Administrative Notes 

Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

Vol. 23, no. 15 GP 3.16/3-2:23/15 December 15, 2002 

HIGHLIGHTS

James Is New 

Public Printer 1 

Partlow Named 

GPO Chief of 

Staff 2

Check Your 

Directory Entry 2 

Claims

Exhausted Page 

Added to Claim 

Form 3

Sales MF Now 

Online Only 3 

New Formats

Distributed 4 

STAT-USA/ 

USA Trade 

Passwords 5 

Fall Council 

Recommendations 5 

Bruce R. James Is New Public 

Printer 

Bruce R. James, 60, of Crystal Bay, Nevada, became the 24th Public 

Printer in the 141-year history of United States Government Printing 

Office on November 26, 2002, when President Bush signed his 

commission. 

James, a 1964 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of 

Printing Management and Sciences, brings a lifetime of print and 

information industry experience to the GPO. Beginning with a basement 

printshop in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio at age 11, he founded, 

developed and managed technology-driven printing and publishing 

enterprises that operated throughout the country and the world. One of the 

firms, San Francisco-based Barclays Law Publishers, was selected for four 

consecutive years by Inc. Magazine as one of the Nation’s 500 fastest 

growing companies. 

In 1993, at age 50, he retired from business and moved with his wife, 

Nora, to Lake Tahoe in Nevada, to devote his life to public service in the 

government and non-profit sectors. Resigning from 13 boards to accept 

the GPO post, he will remain chairman of the Board of Trustees of his 

alma mater, Rochester Institute of Technology, one of the Nation’s largest 

private universities, and trustee of Sierra Nevada College, Nevada’s only 

private, non-profit, residential college. 
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Frank A. Partlow, Jr. Named GPO Chief of Staff 

Frank A. Partlow, Jr., has been named Chief 

of Staff for the U.S. Government Printing 

Office (GPO) by Public Printer Bruce R. 

James. As Chief of Staff, Partlow will direct

strategic planning for the Government 

Printing Office and advise the Public Printer 

on all aspects of GPO's business. The 

appointment became effective November 29, 

2002. 

Partlow brings 40 years of experience in 

management, administration and analysis to 

GPO, as well as extensive experience in 

strategic planning, human and government 

relations, higher education, and training. A 

retired U.S. Army Brigadier General, Partlow 

was most recently executive director of the 

Northern Nevada Network and an adjunct 

Associate Professor in Political Science at the 

University of Nevada, Reno. 

Until his retirement from the U.S. Army in 

1990, Partlow served as the Director of 

Estimates of the Defense Intelligence

Agency. From 1986-1988, Partlow was a 

senior member of the U.S. Arms Control 

Delegation in Geneva, where he negotiated 

the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces 

Treaty with the U.S.S.R. Other U.S. Army

assignments included serving as Chief of 

Staff of a multinational force of 3,300 

peacekeepers in Egypt 1985-1986, Deputy 

Director for Planning for the U.S. Army, 

Brigade Commander, Battalion Commander, 

and Assistant Professor at the U.S. Military 

Academy. Partlow saw combat duty with an 

infantry division in Vietnam and with the 

Military Equipment Delivery Team in 

Cambodia. 

Partlow graduated from the U.S. Military 

Academy in 1960. He holds a masters degree 

in European studies from Stanford 

University. He graduated from the National 

Defense University and was Senior Fellow at 

Harvard University 1982-1983. Partlow is 

married, and has two daughters and four 

grandchildren. He and his wife, Kay, 

currently reside in Arlington, VA. 

Check Your Depository Directory Entry 

Have there been any changes in your library’s 

name, address, or phone numbers? Or has 

redistricting placed your library in a different 

Congressional District? Have you input those 

changes to the online Federal Depository 

Library Directory at: 

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

ls/ldirect.html#2>?

LPS will soon be preparing the March 2003 

paper edition of the Directory. Please take a 

few moments to make sure that your library’s 

entry is correct. 

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Claims Copies Exhausted Web Page Added to 

Web Claim Form 

The Library Programs Service has 

implemented a Claims Copies Exhausted 

page to its Web claiming application to make 

the claiming process easier and more 

efficient. The Claims Copies Exhausted web 

page contains a list of publications that are no 

longer available due to exhausted stock. This 

page is updated periodically as necessary. 

Please do NOT submit a claim for any 

publication appearing on this list. The new 

claim process applies to materials distributed 

on GPO-produced shipping lists (paper, 

separates, electronic, and those few 

microfiche shipping lists issued from GPO). 

The direct link for the Claims Copies 

Exhausted web page is 

<http://ww1.access.gpo.gov/gpoaccess/fdlp/t

ools/webclaim_ex.html>. It is also linked to 

from the FDLP Desktop, under Processing 

Tools. 

Microfiche claims against microfiche 

contractor-produced shipping lists still need 

to be made directly to the relevant microfiche 

contractor. See 

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

ls/msl/mslv.html> for contact information for 

the current microfiche contractors. 

Online Information Replaces GPO Sales 

Publications Reference File Microfiche 

The GPO Sales Publications Reference File 

microfiche, SubList PRF, is ceasing

publication. The last monthly issue was 

November 21, 2002. The same information 

previously found in the microfiche can be 

searched online at <http://bookstore.gpo.gov> 

in the “Sales Product Catalog.” The online 

“Sales Product Catalog” is updated five days 

a week. 

Depository distribution of GPO Sales 

Publications Reference File microfiche was 

terminated in December 1997, upon the 

advent of the online database. The 

microfiche had been distributed under item

0552-B, SuDocs class number GP 3.22/2:. 

The electronic “New Sales Publications” is 

located at: 

<http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/library/list/files

/?lib=NEW_PUBS>. This file is updated 

before Tuesday morning each week, when it 

becomes available for users to download. 

Each week’s file will remain in the 

NEW_PUBS file library indefinitely, along 

with the generic file, which changes each 

week. Each week’s file will contain citations 

from Friday until Thursday of the previous 

week (for example, the December 10, 2002 

file, renamed as “120502.txt” will contain 

data from 11/29/02 through 12/5/2002). The 

naming structure will be based on the last day 

of the week for which data is included. 

An alternate way to get to the New 

Publications list is through the “Federal 

Bulletin Board” at 

<http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/index.htm>. 

Click on “View an Alphabetical List of All 

File Libraries” which is near the top of the 

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AN-v23-#15-12/15/02 

web page. Then type in the search box 

NEW_PUBS (without quotes around it) and 

hit enter. Then click on the current week’s 

file (such as 121202.txt) to download the file. 

Then click on newpubs.dat to download the 

file. It looks like the PRF Microfiche. New 

titles are in alphabetical order. The new titles 

may be ordered for purchase through the 

“Sales Product Catalog.” 

If you have any questions or comments about 

this change, please send an e-mail to 

<bsb@gpo.gov> or telephone 202-512-1705. 

Sales customers with questions about refunds 

may call 202-512-1806 or 866-512-1800

(toll-free outside of the Washington, DC 

area). 

New Formats Distributed to 

Depository Libraries 

Two new tangible electronic formats were 

brought into the Federal Depository Library 

Program this year, the audio e-book and the 

mini CD-ROM. No additional equipment, 

beyond what is specified in the 2002 

Minimum Technical Requirements for Public 

Access Workstations in Federal Depository 

Libraries 

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

mputers/mtr.html>, is necessary to provide 

access to these documents. 

“Extending Digital Dividends: Public Goods 

and Services that Work for All” (GS 1.2:D 

56, item no. 0556-C) was distributed on 

shipping list 2003-12-P dated October 11, 

2002. An audio e-book version of the 

document is on the CD located inside the 

back cover. When the CD is put into the 

CD/DVD drive, installation of LpPlayer, the 

e-book reader, is automatically initiated. The 

e-book is read from the CD and does not have 

to be installed on the hard drive. 

“Mapping Census 2000: The Geography of 

U.S. Diversity” (C 3.2:M 32/2002/CD, item

no. 0146) was distributed on shipping list 

2003-0001-E dated October 22, 2002. This 

mini CD-ROM is an electronic version of the 

paper document of the same name (C 3.2:M 

32, item no. 0146), which was distributed on 

shipping list 2001-0311-P dated September 

20, 2001. A special drive is not necessary to 

read this product. The CD fits into the deeper 

well in the center of the CD/DVD drive. 

When inserted in the drive, a menu appears 

with options to read more about the CD, 

explore the CD, or launch the viewer. To 

make maximum use of this mini CD, it 

should be used on a workstation with Internet 

access, as it provides links to Census Bureau 

Web pages for additional data. 

If you have any questions about the 

Minimum Technical Requirements, contact 

Cynthia Etkin by e-mail at cetkin@gpo.gov.

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STAT-USA/USA Trade 

Passwords Changing in January 

As announced at this fall’s Federal 

Depository Library Conference and in 

Administrative Notes (v. 23, #14, 11/15/02), 

depository libraries now have access to USA 

Trade Online. New user IDs and passwords 

are being issued; they will work for both 

STAT-USA and USA Trade Online. 

STAT-USA has provided a temporary user 

ID and password for depositories to use until 

new user IDs and passwords can be issued. 

Depositories should login at http://www.statusa.gov/usatrade.nsf, entering the user ID: 

fdl007 and the password: nibor. 

The new user IDs and passwords will become 

effective on January 21. The old STAT-USA 

passwords will no longer work after that date. 

Libraries will receive written notification of 

their new user ID and password in depository 

shipment boxes in December. Any library 

that does not receive its user ID & password 

should contact Lisa Russell by email at 

<lrussell@gpo.gov>. 

USA Trade Online is a service of STAT-USA 

and the Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. 

Census Bureau. It provides monthly 

information on U.S. imports and exports on 

more than 18,000 commodities. For more 

information on the database, contact STATUSA’s Customer Support Center at 1-800-

STAT-USA (800-782-8872) or 

<statmail@mail.doc.gov>. 

Recommendations and Commendations 

Depository Library Council Meeting 

Fall 2002, Arlington, VA 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

1. PURL Statistics 

The Depository Library Council recommends 

the Government Printing Office develop 

statistical reports of PURL referrals to enable 

libraries to determine how often documents 

within the Federal Depository Library 

Program Electronic Collection are being 

accessed through library catalogs and Web 

pages. In addition, the Government Printing 

Office should examine the response time of 

the PURL server to ensure access to 

resources within a reasonable time frame. 

Rationale: Currently the Government 

Printing Office provides URL referral 

statistics for depository libraries. In addition, 

PURL statistical reports will allow librarians 

to monitor the effectiveness of the access 

provided to online government publications 

through depository library catalogs and Web 

pages. 

2. WAIS Migration 

The Depository Library Council recommends 

the Government Printing Office migrate the 
AN-v23-#15-12/15/02 

WAIS databases to more current search 

engine technology as soon as possible. 

Rationale: The Government Printing Office 

has been exploring the purchase of new 

search engine technology for several years. 

Due to the severe limitations of WAIS 

technology, it is imperative that GPO Access 

migrate to a new XML-based technology. 

Advantages inherent in newer database 

architectures will also improve products 

through more advanced interfaces with the 

Integrated Library System being acquired by

the Government Printing Office.

3. Regional Library Conference 

The Depository Library Council recommends 

that the Government Printing Office request 

funding to sponsor a multi-day Regional 

Library Conference. 

Rationale: The August 1997 Regionals 

Conference in Minnesota was extremely 

successful in providing all 53 regional 

depositories and all states the opportunity to 

discuss and assess the services, 

responsibilities, and problems that are unique 

to Regionals, as well as identify areas for 

service to selective depositories. The 

meeting would allow an opportunity for the 

Government Printing Office staff to consult 

with the Regionals, train them in Government 

Printing Office policies and procedures and 

discuss services that Regionals should 

provide to selective depositories. 

4. Communication with Administrators 

The Depository Library Council recommends 

that the Government Printing Office 

communicate the importance and benefits of 

the Federal Depository Library Program to 

key groups of library administrators, 

preferably at their association meetings (e.g., 

Association of Research Libraries, Public 

Library Association, American Library 

Association, Association of College and 

Research Libraries, and state library 

associations, etc.). 

Rationale: The Depository Library Council 

recognizes the need for communication from

the Government Printing Office to directors 

at depository libraries in order to reinforce 

the importance of the program, to inform

directors of current issues facing depositories, 

and to form a basis of discussion between 

depository librarians and their administrators. 

The proposed communications would assist 

in building awareness and support at higher 

levels and would hopefully interest library 

directors in joining the program. A special 

presentation on the Federal Depository 

Library Program held at the American 

Library Association Midwinter Meeting in 

1995 was very successful and attracted 150 

attendees. A similar successful meeting, 

sponsored by the regional library, was held 

on the state level in Georgia in 2001. 

5. Guidelines for Regionals 

The Depository Library Council recommends 

that the Government Printing Office review 

and develop expanded guidelines to assist 

regional depositories in working with 

depository libraries that may be considering 

withdrawing from the Federal Depository 

Library Program. Guidelines for the 

Regional might include: 

• Instructions requiring the withdrawing 

library to notify its Regional and the

Government Printing Office of its intent 

to withdraw six to twelve months before 

the intended date of withdrawal; 

• Notification to the withdrawing library

of the procedures it must follow with 

respect to: 

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AN-v23-#15-12/15/02 

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o What the library can retain versus 

what it must or will surrender; 

o What the library must provide for 

public access during the 

withdrawal process; 

• Announcement to other libraries within 

that Congressional district of its intent 

to withdraw; 

• Communication by the Regional with 

the withdrawing library’s Congressional 

delegation; 

o Informing the delegation of the 

library’s intent to withdraw; 

o Informing the delegation of their 

ability to appoint a library to fill 

that vacancy; 

• Establishment of a time frame that the 

library must follow in the disposition of 

the withdrawing library’s materials. 

Rationale: Currently the communication 

process between the Regional and the 

withdrawing library remains unclear. Better 

communication involving all parties may 

encourage the library to reconsider its 

decision. Refining the process will also 

enhance the redistribution of depository 

materials to other interested Federal 

depository libraries. 

 6. Historic Document Preservation 

 The Depository Library Council recommends 

that the Government Printing Office, in 

cooperation with other library preservation 

organizations, begin to identify historic 

documents and investigate means for 

depository libraries to preserve them. 

Rationale: Many depositories housing 

historical collections are witnessing a rapid 

deterioration of these valuable collections. 

Council shares the depository community’s 

concerns and urges work with such 

organizations to develop and implement 

guidelines that will assist libraries in 

preserving and archiving these collections. 

7. GPO-Hosted Web Sites 

The Depository Library Council recommends 

that the Government Printing Office provide 

guidance to Federal government agencies on 

the organization of content on GPO-hosted 

Web sites. Examples of such guidance may 

include the GPO Access Web design 

guidelines, Web site templates, or examples 

of best practices at existing government Web 

sites. 

Rationale: A careful analysis of the 

organization of GPO-hosted Web sites shows 

that many agencies fail to provide direct 

access to discrete government information 

titles. The lack of clear and consistent 

organization may make it difficult for the 

public to locate desired information at these 

Web sites, and it is difficult to provide 

bibliographic access or create PURLs for 

multipart titles. The Government Printing 

Office typically provides guidance to 

government agencies on the layout and 

organization of printed publications. 

Providing guidance for the organization of 

Web site content is a natural extension of this 

activity in the electronic environment. 

8. Benefits of Being a Depository 

The Depository Library Council recommends 

that the Government Printing Office 

distribute to the depository community the 

following items provided by Council: 

• “List of Benefits of Being a Federal 

Depository Library” 

• “Testimonials from Depository 

Librarians” 
AN-v23-#15-12/15/02 

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• “Suggested Responses to Frequently 

Cited Reasons for Leaving the 

Depository Library System” 

Council also recommends that the 

Government Printing Office begin integrating 

this information into the Depository Library 

Program documentation. 

Rationale: Recognizing the increasing 

number of departures from the Federal 

Depository Library Program, the Government 

Printing Office requested assistance with 

compiling a list of benefits of remaining a 

depository library. 

9. FDLP-L 

The Depository Library Council recommends 

that the Government Printing Office require 

each depository to subscribe to the FDLP-L 

email announcement list, which was 

developed to convey official Federal 

Depository Library Program announcements. 

10. Anniversary Packets 

The Depository Library Council recommends 

that the Government Printing Office develop 

a packet of materials suitable for use by 

libraries celebrating anniversaries of their 

designations as depositories. This packet 

may include a certificate by the Government 

Printing Office recognizing the library’s 

longevity within the program and 

contributions thereto. The packet may also 

include a letter from the Government Printing 

Office to the library director expressing 

appreciation for the library’s past work, 

examples of newspaper articles that mention 

not only the library’s anniversary but also the 

importance of the Federal Depository Library 

Program, a list of suggested celebratory 

activities, and sample texts of press releases 

and radio spots. 

Rationale: Several Federal depository 

libraries will be celebrating centennial and 

other significant anniversaries in the next 

several years. Currently there is no such 

packet of materials and this would be an 

invaluable resource for libraries wishing to 

raise the level of awareness of the role of the 

Federal Depository Library Program in their 

local communities. 

COMMENDATIONS 

A. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for the creation of the 

Web-based “Clickable Map of Federal 

Depository Libraries,” which provides 

all citizens with easy identification 

and location of Federal depository 

libraries. 

B. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for designing and 

making available a selection of 

electronic depository logos containing 

statutory language on access that 

depositories can use on their Web 

pages, in presentations, and in 

promotional materials. 

C. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for creating the FDLPL email list to provide timely and 

official notification on matters of 

importance and interest to 

depositories. This email 

announcement list is valuable as a 

direct and easy-to-monitor conduit of 

communication from the Government 

Printing Office to the depository 

community. 

D. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for creating the GPOELSALE-L email list to notify 

interested depositories of titles that 

remain available in tangible format 
AN-v23-#15-12/15/02 

9 

from the sales program although they 

have been converted to online-only 

distribution through the depository 

program. 

E. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for responding to the 

problem of incomplete text files in 

GPO Access through the addition of 

disclaimer notices to the text files and 

by emphasizing the availability of 

complete PDF versions to users. The 

text versions of many files on GPO 

Access lack TIFF images, which 

appear in the PDF versions. A 

process is underway to flag those text 

files that contain notices of missing 

content. 

F. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for responding to the 

need to break large PDF files into 

smaller and logically usable sub-files 

and for its efforts to develop 

procedures for evaluating existing 

GPO Access files and incoming files 

for usability. Some files provided to 

the Government Printing Office are 

extremely large, making downloading 

difficult or impossible for many users. 

Breaking large files into discrete 

parts, especially along logical division 

points (e.g., chapters), enhances the 

public’s ability to access electronic 

files. 

G. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for including in the 

spring and fall meetings of the 

Depository Library Council time for a 

separate meeting of the regional 

libraries. This meeting provides a 

forum for sharing ideas and 

discussing common concerns. 

Council encourages the Government 

Printing Office to continue to provide 

the opportunity for an all-day session 

at the fall meeting and a half-day 

session at the spring meeting. 

H. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for the creation and 

implementation of an online claiming 

system to replace the paper method. 

I. Council commends the Indiana 

University Libraries and the CIC 

(Committee on Institutional 

Cooperation) Government Documents 

Group for their partnership with the 

Government Printing Office on the 

innovative Floppy Disk Project, 

which preserves access to information 

originally distributed to Federal 

depositories on now outdated floppy 

disk media. 

J. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for its successful 

recruitment of professional catalogers 

and supervisors during the past year. 

Because of these efforts, staffing 

levels of the Government Printing 

Office Cataloging Branch are now at 

an all-time high. Having a full 

complement of cataloging staff will 

enhance the Government Printing 

Office’s ability to identify and 

provide access to Federal government 

information. 

K. Council commends the Government 

Printing Office for developing a 

mechanism for providing Continuing 

Education Units and certificates for 

Government Printing Office 

sponsored education and training 

activities. 
AN-v23-#15-12/15/02 

Table of Contents 

Bruce R. James Is New Public Printer.......................................................................................... 1

Frank A. Partlow, Jr. Named GPO Chief of Staff ........................................................................ 2 

Check Your Depository Directory Entry ...................................................................................... 2 

Claims Copies Exhausted Web Page Added to Web Claim Form ............................................... 3 

Online Information Replaces GPO Sales Publications Reference File Microfiche...................... 3 

New Formats Distributed to Depository Libraries........................................................................ 4 

STAT-USA/USA Trade Passwords Changing in January............................................................ 5 

Recommendations, Depository Library Council, 2002, Fall ........................................................ 5 

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

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

Depository Libraries. 

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

Postmaster send address changes to: The Editor, Administrative Notes 

U.S. Government Printing Office

Library Programs Service, SLLD 

Washington, DC 20401 

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

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

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