ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES 

 Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

Vol. 17, no. 14 GP 3.16/3-2:17/14 October 15, 1996 

Fall 1996 Depository Library Council Meeting 

October 20-24, 1996 

Salt Lake City, Utah 

Agenda

Sunday 

October 20

Location 

4:00-5:00 Orientation to the Fall Meeting of the Depository Library Council 

This session is designed to acquaint first time attendees with how 

Council works and to preview the activities of the next three and a 

half days 

 •Dan O'Mahony, Brown University, Facilitator 

Continental 

5:30-7:00 Reception at University of Utah's Marriott Library 

(hors d'oeuvres and dessert) 

Note: Shuttle buses will be provided to transport attendees to and 

from the library 

Monday 

October 21

Morning 

8:00 Registration and Coffee with Council and GPO Staff 

8:30 Welcome & Introductions 

Review of Meeting Agenda 

•Jan Fryer, Council Chair 

Caprice 

8:45 Remarks 

•Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer 

Caprice 

9:00 GPO Update Caprice 

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•Wayne Kelley, Superintendent of Documents 

•T.C. Evans, Assistant Director, Office of Electronic Information 

Dissemination Services (EIDS) 

•Gil Baldwin, Chief, Library Division, Library Programs Service 

(LPS) 

•LPS Staff 

10:00 Break 

10:30 GPO Update (continued) Caprice 

11:30 Council Business Meeting 

Election of Assistant Chair/Chair Elect 

Discuss site for Fall 1997 meeting 

Caprice 

12:00 Lunch 

Monday

Afternoon 

1:30-3:15 Committee Reports/Meetings 

GPO Operations Committee 

Monthly Catalog Work Group 

Information Exchange Committee 

Title 44 Work Group 

Council Web Page Work Group 

Electronic Preservation and Archiving Issues Committee 

Ad Hoc Committee on FDLP Statistical Measurement 

Caprice 

2:00-3:00 Pathway Services (Demonstration) 

•Lee Morey, LPS Electronic Transition Staff (ETS) 

Fairlane 

3:15 Break 

3:30 Audience Questions and Answers Caprice 

3:30-5:00 Regionals Planning Session 

•Sheila McGarr, LPS, Facilitator 

Fairlane 

4:00 Council Discussion Caprice 

4:30 Council Business 

Discuss & outline recommendation issues and action items to this 

point 

Caprice 

5:15 Adjourn 

6:00 Dinner with Council and GPO 

(groups form in hotel lobby) 
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Tuesday 

October 22

Morning 

8:00 Coffee with Council and GPO 

8:30 Plenary Session Caprice 

8:45 Service Issues in the Electronic Environment (Discussion Group) Caprice 

8:45 Building Partnerships to Insure Permanent Access (Focus Group) 

•Duncan Aldrich, ETS, Facilitator 

Imperial 

8:45 Pathway Services (Demonstration) 

Lee Morey, ETS 

Fairlane 

10:00 Break 

10:30 Service Guidelines in the Electronic Environment (Focus Group) Caprice 

10:30 GILS (Demonstration & Discussion) 

•Eliot Christian, U.S. Geological Survey 

Fairlane 

10:30 National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Focus 

Group on Assessment of Standards for Creation and Dissemination 

of Electronic Government Information 

Imperial 

12:00 Lunch 

Tuesday

Afternoon 

2:00-3:00 Statistical Measures of Service and Use (Discussion) 

•Anne Watts, St. Louis Public Library, Facilitator 

Caprice 

2:00-3:00 GPO Information Exchange 

•GPO Staff 

Imperial 

2:00-5:00 GPO Access (Demonstration) 

•T.C. Evans, EIDS 

Fairlane 

3:00 Break 

3:15-4:00 Focus Group on Program Ideas for the Spring '97 Federal 

Depository Conference 

•Sheila McGarr, Facilitator 

Imperial 

3:15-5:00 Council Discussion 

Discuss and outline recommendation issues and action items 

Caprice 

5:00 Adjourn 

Wednesday 
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October 23

Morning 

8:00 Coffee with Council and GPO 

8:30 Council Working Session 

Outline, discuss and draft recommendations and action items 

Fairlane 

8:30 Using the WWW to Ease the Transition to a More Electronic 

Federal Depository Library Program 

•Cindy Etkin, Western Kentucky University 

Caprice 

10:00 Break 

10:30 Federal Documents as Genealogical Research Tools 

•Carole Callard, LPS 

Caprice 

10:30 Council Working Session (continued) Fairlane 

12:00 Lunch 

Wednesday

Afternoon 

1:00 Tour of Temple Square 

1:30 Council Working Session (continued) Fairlane 

2:00-4:00 Tour of LDS Genealogical Center 

3:00 Break 

3:30 Council Working Session (continued) Fairlane 

5:00 Adjourn 

Thursday 

October 24

Morning 

8:00 Coffee with Council and GPO 

8:30 Council Report on Draft Recommendations and Action Items Caprice 

10:15 Concluding Remarks 

•Michael F. DiMario, Public Printer 

10:30 Adjourn 
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Recommendations from the Spring 1996 Meeting 

of the 

Depository Library Council to the Public Printer 

GPO STUDY ISSUES

1. Council commends the Government Printing Office for completing the Congressionallydirected Study to Identify Measures for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal 

Depository Library Program (FDLP), for including representatives from the library community on 

the Study Executive Working Group and Advisory Group, and for carefully considering the input 

of depository libraries throughout the study process. 

2. Council supports the "Principles for Federal Government Information" and the "Mission and 

Goals for the FDLP," as stated in the draft Report to Congress, and Council recommends the 

adoption of these statements for the FDLP. 

3. Council commends GPO for adopting a five-year time frame for the initial transition to a more 

electronic FDLP, and recommends that GPO continue to work with the library community, 

Federal agencies, and other appropriate parties, to assess the 

capabilities of program partners, and their progress towards implementing and expanding access to 

electronic Government information. 

Response [to 1, 2, and 3]: The Government Printing Office (GPO) appreciates the participation, 

advice, and support of the Council throughout the process which culminated in the Study to 

Identify Measures for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library 

Program: Report to the Congress (Study). The future direction and timetable for incorporating 

electronic information into the FDLP has been developed and generally accepted by the Congress 

and the depository library community. As a result of articulating the principles and goals, and the 

short- and long-term planning efforts, the Library Programs Service (LPS) is better able to balance 

the complex issues attending the transition to electronic information dissemination and our 

ongoing traditional services. 

4. Council recommends that the Public Printer seek common ground with the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) on Federal policy that would achieve an appropriate degree of 

government-wide coherence in public information as has traditionally been 

accomplished through centralized cataloging. 

RATIONALE: Given the huge volume and diversity of information produced and/or 

disseminated by the Federal Government, descriptive cataloging which continues to allow libraries 

and other information providers to incorporate electronic resources 

into existing location mechanisms is of fundamental importance for public access. This is an even 

greater imperative as more information moves toward intangible electronic products. Yet it does 

not seem that the OMB legislative proposal specifically addresses how the cataloging function 

would be achieved without GPO in the publishing loop. Council is hopeful that a constructive 
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discussion with OMB on this specific topic of cataloging would provide important insights on all 

sides of the issue. 

Response: GPO is committed to working with the library community, Congress and Federal 

agencies, public access groups, and others to implement a program of public access to 

Government information for the 21st century that will be both workable and cost-effective. GPO 

has, on many occasions, provided input to OMB on the development and implementation of 

information policies for the executive branch, such as the revision of OMB Circular A-130. 

Recently, OMB participated on the working group of the Study, and assisted GPO in gathering 

information regarding the inclusion of executive agency CD-ROM products in the FDLP. GPO 

reviewed and commented upon the OMB draft "Electronic Depository Library Act of 1996." 

More recently, OMB supported the strategic alliance between GPO and the Department of 

Commerce to produce the Commerce Business Daily electronically. This alliance places GPO in 

a centralized role for electronically collecting and disseminating Government procurement notices. 

GPO will continue to seek common ground with OMB on Federal policy that would achieve an 

appropriate degree of Government-wide coherence in public information as has traditionally been 

accomplished through cooperative cataloging. However, to date OMB fundamentally refuses to 

concede the utility of a centralized mechanism in the Superintendent of Documents to facilitate 

public access to Government information through depository libraries, despite the conclusion of 

the recent Study. To OMB, such a mechanism "inappropriately clings to the past." OMB wants a 

completely decentralized depository dissemination program regardless of cost and regardless of 

problems such a program would cause for public access, and it is determined to achieve this 

program, even going to the lengths of soliciting congressional support for a legislative proposal to 

decentralize the FDLP without consulting GPO, the library community, or the membership of the 

study group of which it was at that time a part. 

5. Council commends GPO for its aggressive and creative proposals for expanding access to 

Government information and providing access to previously fugitive Government information. 

Response: We will continue to pursue creative, cost-effective solutions which employ electronic 

technologies in order to increase the information available through the FDLP. 

6. Council supports the Technical Implementation Analysis outlined in the draft Report to 

Congress and urges GPO to continue to pursue the means for conducting this analysis. 

RATIONALE: Council remains concerned that the transition to a more electronic Federal 

Depository Library Program continues to proceed without fundamental data necessary to 

determine the most cost-effective and feasible alternatives for providing access to electronic 

Government information to the public through the FDLP. 

Data is needed for analysis: from publishers in all three branches of Government to determine 

their expected current and long-term electronic publishing plans; and from depository libraries to 

determine their present and near-term technological 

capabilities, including equipment, skills of staff, and electronic technologies best suited to meet 

user needs. Data is also needed to address issues raised in the Technical 

Implementation Assistance (Appendix A) section of the draft Report to Congress. 
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Response: The Study concluded that additional research and analysis in the area of electronic 

information product standards would facilitate the transition to a more electronic FDLP. The 

effective use of electronic Government information products could be enhanced by the greater 

utilization of standards in the creation and dissemination of information. A central 

implementation issue is the identification and utilization of standards for creation and 

dissemination of electronic Government information products. These standards would enhance 

access to and use of Government information by both the Government and the public. 

Therefore, GPO is proposing an Assessment of Standards for Creation and Dissemination of 

Electronic Government Information through a joint effort with the National Commission on 

Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS). The proposed assessment replaces the Technical 

Implementation Assistance statement of work in the March 1996 draft Report. 

The assessment will determine the range of formats Federal agencies currently use in the creation 

and dissemination of information and to assess the de facto or actual standards that are in use for 

each major type of data. It will also identify areas where there is no standardization, or such 

limited standardization that the effect is virtually the same, and it will evaluate standards utilized by 

private sector and other non-governmental publishers. This information will provide the basis for 

an assessment, in consultation with the depository library community, of the usefulness and 

cost-effectiveness of various electronic formats for depository library dissemination or access. It 

will also be the basis for a dialog with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), 

NCLIS, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and others with an interest in 

establishing and promulgating Government-wide standards for information creation and 

dissemination. 

REVISION OF TITLE 44 U.S.C.

1. Council supports in concept the definitions of Government information, Government 

information product, and Government electronic information services as articulated in the draft 

Report to Congress. Council recommends that GPO continue to work with Congress and the 

library community to identify and recommend legislative changes necessary for a successful 

transition to a more electronic FDLP. 

RATIONALE: The definitions make useful distinctions which should be incorporated in 

revisions to Title 44. They are not technology-specific and will permit the statutory definitions to 

continue to provide direction even as technological changes occur in information formats. GPO 

has the experience, broad perspective, and involvement with the user community that are essential 

for productive revision of Title 44 to ensure effective access to Government information. 

2. Council affirms the role of the Superintendent of Documents in the Government-wide 

coordination of public access to Government information, including the preservation, retention, 

and long-term access of Government information, as articulated in the draft Report to the 

Congress. 

RATIONALE: Historically, GPO has provided the central coordinating authority for distribution 

of print products and has recently moved into a new role as a provider of online information 
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services. The Superintendent of Documents (SOD) has a proven history of strong and effective 

involvement with its user community. The SOD has provided bibliographic access and a 

mechanism for long-term access to Federal Government information for more than one hundred 

years. No other Federal agency has the experience and commitment to broad public access that 

the SOD can 

provide. Throughout this period of rapid transition and changing technologies, the guidance and 

assistance of the Superintendent of Documents is critical in order to meet the challenge of 

maintaining public access to Government information. 

Response [to 1 and 2]: Substantial changes in the FDLP already are underway within the structure 

of the existing statute. GPO is acting upon its existing statutory authority to incorporate electronic 

Government information products into the FDLP. In addition, we are pleased with the strong 

support which emerged in the working group discussions concerning the value of having the 

authority for a broad-based public information program rest in the Legislative Branch. Nearly all 

of the participants felt that this model has served the public well. High value was placed on the 

presence of the FDLP in every Congressional district, to directly serve the public in local library 

settings. 

However, certain amendments to Chapter 19 of Title 44 would facilitate the transition. For 

example, it should be established without question that electronic Government information must 

be included in the FDLP, to establish authority and responsibility for the FDLP to ensure that 

both tangible and electronic Government information products are maintained permanently for 

depository library and public access, and to authorize the Superintendent of Documents to request 

that the originating agencies provide electronic source data files of their information products. 

Some suggestions for legislative changes, which incorporate the advice of various program 

stakeholders, are included in the Study Report. At the request of the Senate Committee on Rules 

and Administration, a detailed proposal for revising Chapter 19 was prepared and forwarded to the 

Committee for consideration. This proposal was published in its entirety in a special issue of 

Administrative Notes dated August 30, 1996, and is also available at the GPO World Wide Web 

(WWW; Web) site. 

APPROPRIATE FORMATS

1. Council commends GPO for a timely test of the accuracy, feasibility, and cost implications of 

scanning paper publications for electronic dissemination to depositories. The depository library 

community is concerned about GPO's conclusion that 

graphic-intensive publications of less than thirty pages in length are candidates for electronic 

conversion. Council notes that these publications are often intended for public dissemination for 

informational purposes by the agency. These titles may not be suitable for their intended audience 

in electronic format and may present printing problems for depository libraries and users. 

Response: GPO has concluded that scanning documents is not a cost-effective mechanism for 

disseminating Government information products. Scanning was being explored as a mechanism 

for implementing an aggressive approach to changing the FDLP to a predominantly electronic 

program in 2.5 years, as discussed in "The Electronic Federal Depository Library Program: 

Transition Plan, FY 1996 - FY 1998." Comments from depository libraries and agency publishers 
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suggested that a 5 to 7 year time frame was more realistic, and this time frame was subsequently 

accepted by the Congress. Consequently, we plan to focus our efforts on following the lead of 

agency publishers as they make the transition from paper and microfiche to electronic products, 

rather than forcing the migration through expensive or inappropriate technologies. GPO will 

convert to electronic information at the same pace as publishing agencies can produce it and 

depository libraries can absorb it. It would be substantially more costly for GPO to convert agency 

print publications to electronic formats than it will be to work in partnership with the agencies, 

assisting them in accelerating their own electronic publishing initiatives. 

However, cases will occur when we are unable to obtain adequate copies of graphic-intensive 

products for distribution to depository libraries. Such products are often ill-suited for conversion 

to microfiche. In order to bring these fugitive products into the FDLP, LPS and GPO's 

Production Services have been investigating alternative formats for making these products 

accessible via the World Wide Web. In order to evaluate the usability and acceptance of these 

alternatives, seven titles have been converted to ASCII text files and JPEG and PDF image files. 

These test files are accessible from the Browse Electronic Titles page on the Web. We urge 

depository librarians to evaluate these alternatives and forward their comments and reactions to 

LPS. 

2. Council reaffirms the principle that paper is a viable format for disseminating Government 

information. When choosing publications for scanning, Council reminds GPO that a basic 

assumption stated in the Strategic Plan is that paper and 

microfiche will continue to be distributed when appropriate for user needs. 

RATIONALE: Council remains concerned that, while GPO and the other participants of the 

Study process have formally recognized the importance of paper as an appropriate format, the 

short term economic benefit of electronic conversion will overshadow this principle. Council, as 

an advisory body to the Public Printer, 

wishes to keep the issue of appropriate information media squarely before GPO, and recommends 

that this principle be reinforced during any deliberations and plans regarding dissemination 

formats. 

Response: According to the Strategic Plan included in the Study Report, the FDLP will continue 

to offer information products in a variety of formats and media, including paper, microfiche, CDROM, video, slides, floppy diskettes, or solely electronic products. GPO has included in the 

Strategic Plan a group of core titles that must remain in the FDLP in paper, even if they also are 

published as either tangible or remotely accessible products. These titles support the public's right 

to know about the essential activities of their Government. GPO has requested funding to continue 

providing these titles in paper format as long as they are published in paper. 

Plans to move products from paper and microfiche to a largely electronic format have been made 

in relation to a five to seven year transition period, which allows time for term contracts to be 

modified as agencies move to electronic dissemination of content. Current conversion of products 

to electronic formats generally occurs in conjunction with agency publishing decisions, such as 

when an agency discontinues a paper or microfiche product and LPS is offered only an electronic 

format. We are also reviewing the List of Classes to identify inactive item numbers and 

classification numbers. At the present, newsletters and current awareness products are subject to 
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being discontinued when the content is located on an electronic site, and telephone books and 

directories are being discontinued when a CD-ROM is distributed through the FDLP or when we 

point to an electronic site. Council and the depository community will be advised before any large 

categories of material are identified for conversion to an electronic format. 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC ACCESS ISSUES

1. Council applauds the efforts of the Electronic Transition Staff and the Cataloging Branch to 

develop diverse and creative approaches toward providing bibliographic access to Government 

information in electronic formats. However, Council recommends that GPO provide a 

mechanism that will search these multiple 

directories simultaneously. Alternatively, Council suggests merging the files of the Pathway List of 

Titles and the Bibliographic Records Project so that those items residing at GPO sites will be 

searched along with those items residing at other 

Federal Government agency sites. 

RATIONALE: Council sees significant advantages in providing for such simultaneous searching 

capabilities. As the amount of Government information on the Internet increases, it will be 

increasingly difficult to track or separate, for searching purposes, information residing at GPO sites 

and Government information residing elsewhere. There are potential advantages for GPO in this 

approach as well. Since the Pathway List of Titles and the Bibliographic Records Project both 

provide title-level access to electronic Government information products, the efforts directed 

toward the two projects could be consolidated to create one unified title index. 

Response: We appreciate Council's recommendation to provide a single search option for various 

locator related services. Our decision to catalog remotely accessible electronic titles at non-GPO 

Internet sites establishes the Monthly Catalog as a single source of this information and meets the 

need for a coordinated search platform for Internet titles. 

The suite of Pathway Services includes the Browse Electronic Titles Page that includes documents 

located at GPO and at other agency web sites. Materials identified for inclusion on the Browse 

Electronic Titles page are also cataloged into the Monthly Catalog, thus meeting Council's 

recommendation to provide direction to resources located at other Federal Government agency 

sites. LPS staff are also working with staff in Production to develop a program to take the user 

from the Browse Electronic Titles page individual title entry directly to the Monthly Catalog record 

without re-keying on the MoCat search page. This will allow the Browse Electronic Titles page to 

fulfill the announcement of electronic access to depository libraries for individual products, while 

relying on the flagship application of the online Monthly Catalog to meet bibliographic information 

needs as it has done for print products. 

2. Council recommends that GPO develop and incorporate, within its suite of Pathway 

Government Electronic Products, records that communicate "continues" and "continued by" notes, 

as well as previous format statements. Council further recommends that depository libraries be 

notified when print/microfiche titles are 

replaced by electronic, Internet-accessible titles. 
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RATIONALE: In this very dynamic environment of electronic Government information, it is 

essential that records contain sufficient information for depository librarians to provide accurate 

and efficient service. This includes, but is not limited to, being able to tell a patron that prior to 

this date this title was distributed to depository libraries in paper/fiche or after this date this title was 

made available via the Internet at this URL (universal resource locator). Communication of this 

information is also necessary so that similar notations may be made in local shelflists and/or 

OPAC (online public access catalog) entries. 

Response: We appreciate Council's interest in policies that link and describe the relationship 

between records for physical forms and electronic equivalents. Our policy is to link records for 

the most recently published physical forms to records for their remotely accessible electronic 

versions. Serials records have been produced in accordance with this practice for several years. 

Because of Council's concerns, this practice is being expanded to provide links between 

monograph records for tangible products and monograph records for their electronic equivalents. 

3. Council supports the Library Programs Service (LPS) proposal that a Superintendent of 

Documents classification stem and an accession number be assigned to each Government 

information product accessible via GPO Access to partially serve 

as a unique locator. 

RATIONALE: Provision of a classification number with a stem represents a transitional middle 

ground which will assist depository librarians to relate Internet sources to previously printed 

information and help to identify the provenance of 

electronic publications. It is anticipated that in the future this program may be superseded by 

other programs, such as the Persistent Uniform Resource Locator (PURL) that is under 

development internationally. 

Response: LPS appreciates Council support of this proposal, and notes the value of the 

discussions which took place at the Spring 1996 Council meeting in refining this concept. When a 

new product is classified, an appropriate classification number stem is utilized and an accession 

number from ACSIS (LPS' Acquisition, Classification and Shipment Information System) is 

assigned to the product. LPS continues to discuss with other agencies the need for a persistent 

name to be attached to electronic information products from the beginning of the life cycle of the 

product to the end, but a specific project has not yet been established. This is one of the issues 

that will be considered in the assessment of standards to be done by NCLIS, in coordination with 

NARA and NIST. 

RETENTION, PRESERVATION, AND LONG-TERM ACCESS ISSUES

1. Council affirms that the Federal Government has the responsibility to ensure that Government 

information is preserved. All Government information made available to the public through GPO 

Access, as well as information at Federal agency sites to which the public is directed by GPO 

Pathway services, should be considered Federal depository information and should be preserved 

in perpetuity unless determined otherwise by the Superintendent of Documents. 
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RATIONALE: In the increasingly decentralized electronic environment within the Federal 

Government, it has become increasingly difficult to ensure that all Government information is 

identified and becomes a candidate for retention, access, and 

preservation. Consequently, a centralized coordinating authority such as the Superintendent of 

Documents is more necessary than ever. In the absence of a central authority that identifies 

Government information worthy of retention, much valuable information may be lost forever. 

Response: GPO agrees with the underlying principle of this recommendation. In the Study 

Report we stated: 

Government information is part of our national heritage ... Therefore, it is a 

Government obligation to guarantee the preservation of Government information 

for future generations of Americans ... Despite changing times and technologies, 

public access to these types of information in a meaningful format must be 

maintained in perpetuity to ensure the continued accountability of the Government 

to its present and future citizens. 

As the agency responsible for administration of the FDLP, GPO assumes responsibility for 

coordinating a distributed system for the provision of permanent access to Government 

information products made available through the FDLP, including--when appropriate--information 

products that Federal agencies post to agency Internet sites. The word appropriate is used because 

it is recognized that not all Federal information posted to the Internet is within the definition of 

Federal Government information products for which the GPO assumes responsibility. 

Furthermore, given our commitment to providing permanent, meaningful access to FDLP 

information resources, GPO fully intends to provide access in perpetuity to GPO Access databases 

and all Federal Government information products within the custody of the GPO or GPO partner 

institutions. 

2. Council recommends that the Public Printer coordinate with the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA) to develop plans for preserving material and to determine the 

categories of material that NARA will maintain. 

RATIONALE: NARA's current practices and policies probably would not ensure that all 

important public information in electronic formats would be preserved for posterity. For instance, 

NARA does not currently retain electronic information for which there 

is no source documentation. Further, NARA converts information to the lowest common source 

format, such as ASCII, and does not retain distinct software interfaces for databases. Council 

recommends that GPO, in discussion with NARA, adopt the principle that information retired to 

NARA will, insofar as possible, be as accessible as before it was retired; in other words, the 

information should be complete, searchable, and available when it is needed by the user. For 

electronic information that NARA will not be maintaining, or for information to which NARA 

cannot ensure adequate access, GPO and the depository library community should look for other 

partners willing to maintain access to the information. 

Response: The need for coordination with NARA on a variety of topics is a significant concern to 

the GPO. The GPO believes that to ensure permanent public access to official electronic 
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Government information products, NARA, NIST, and other appropriate stakeholders must be 

consulted to establish authenticity, provide persistent identification and description of Government 

information products, and establish appropriate arrangements for continuing accessibility. The 

Electronic Transition Staff (ETS) has been given the responsibility for coordinating a dialog with 

NARA to identify common issues and to discuss measures which might be taken to address these 

issues jointly. 

GPO shares Council’s concern that electronic Federal Government information products be 

preserved, and that preserved products be readily available in a useful format. GPO perceives the 

specific function of preservation to be within the mission of NARA. However, much as regional 

libraries provide permanent access to FDLP information products issued in tangible formats, the 

GPO plans to provide ready and useful permanent access to electronic Government information 

products either through GPO or though FDLP partner institutions, particularly for products that 

would be less available or useful through preservation programs. We have met with NARA 

concerning these issues, and have come to a general agreement that GPO and NARA will 

cooperate in planning for permanent access to and preservation of electronic Government 

information products. 

3. In providing guidance on partnerships between libraries and other non-governmental entities 

(as recommended by Council in Fall 1995), GPO should stress the importance of providing for 

long-term access and identifying responsibilities for archiving data. 

RATIONALE: Council recognizes the number of partnerships being formed between depository 

libraries and Federal agencies for accessing electronic information. Council views these 

arrangements as a positive trend in the transition to an electronic depository library system. 

Increasing the number of sites housing electronic Government information can help ensure 

long-term access. However, Council believes LPS should develop model agreements which 

libraries can use in negotiating with 

Federal agencies. The model agreements will help ensure that libraries and agencies consider 

minimum standards for technical and service issues including archiving data for long-term access. 

In addition, model agreements will allow LPS to serve as a central source for information on 

electronic partnerships for Federal Government information. 

Response: GPO has recognized the need for partnering to ensure permanent access to FDLP 

information products and has assigned the task of further developing the concept of FDLP 

partnerships to the ETS. Immediate objectives of the ETS include the creation of model 

agreements that identify major criteria and responsibilities for FDLP partners, the establishment of 

several prototype partnerships with FDLP libraries, and the exploration of partnering agreements 

with Federal agencies. ETS plans to hold a focus-group session at the Fall 1996 Depository 

Library Council Meeting in Salt Lake City to discuss major issues and criteria pertaining to the 

permanent access and partnership concepts. 

TRAINING AND COMMUNICATIONS ISSUES
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1. Council recommends that GPO offer a training component at the Fall Depository Library 

Council Meeting in Salt Lake City. Council offers its assistance with planning and, as appropriate, 

providing some of the training. 

RATIONALE: Training continues to be eagerly sought by Government information specialists. 

The success of the 1996 spring Conference is ample testimony to this fact. In its Strategic Plan FY 

1996 - FY 2001, GPO identified training as one of several support services it should provide to 

libraries and librarians (p. 11). Council recognizes that the training sessions at the fall meeting 

probably cannot be as elaborate as those provided at the spring Conference. However, with the 

addition of an extra half day to the schedule to accommodate Council's need for daytime work 

sessions, extra time could also be devoted to training. Council believes that with creative planning 

the costs of providing training sessions could be minimized. Providing such opportunities for 

professional growth would also enhance GPO's image within the depository library community. 

Response: A 3-hour demonstration of GPO Access will be conducted during the fall 1996 

Council meeting in Salt Lake City. Computer facilities were not available to conduct "hands on" 

training classes as contractual obligations were in place before this recommendation was received 

and computer labs at area depositories were not available. In planning for future fall Council 

meetings, the need for a "hands on" training site will be considered. 

2. Council encourages the GPO staff involved in writing documentation for electronic products to 

work with gateway libraries and other interested librarians (i.e. technical support personnel) to 

create user-friendly documentation. Council is pleased to offer its assistance in the organization of 

such a group which would develop a mechanism for facilitating coordination and communication 

between those individuals involved with writing user-friendly documentation and others who would 

advise them. 

RATIONALE: Council is mindful of the dedication and effort that the GPO staff exert in the 

writing of documentation for electronic information products. We believe that with greater 

involvement from the user community, the task would be less burdensome for GPO and provide 

an increased amount of user-friendly documentation. 

Response: GPO's Office of Electronic Information Dissemination Services (EIDS) provides GPO 

Access training, documentation and user support for depository librarians and other users. We 

welcome user input and comments regarding our training products, and make every attempt to 

address such feedback when these products are revised. Documents librarians and other GPO 

Access users are encouraged to send any comments or suggestions for improving the GPO Access 

service or training products by using the e-mail address <fdlphelp@gpo.gov> located at the bottom 

of our Web pages. 

3. Council recommends that GPO establish an official mechanism that enables them to 

communicate electronically with depository libraries. 

RATIONALE: This "official" communications channel should have the capability to enable GPO 

to disseminate official, system-wide communications as well as receive information from the 

depository libraries. Types of communication activity should include (but not be limited to) 

conducting surveys in a timely manner, posting Administrative Notes and other information tools, 
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initiating claims, disseminating news releases and announcements, etc. This mechanism is not 

intended to be used as a discussion forum. 

Response: LPS inaugurated an FDLP Program Administration page on GPO's Web site in 

August. The direct link is <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/fdlppro.html>. LPS 

publications, such as the "Guidelines for the Federal Depository Library Program," Administrative 

Notes and Administrative Notes Technical Supplement, and the "Superseded List" are available for 

viewing or download. Meeting announcements and key LPS staff lists, linked with e-mail 

addresses, are also available. 

Beginning January 1, 1997, LPS will upload only the Tables of Contents from Administrative 

Notes and Administrative Notes Technical Supplement to the GOVDOC-L listserv. Those 

interested in the complete electronic text must use our Web site. A printed copy of these 

publications will continue to be distributed to all depository libraries in the shipment boxes. 

We are currently in the early stages of planning and developing applications which will allow the 

receipt of FDLP-related information via Web forms transactions. Applications under 

consideration include selection surveys, conference registrations, claims, etc., from depository 

librarians, and electronic information product notifications from agency publishers. 

GPO OPERATIONAL AND TECHNICAL ISSUES

1. Council recommends that GPO set as a high priority supplying GPO cataloging personnel with 

adequate computer equipment, Internet accessibility, and appropriate software so that they can 

carry out their responsibilities. 

RATIONALE: As the central coordinating authority for bibliographic access to electronic Federal 

Government information, it is imperative that GPO staff have the necessary technical 

infrastructure, equipment, and support in place in order to identify, catalog, and monitor 

Government Internet sources and provide necessary bibliographic access to these sources for 

libraries and users. 

Response: Staff in LPS have access to computer equipment with Internet capability. While the 

number of computers actually connected to the Internet does not yet equal the number of staff, 

this number has increased greatly from last spring and we are awaiting placement of wiring and 

equipment for connection to a LAN to provide the rest of the requisite Internet connections. 

2. Council recommends that GPO take full advantage of its World Wide Web site to provide the 

broadest access to information about the Federal Depository Library Program and databases and 

resources such as the Publications Reference File (PRF). 

Response: Programming has been done to bring the PRF online via GPO's Web site. As stated 

above, LPS has developed and mounted the FDLP Program Administration page, through which 

we intend to provide depository libraries future online access to their item selection profiles. 
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3. Council recommends that GPO invest in Universal Resource Locator (URL) verification 

software. 

RATIONALE: The present World Wide Web URL technology is not designed to have any 

reliable amount of persistence. Consequently, a significant portion of the information referenced 

with URLs becomes lost on a weekly basis. The URL verification software cannot fix broken 

URLs, but it can at least demonstrate 

which URLs seem to have become obsolete at the time the URL verification is attempted. These 

URLs might then be considered for elimination or re-location to the new URL. 

Response: LPS staff have acquired a URL checker that is run on the Browse Electronic Titles list 

on a regular basis. As the URLs in the online MoCat are CGI (Common Gateway Interface) 

script, the regular URL checkers will not work for this resource. Cataloging Branch staff are 

working with programmers to develop a program to check the URL's in the online Monthly 

Catalog. 

DLC ACTION ITEMS

1. Council will submit a written response with comments to GPO regarding the draft Report to 

Congress within the 60 day comment period. Copies of these comments will be forwarded to the 

appropriate Congressional committees. 

2. Council will conduct an orientation session at the Fall 1996 DLC meeting in Salt Lake City to 

introduce new documents librarians and first-time attendees to the mission, organization, meetings, 

and work of the DLC. 

3. Prior to the Fall 1996 Council meeting, Council should examine the issue of service 

expectations for depository information in online electronic formats. The lack of 

selectivity for online formats and its relationship to collection development should also be 

considered, as well as the relative responsibilities of regional and selective depositories for 

depository information in online electronic formats. 

4. Statistical Measurement Committee 

 Members: Anne Watts, Chair 

 Cindy Etkin 

 Lynn Walshak 

Charge: Support the efforts of GPO in gathering, analyzing, and disseminating statistical 

information in support of the Federal Depository Library Program. A progress report of actions 

of the Committee will be provided at the Fall 1996 meeting of the Depository Library Council. 

Tasks: 

 a.To develop a statistical survey that can be used annually. 
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 b.To create a glossary of terms to ensure consistent data collection among all depository 

libraries. 

 c.To explore or identify existing statistical studies that would be useful for these efforts (i.e. cost 

benefit, input-output measures). 

 d.To provide guidance in identifying a valid random sampling from among depository libraries 

and other measures of data collection. 

5. Council will develop guidelines for the new DLC web site and will develop mechanisms for 

adding/updating information on the web site. 

COMMENDATIONS

1. The Depository Library Council commends Wayne Kelley, Chair of the Study; Judy Russell, 

Chair of the Working Group; Jay Young, and Gil Baldwin for their leadership and hard work in 

the production of the "Report to the Congress: Study to Identify 

Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Depository Library 

Program." 

2. The Depository Library Council commends Julia Wallace, of the University of Minnesota, for 

representing the depository library community on the GPO Study Work Group. 

3. The Depository Library Council commends Maggie Parhamovich Farrell and Raeann Dossett 

for assisting in the development of GPO Pathway services. 

4. The Depository Library Council commends Kathryn McConnell of GPO Creative Services for 

her graphic design and assistance on Council's project, "Fulfilling Madison's Vision." 

5. The Depository Library Council commends Sheila McGarr and GPO staff for their 

extraordinary planning and organization of a very, very successful 1996 Depository Library 

Conference. 

6. The Depository Library Council commends GPO for providing and distributing diskettes of 

the American Library Association Government Documents Round Table Handout Exchange at 

the 1996 Federal Depository Library Conference. 

7. The Depository Library Council wishes to thank the Public Printer, Michael F. DiMario, for 

extending Council sessions by an extra day to allow time for Council input, deliberations, and 

development of recommendations. 
AN-v17-#14-10/15/96 

18

 Depository Library Council to the Public Printer

 Members

Term Expires September 30, 1997

Phyllis R. Christenson 

Director, Information Services Center 

U.S. General Accounting Office 

441 G Street NW 

Washington, DC 20548 

(202) 512-2647 

(202) 512-8405 

christensonp.isc@gao.gov 

Susan Dow 

Electronic Information Services Librarian 

Law Library 

State University of New York at Buffalo 

O'Brian Hall - Amherst Campus 

Buffalo, NY 14260 

(716) 645-2347 

Fax: (716) 645-3860 

lwlsusan@acsu..buffalo.edu 

Janice Anita Fryer 

Reference Librarian 

152 Parks Library 

Iowa State University 

Ames, IA 50011 

(515) 294-2849 

Fax: (515) 294-5525 

jfryer@iastate.edu 

Stephen M. Hayes 

Reference & Public Documents Librarian 

115 Hesburgh Library 

University of Notre Dame 

Notre Dame, IN 46556-2956 

(219) 631-5268 

Fax: (219) 631-6367 

shayes@vma.cc.nd.edu 

David R. Hoffman 

P.O. Box 247 

Harrisburg, PA 17108-0247 

(717) 232-7926 

Term Expires September 30, 1998

Eliot J. Christian 

Chief, Data and Information Management 

Staff 

Information Systems Division 

U.S. Geological Survey 

802 National Center 

Reston, VA 22092 

(703) 648-7245 

Fax: (703) 648-7069 

echristi@usgs.gov 

Dan Clemmer 

Head Librarian 

U.S. Department of State Library 

IM/IS/OIS/LR, Room 3239 

Washington, DC 20520 

(202) 647-3002 

Fax: (202) 647-2971 

clemmer@class.org 

Lynn G. Walshak 

Head, Government Documents Department 

Zach Henderson Library 

Georgia Southern University 

Statesboro, GA 30460-8074 

(912) 681-5117 

Fax: (912) 681-5034 

lwalshak@gasou.edu 

Anne Watts 

Coordinator, Information and Technology 

Services 

St. Louis Public Library 

1301 Olive 

St. Louis, MO 63103 

(314) 539-0377 

Fax: (314) 539-0393 

bookie@vulcan.inlink.com 
AN-v17-#14-10/15/96 

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Dr. Richard Hume Werking 

Director, Nimitz Library, Associate Dean and 

Professor of History 

U.S. Naval Academy 

Annapolis, MD 21402-5029 

(410) 293-6901 

Fax: (410) 293-3669 

rwerking@nadn.navy.mil 

Term Expires September 30, 1999

Thomas K. Andersen 

Head, Government Publications 

California State Library 

Government Publications Section 

P.O. Box 942837 

Sacramento, CA 94237-0001 

(916) 654-0243 

Fax: (916) 654-0241 

tanderse@library.ca.gov 

Carol Bednar 

Senior Assistant Librarian 

Department of Technical Service 

University Library 

California State University Fullerton 

Fullerton, CA 92634 

(714) 449-7035 

cbednar@fullerton.edu 

Denise Davis 

Public Library Consultant 

Division of Library Development and Services 

Maryland Department of Education 

Baltimore, MD 21201-2595 

(410) 767-0437 

Fax: (410) 333-2507 

dd46@umail.umd.edu 

Diane Eidelman 

Documents Librarian 

Suffolk Cooperative Library System 

627 North Sunrise Service Road 

Bellport, NY 11713 

(516) 286-1600 ext. 325 

Fax: (516) 286-1647 

diane@suffolk.lib.ny.us 

Margaret S. Walker 

Head, Government Documents Department 

Florida Atlantic University 

3130 Millwood Terrace, #M109 

Boca Raton, FL 33431 

(407) 367-3788 

walker@acc.fau.edu 
AN-v17-#14-10/15/96 

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Table of Contents

Depository Library Council Meeting Agenda: Fall 1996 ........................... 1 

Responses to Council Recommendations, 1996, Spring ............................ 5 

Depository Library Council Members, October 1996...............................18