 

Decisions databases that are available on the 

GAO Web site. 

If you would like to propose a partnership 

with GPO, please submit a partnership 

inquiry form to us via the FDLP Desktop. 

OPAL 

I wanted to also take an opportunity to 

remind everyone that Online FDLP learning 

is available for Federal depository library 

participants via OPAL (Online Programming 

for All Libraries), an interactive Web-based 

meeting and conferencing service. 

The educational sessions may be live or 

prerecorded. In addition, training events are 

archived to allow those unable to attend a live 

event to replay the event at their convenience. 

17 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

Past presentations can be accessed through 

the OPAL site, which is linked from our 

Outreach link on the Desktop. 

This past year GPO opened up its OPAL 

room to members of the depository library 

community who would like to present 

additional educational and training sessions 

for the benefit of the community. Proposals 

should focus on a specific aspect of U.S. 

Government information, FDLP issues, or 

depository library operations and 

management. I encourage you to submit a 

proposal to participate by completing the 

Online Educational Program Proposal Form, 

found on the FDLP Desktop under Outreach. 

To date, two of our most popular OPAL 

sessions were presentations given by 

members of the FDLP community on 

preservation and creating successful OPAL 

presentations. 

To learn more about OPAL, to obtain URLs 

to archived GPO OPAL presentations, or to 

learn how to provide feedback for GPO’s 

OPAL presentations, please visit the FDLP 

Desktop. 

UPCOMING MEETING 

Finally, I’d like to remind you of GPO’s next 

important event: 

• The Spring 2009 Depository Library 

Council Meeting will be held April 20 – 

22, 2009 in Tampa, Florida at the Hyatt 

Regency Tampa. 

One of my goals for Tampa is to have every 

Federal depository library Director present 

for two very important discussions: a regional 

meeting and a meeting on the future of the 

FDLP in which I hope to engage the 

Depository Library Council, GPO staff, and 

all Federal depository library Directors. 

You can now make your reservations online 

at the Hyatt’s Web site, which can be 

accessed through the FDLP Desktop or by 

calling 1-800-233-1234. You must mention 

the GPO's Federal Depository Library 

Conference and Council meeting to receive 

the correct rate. 

Reservations should be made before Saturday 

March 28th, 2009 to ensure receiving the 

prevailing Government rate. The Government 

rate will be honored beginning Thursday, 

April 16 through Saturday, April 25, 2009. 

Finally, I want to thank each and every one of 

you for your time today and for your 

continued dedication to Government 

documents. 

Questions? 

If you have questions or comments on any of the content in Administrative Notes, please send them to askGPO, the 

online help service at: 

http://gpo.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/gpo.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

To ensure that your question is routed to the correct area, please choose the category "Federal Depository Libraries" 

and the appropriate subcategory, if any. 

You may also contact the GPO Customer Contact Center at 866-512-1800 (Toll-free), or at 202-512-1800 (DC 

Metropolitan Area), Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., EST. 

18 
AN-v30-n01-02-02/15/09 

Table of Contents 

Registration Open for Spring Depository Library Council Meeting; 

 Presentation Proposals Invited.................................................................................................... 1 

Nominate the 2009 Library of the Year........................................................................................ 2 

FDLP Desktop Re-launched with New Design ............................................................................ 2 

FDsys Public Beta Released ......................................................................................................... 3 

Authenticated Congressional Bills Now Live on GPO Access .................................................... 3 

New Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents Replaces Weekly........................................ 3 

GPO Releases Report on Conditions of Regional Depository Libraries ...................................... 4 

Issuance of New STAT-USA Passwords Postponed.................................................................... 4 

Census Documents Recalled......................................................................................................... 5 

Comments on the FDLP of the Future Invited.............................................................................. 6 

Administrative Notes Will Cease with Nov.-Dec. 2009 Issue...................................................... 6 

Update from Ric Davis, Acting Superintendent of Documents, at ALA 2009 

 Midwinter Meeting ..................................................................................................................... 7 

Administrative Notes Cumulative Table of Contents 

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

Updated with each issue 

Searchable by keyword 

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

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

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

send address changes to: Administrative Notes 

U.S. Government Printing Office 

 Stop IDED 

Washington, DC 20401 

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

19