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Administrative Notes

Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

Vol. 23, no. 07 GP 3.16/3-2:23/ 07 May 15, 2002

HIGHLIGHTS

Update Cycle 

Starts 1

Email Alert 

Service 6

Online 

Services 7

GPO Access 

Survey 8

Library

Directory 8

Readers 

Exchange:

Regional

Sharing 9

Appropriations

Testimony 10

Annual Item Selection Update 

Cycle 2003 Begins June 3, 2002

Libraries are reminded that the process of changing to a more 

electronic Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is 

continuing. The dissemination format for some Government 

publications will change from the physical distribution of tangible 

products (paper, microfiche, or CD-ROM) to online access only. 

In the coming months these changes will affect FDLP products 

currently available in multiple formats, particularly those 

available in both paper and online versions. In some cases the 

discontinuation of physical distribution will affect titles that you 

may wish to add during this update cycle, or even titles that you 

currently select. Changes in distribution format will be 

announced in WEBTech Notes <www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/

fdlp/tools/webtech.html> as they occur.

Schedule

June 3, 2002 “Selection Update Cycle 2003” begins. 

Information about the Update Cycle will be in 

Administrative Notes, FDLP Desktop News 

page, at 

<www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/news.

html>, and GOVDOC-L and DocTech-L.

Note: No information packet will be mailed to 

depository libraries.

June-July Depository libraries evaluate selections.

July 31, 2002 Deadline for submission of all additions.

Oct. 1, 2002 New selection profiles become effective.

(Drops will be recorded and activated as soon as 

they are entered.)
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Update Cycle Online on the Web

The 2003 Update Cycle will take 

place electronically on the Web. 

Libraries will be responsible for 

entering their own amendments to 

selections using the Web site 

"Amendment to Item Selections" on 

the FDLP Desktop Web site at: 

<www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp

/tools/amendment.html>. On this 

Web site, you will control the input, 

and the changes will be recorded 

instantaneously.

You will need your depository 

library number and internal password 

to submit your additions or deletions.

What If We Can’t Access the Web?

If your library does not have Web 

access, please contact:

Joe Paskoski

e-mail: jpaskoski@gpo.gov

fax: 202-512-0877

phone: 202-512-1698

OR

Yvonne Washington

e-mail: ywashington@gpo.gov

fax: 202-512-0877

phone: 202-512-1131

Automatic Confirmation of 

Selections

Automatic confirmation of the 

changes you input is a function of the 

Web application. In addition, if you 

enter your e-mail address along with 

your depository library number and 

internal password when filling out the 

online selection update form, an email confirmation of your 

transactions should be sent to you. 

However, we have, in the past, 

experienced some problems with the 

e-mail confirmation component of 

this application. For your records 

you may want to print out and/or 

save the Web page confirmation that 

appears as soon as you hit the Submit 

button. When you save the file, 

change the file name extension from 

.cgi to .html to view the page in a 

Web browser.

Instructions

Preparing for Your Library's 

Selection Evaluation

In preparing to amend your 

depository's item selection profile for 

fiscal year 2003, please consider the 

following:

ÿ LPS requests that documents 

librarians conduct a zero-based 

review of the depository’s current 

item selections by carefully 

examining the need for each item.

ÿ Librarians should not make their 

collection development decisions 

in a vacuum. LPS encourages 

cooperative collection 

development to ensure that all 

relevant items are available 

within a local area or region 

without unnecessary duplication 

of little used documents.

ÿ After consulting with other 

depositories, documents librarians 

should delete any items not 

actually needed to serve current 

or anticipated future needs of the 

public. If appropriate, a library 
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should add relevant items needed 

by its clientele.

ÿ Regional libraries may choose a 

single format when an item is 

offered in both microfiche and 

paper formats.

ÿ Selective libraries must choose 

only a single format when an item 

is offered in both microfiche and 

paper formats.

Depositories should select items at a 

level at least half the average rate of 

libraries of a similar size and type. 

Exceptions are made for depositories 

with a written collection development 

policy certifying that their current 

selection rate of tangible and 

electronic information products 

effectively meets public government 

information needs.

Use the chart of selection averages in 

Administrative Notes, v. 23, # 5 

(4/15/02), p. 7, to help determine 

your appropriate selection rate. This 

chart is also available on the FDLP 

Desktop at <www.access.gpo.gov/

su_docs/fdlp/coll-dev/itemchrt.

html>.

For further information, see "Review 

of LPS Position on Item Selection 

Rates" in Administrative Notes, v. 

22, # 5 (3/15/01), p. 3.

Tools to Help Evaluate Your 

Selection Options

Item Lister shows your current item 

selections and all of the items 

currently available through the 

Federal Depository Library Program. 

Item Lister can be found on the 

FDLP Desktop Web site at: 

<www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp

/tools/itemlist.html>. Your drops 

will be reflected in Item Lister the 

next week after you make them. 

Adds will be activated, and added to 

Item Lister, on October 1, 2002. 

During the Annual Selection Update 

Cycle only, Option 5, Pending Adds, 

is added to Item Lister. This will 

show what adds you have made 

during the Update Cycle. These adds 

are pending, and go into effect 

October 1 at the start of the new 

fiscal year.

For both drops and pending adds, the 

library should monitor Item Lister to 

ensure that the submissions were 

recorded correctly.

ÿ Consult the List of Classes in 

paper or download the file on the 

FDLP Desktop Web site to aid in 

your evaluation of item numbers 

and titles. The electronic List of 

Classes is located at 

<http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_

docs/fdlp/pubs/loc/index.html>.

ÿ Check out the collection 

management tools available on 

the Documents Data Miner, a 

cooperative partnership between 

Wichita State University and the 

Library Programs Service, at 

<http://govdoc.wichita.edu/ddm/

GdocFrames.asp>.

ÿ New item numbers added to the 

list of item numbers available for 
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depository selection, can be found 

in several locations:

New item numbers not appearing 

in the paper List of Classes can 

be found in the "Update to the 

List of Classes, New Item 

Numbers" column in 

Administrative Notes Technical 

Supplement. New item numbers 

are added to the Item Lister and 

also to the Documents Data 

Miner each week.

Postings of new item numbers, 

discontinued classes, class 

corrections and other changes to 

the List of Classes are found in 

the WEBTech Notes database at: 

<www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/f

dlp/tools/webtech.html>.

The WEBTech Notes database is 

also available in dbf format on 

the Federal Bulletin Board at: 

<http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/

library/list/files/?lib=

WEBTECN>.

Passwords

Each library is assigned a unique 

internal password for FDLP 

administrative functions, such as 

submitting the Biennial Survey, 

amending item selections, and 

updating the directory entry.

All libraries also have an external

password. It is used with external 

applications, such as special access to 

agency Web services (there is only 

one such application in place now: 

the Environmental Health database at 

<http://ehis.niehs.nih.gov>). All 

passwords provided by LPS should 

be secured and only authorized users 

should be allowed to submit adds and 

drops for a library. If you lose your 

password, or you have problems 

accessing the system, please contact 

Joe Paskoski at <jpaskoski@gpo.

gov>, or Yvonne Washington at 

<ywashington@gpo.gov> or by fax 

at 202-512-0877.

NOTE: for security purposes, 

password requests should come 

from documents librarians or 

library directors only.

For more information on passwords, 

see <www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/

fdlp/tools/faqs.html#1>.

Making Amendments to Selections

Libraries notify LPS of changes to 

their selection profile by submitting 

their adds or drops on the 

"Amendment of Item Selections" 

form found on the FDLP Desktop 

Web site at: <www.access.gpo.gov/

su_docs/fdlp/tools/amendment.

html>. You will need your 

depository library number and 

internal password to process your 

amendments. Internal passwords 

begin with "FDLP" followed by a 

series of numbers. Information on 

how to fill out the Web form and 

whom to contact are accessible by 

clicking on various buttons on the 

form.

If you have specific questions or 

comments, please contact Joe 

Paskoski at <jpaskoski@gpo.gov> 

or by fax at 202-512-0877.
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Reporting Errors

If you mistakenly delete an item 

number or select an item number that 

you really wanted to delete, you must 

contact LPS. Do not try to re-input 

the correct selection by entering 

another transaction on the 

"Amendment to Item Selections" 

Web form. To report all errors or 

discrepancies in your selection 

profile, contact:

Information Processing Unit

fax: 202-512-0877

e-mail: jpaskoski@gpo.gov

ywashington@gpo.gov

Suggestions for Making 

Amendments

Changing Formats

If you want to change from paper to 

microfiche for dual distribution 

items, LPS suggests the following 

procedure to reduce gaps in holdings:

1.Add the microfiche item during 

the update cycle.

2.Once the new selection is 

distributed in October, delete the 

paper item.

For example, to change the Federal 

Register selection from paper to 

microfiche, add item 0573-D in June 

or July, for implementation in 

October. Then use the Web 

"Amendment to Selections" form to 

delete item 0573-C after you begin 

receiving microfiche copies.

Items Distributed to All Libraries

Titles distributed under item numbers 

0154-B, 0556-C, and 1004-E are 

distributed to all depository libraries 

whether your library selects these 

items or not. LPS will distribute 

other titles under these item numbers 

throughout the year if the 

informational content is deemed 

relevant to all depository libraries. 

Please do not drop these item 

numbers from your selection profile.

Effective Dates

Deletions

If you have deleted item numbers for 

paper and electronic titles, LPS will 

stop shipping the publications within 

72 hours of your Web transaction. 

You should not claim publications 

listed under these items on shipping 

lists dated after the date you 

submitted the deletion.

Deletion of microfiche item numbers 

will take effect beginning the week 

after the amendment was submitted.

Deletions can be submitted to LPS 

throughout the year.

Additions

Libraries will be able to make 

additions to their selection profile 

only during the Annual Selection 

Update Cycle (June 3, 2002 through 

July 31, 2002).

All additions must be posted to the 

Web site by July 31, 2002.

All additions remain pending until 

they are activated on October 1, 

2002. Libraries will begin to receive

new publications with shipping lists 

dated October 1, 2002 and after.
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Claims

Do not base your claims for missing 

depository publications on additions 

made during this update cycle period 

until the first shipping list is 

distributed for FY 2003 (after 

October 1, 2002). If you do, the 

claims will not be honored.

LPS will always indicate on the 

shipping list which selection update 

period governs the item distributions. 

Continue to claim from your 2002 

selection profile during the update 

cycle period.

New Titles by Topic Email Alert Service Initiated

New Titles by Topic Email Alert Service, a 

new program initiated by the Sales Program, 

announces new publications when they 

become available for sale from the 

Superintendent of Documents. Subscribers 

of this service will receive email 

notifications when new titles pertaining to 

specific topics are released.

Currently there are eight different categories 

for New Titles by Topic:

ÿ Business

ÿ Defense and Security

ÿ Elementary and Secondary Education

ÿ Employment and Occupations

ÿ Federal Statistics

ÿ Health Care

ÿ Military History

ÿ Travel and Tourism

More categories are likely to be added in the 

future. You can locate New Titles by Topic

at the U.S. Government Online Bookstore, 

http://bookstore.gpo.gov/alertservice.html. Please 

refer your patrons to this convenient service.
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Online Services Available through the FDLP

Federal depository libraries are reminded 

that they have access to the following 

subscription services: STAT-USA, EHP 

Online (formerly Environmental Health 

Information Service), and National Climatic 

data Center Online Document Library. 

Federal depository libraries are being 

provided free access to these services 

through arrangements with the issuing 

agencies and the FDLP. Some content at the 

sites is accessible without a subscription, but 

paid subscriptions or the FDLP passwords 

must be used to access other portions of the 

services. 

Libraries are encouraged to inform their 

patrons of the availability of these services. 

Libraries, however, must protect the 

passwords and should not disclose them to 

patrons. Users must be in the library when 

accessing the services.

STAT-USA at http://www.stat-usa.gov/ is a 

title in the FDLP Basic Collection; 

therefore, all depository libraries are 

expected to select STAT-USA or otherwise 

make it available as outlined in the July 15, 

2001 issue of Administrative Notes (v. 22, 

#11). Depository libraries currently have 

two free subscriptions to STAT-USA. 

Libraries that have not already registered for 

this service (or that have not established a 

site license with STAT-USA) will find the 

registration form at <www.access.gpo.gov/

su_docs/fdlp/coll-dev/statusar.html> for the 

HTML version, and <www.access.gpo.

gov/su_docs/fdlp/coll-dev/statusar.pdf for 

the PDF version. The depository 

subscription does not include free access to 

the USA Trade Online service.

The EHP Online at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/ 

was formerly the Environmental Health 

Information Service and is available at the 

same Web site. Libraries use their external 

password to access the service. Only one 

user at a time may be logged into the 

service. If you do not have your external 

password, please contact Depository 

Services at (202) 512-1119 or email 

<askLPS@gpo.gov> using your internal 

password.

The National Climatic Data Center Online 

Document Library at <www5.ncdc.noaa.

gov/pubs/publications.html> is currently 

freely accessible by users in the .edu 

domain. Libraries with other domains must 

input a user ID and password, which have 

been provided to depository libraries, for 

patrons. At this time, there is no limitation 

on the number of concurrent users able to 

access the database. If you do not have the 

user ID and password, please contact 

Depository Services at (202) 512-1119 or 

email <askLPS@gpo.gov> using your 

internal password.

For more information, see the following 

issues of Administrative Notes: August 15, 

2000 (v 21, # 12), December 15, 1997, (v 

18, # 16), September 15, 1998, (v 19, # 11)
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Invitation to Complete the GPO Access

2002 User Survey

GPO invites you to share your comments 

about GPO Access by completing our 2002 

User Survey. Have you contacted the GPO 

Access User Support Team? Rate your 

experience. Let us know how often you find 

the information you need on GPO Access. 

Did you use a search engine to find GPO 

Access? Indicate which search terms you 

used and help us to improve the indexing of 

GPO Access Web pages in the major 

Internet search engines. To help further 

improve and tailor our products and services 

to our customers, you will have the 

opportunity to share some additional 

information such as professional affiliation, 

frequency of usage, and system information 

such as Internet connection speed and screen 

resolution. You will also be able to rate 

several attributes of GPO Access such as 

navigation and overall usability.

The survey is available online at 

<http://www.gpo.gov/su_docs/survey02.ht

ml>. It is also linked from the GPO Access 

home page at 

<http://www.gpo.gov/gpoaccess>. Please 

take a few minutes to provide GPO with 

your valuable feedback on GPO Access. 

Surveys must be received by GPO by June 

30, 2002. Thank you!

Check Your Online Directory Entry

It’s easy to make changes to the Depository 

Library Directory online, at:

<http://www.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/

ldirect.html>.

The online directory is updated monthly, 

usually by the first Friday in the month.

Checklist

- Congressional district

- Library address

- Director’s name

- Depository librarian’s name

- Phone numbers

- Fax number

- Email address

- URL for Documents
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Readers Exchange

Historic Sharing of a Regional Depository

Jeffrey M. Wilhite

Associate Professor of Bibliography

Government Documents Collection

University of Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries 

(ODL), a regional depository, and the 

University of Oklahoma, Government 

Documents Collection (OU), an 89% 

selective depository, have entered into a 

historic agreement to share ODL’s regional 

depository collection of current and 

historical U.S. Congressional hearings.

The origins of this agreement germinated in 

ODL’s growing lack of shelf space, OU’s 

adequate spacing, and both libraries’ desire 

to preserve the state paper collection of 

Congressional hearings. Steve Beleu, 

Regional Depository Librarian, Oklahoma 

Department of Libraries, and Jeffrey M. 

Wilhite, Government Documents Librarian, 

University of Oklahoma, began developing 

this agreement in 2000. By mid-2001 it 

became apparent that the sharing of a 

regional depository collection by format had 

never been made official before.

Signed on March 19, 2002, the agreement 

stipulates that ODL will maintain only five 

years’ worth of hearings in paper format, 

except for hearings about Oklahoma and 

hearings about important regional, national, 

and international events. OU will maintain 

paper copies of Congressional hearings for 

perpetuity. The total holdings of ODL, in 

microfiche and some paper, and OU in 

paper, constitute the regional depository 

collection of hearings.

In addition, ODL will supply OU with any 

paper hearings that they need before ODL 

discards them, or, as OU needs them. Any 

paper hearings that ODL withdraws will be 

sent to OU, including hearings that are less 

than five years old. For any hearings that 

ODL plans to keep in paper, a microfiche 

copy will be sent to OU. The last tenet of 

this agreement stipulates that OU will loan 

these hearings to other selective depository 

libraries in Oklahoma through interlibrary 

loan.

According to GPO, this may be the first 

official agreement in the history of the 

depository system of a regional depository 

collection being shared between two libraries 

by format, although some unofficial 

agreements have existed in the past. With 

this agreement, the University of Oklahoma 

Government Documents Collection has 

become a co-regional library, ODL has 

solved its space limitation problem, and the 

state collection of paper hearings has been 

preserved for generations of future 

researchers.

Send your question or comments about this 

agreement to jwilhite@ou.edu or 

sbeleu@oltn.odl.state.ok.us.
AN-v23-#07-5/15/02

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Michael F. DiMario

Public Printer

Prepared Statement before the

Subcommittee on Legislative Appropriations

Committee on Appropriations

U.S. House of Representatives

On

GPO's Appropriations Request for

Fiscal Year 2003

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Mr. Chairman and Members of the 

Subcommittee, I am pleased to be here today 

to present the appropriations request of the 

Government Printing Office (GPO) for FY 

2003.

FY 2003 Appropriations Request

For FY 2003, the Government Printing 

Office (GPO) is requesting a total of $129.3 

million: $95.2 million for the Congressional 

Printing and Binding Appropriation and 

$34.1 million for the Salaries and Expenses 

Appropriation of the Superintendent of 

Documents. At the direction of the Office 

of Management and Budget, the request 

includes $6.9 million in accordance with the 

Administration's proposal to charge agencies 

for the full cost of post-retirement benefits 

for the employees covered by these 

appropriations. It also includes $5.9 million 

to cover a shortfall in FY 2001 

Congressional Printing and Binding funds.

Exclusive of the amounts for post-retirement 

benefits and the shortfall, our requested 

increase over FY 2002 (including emergency 

supplemental funding approved in the wake 

of the September 11 attacks) is $1.9 million, 

or 1.7%. These funds are primarily to cover 

mandatory pay costs and workload changes 

in congressional printing, as well as 

additional capability for the Superintendent 

of Documents to provide public access to the 

growing volume of online Federal 

information made available through GPO 

Access, our online information service 

(www.gpo.gov/gpoaccess). Approximately 

225,000 titles are now made available 

through this service, which is used by the 

public to retrieve more than 31 million 

documents every month. Overall, our 

request represents an increase of $14.7 

million, or 12.8%, over the amount 

approved for FY 2002 (including emergency 

supplemental funding), with most of the 

increase ($12.8 million) for the shortfall and 

post-retirement benefits.
AN-v23-#07-5/15/02

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Fiscal Year 2002 Supplemental. Last 

month, I submitted a supplemental 

appropriations request for FY 2002. I 

requested the $5.9 million for the FY 2001 

shortfall and $2 million for a necessary 

project to abate asbestos in the buildings 

comprising GPO's central office complex on 

North Capitol Street. If this supplemental 

request is approved, the $5.9 million for the 

FY 2001 shortfall in the Congressional 

Printing and Binding Appropriation would 

no longer be needed as part of the FY 2003 

request.

Congressional Printing and Binding 

Appropriation. The Congressional Printing 

and Binding Appropriation covers the 

estimated costs of producing the 

Congressional Record, bills, reports, 

hearings, documents, and related products 

required for the legislative process. This 

appropriation is critical to the maintenance 

and operation of GPO's in-plant capacity, 

which is structured to serve Congress's 

information product needs. It also covers 

database preparation work on congressional 

publications disseminated online via GPO 

Access.

Salaries and Expenses Appropriation. 

The Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of 

the Superintendent of Documents pays for 

documents distribution programs and related 

functions that are mandated by law. The 

majority of the appropriation is for the 

Federal Depository Library Program 

(FDLP), under which congressional and 

other Government publications and 

information products are disseminated to 

approximately 1,300 academic, public, 

Federal, law school, and other libraries 

nationwide where they are available for the 

free use of the public. While some of the 

funding for the FDLP is for salaries and 

benefits, most is for printing and 

disseminating publications (including 

publications in CD-ROM and online 

formats, which are now the majority of 

items in the program) to depository libraries. 

Related statutory functions covered by this 

appropriation are cataloging and indexing, 

by-law distribution, and the international 

exchange distribution of U.S. Government 

publications. Finally, through the FDLP, 

this appropriation provides the majority of 

funding for the operation of GPO Access. 

GPO's other major documents distribution 

functions (the sales program and agency 

distribution services) are structured to be 

funded by revenues earned and receive no 

appropriated funds.

Congressional Printing and Binding 

Appropriation

Our request for $95.3 million for the 

Congressional Printing and Binding 

Appropriation includes funding to cover 

Congress's estimated printing requirements 

for FY 2003, a prior year shortfall in this 

appropriation, and the Administration's 

retirement plan, and, as follows:
AN-v23-#07-5/15/02

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Category Estimated Requirement

Committee Hearings ............................................... $21.3 million

Congressional Record

(including the online Record, the Index,

and the bound Record) .................................... $20.4 million

Miscellaneous Printing and Binding

(including letterheads, envelopes, blank

paper, and other products) .............................. $16.8 million

Bills, Resolutions, Amendments............................... $7.4 million

Miscellaneous Publications

(including the Congressional Directory

and serial sets) ................................................... $4.5 million

Committee Reports................................................... $3.4 million

Documents................................................................ $2.5 million

Committee Reports................................................... $2.4 million

Details to Congress................................................... $2.3 million

Business and Committee Calendars........................ $2.3 million

Document Envelopes and Franks ............................ $1.0 million

Subtotal............................................................ $84.3 million

Elimination of the FY 2001 Shortfall ......................... $5.9 million

Post-Retirement Benefits.......................................... $5.1 million

TOTAL .............................................................. $95.3 million

FY 2003 Estimated Requirements. 

Exclusive of the amounts for post-retirement 

benefits and the FY 2001 shortfall, the 

funding we are requesting for Congress's 

FY 2003 printing requirements represents a 

net increase of approximately $3.3 million, 

or 4%, compared with the approved level 

for FY 2002. As our Budget Justification 

shows, there is an estimated $3.7 million in 

price level increases due to contractual wage 

agreements as well as higher costs for 

materials and supplies. These price level 

increases are offset by an estimated 

$400,000 reduction resulting from projected 

volume decreases in all production workload 

categories except for hearings and committee 

prints. Estimates of the changes in workload 

volume are based on historical data from 

previous first session years.

FY 2001 Shortfall. In addition to the 

funding required for congressional work to 

be performed in FY 2003, we are requesting 

$5.9 million to eliminate a shortfall for work 

performed in FY 2001.

Last year, in the FY 2001 Legislative 

Branch Appropriations supplemental, 

Congress provided funding to eliminate a 

cumulative shortfall in the Congressional 

Printing and Binding Appropriation through 

FY 2000. At that time, we projected and 

disclosed a developing shortfall for FY 

2001, but we did not request funding to 

cover it because the fiscal year had not 

concluded. The $5.9 million we are now 

requesting will eliminate all existing 

shortfalls through FY 2001. At this time, no 

shortfall is anticipated for FY 2002.
AN-v23-#07-5/15/02

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Salaries and Expenses Appropriation

The programs covered by our request of 

$34.1 million for the Salaries and Expenses 

Appropriation of the Superintendent of 

Documents are as follows:

Program Estimated Requirement

Federal Depository Library Program ...................... $27.3 million

Cataloging and Indexing Program ............................ $4.0 million

International Exchange Program ................................ $.7 million

By-Law Distribution Program...................................... $.3 million

Subtotal............................................................ $32.3 million

Post-Retirement Benefits.......................................... $1.8 million

TOTAL .............................................................. $34.1 million

Exclusive of the request for post-retirement 

benefits, the funding we are requesting for 

FY 2003 represents a net increase of 

approximately $2.7 million, or about 9%, 

over the approved level for FY 2002.

The majority of the increase, or $2.6 

million, is to replace obsolete formats, 

servers, and other equipment and for 

equipment improvements to enhance GPO's 

online services. It is essential that we 

enhance our data archiving capabilities, 

including data migration activities to refresh 

essential legislative and regulatory online 

files. Several of these files date back to 

1994, while generally accepted practices call 

for systematic data maintenance on at least a 

5-year cycle.

The requested increase also includes 

$482,000 for mandatory pay increases, 

including anticipated COLA's, promotions, 

within-grade increases, and transit subsidies 

for covered employees; $404,000 to cover 

price level changes affecting materials and 

supplies at the anticipated rate of inflation of 

approximately 2 percent; $348,000 to cover 

depreciation for the modernization of legacy 

automated systems supporting the FDLP; 

and $91,000 for 3 additional FTE's for the 

FDLP to assist in the management of the 

FDLP Electronic Collection. The additional 

FTE's are directly related to the increased 

workload of managing the expanding range 

of files available to the public through GPO 

Access.

These increases are offset by a projected 

workload reduction of approximately $1.2 

million, attributable primarily to the 

continuing decline of paper copies 

distributed to depository libraries. The 

decline is part of the ongoing migration of 

the FDLP to a predominately electronic 

program.

Transition to More Electronic 

Dissemination. The transition to a more 

electronic FDLP is continuing, as projected 

in the Study to Identify Measures Necessary 

for a Successful Transition to a More 

Electronic Federal Depository Library 

Program (June 1996) and in fulfillment of 

direction from Congress in FY 2001 that 
AN-v23-#07-5/15/02

14

“emphasis should be on streamlining the 

distribution of traditional copies of 

publications which may include providing

online access and less expensive electronic 

formats.”

Nearly 61% of the 37,600 new FDLP titles 

made available during FY 2001 were 

disseminated electronically. For FY 2002 to 

date, 66% of the new titles made available to 

the public through the FDLP have been 

online. Through its electronic information 

dissemination component, the FDLP now 

delivers more content to users than ever 

before. In order to preserve public access, 

the distribution of tangible formats continues 

for those titles for which there is no 

acceptable online alternative.

Withdrawal of Publication from FDLP. 

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the 

Superintendent of Documents requested 

Federal depository libraries to withdraw and 

destroy their depository copies of a United 

States Geological Survey (USGS) CD-ROM 

entitled Source Area Characteristics of 

Large Public Surface-Water Supplies in the 

Conterminous United States: An Information 

Resource for Source-Water Assessment, 

1999. The CD-ROM contains information 

relevant to public drinking water supplies.

The Superintendent's October 12, 2001, 

letter was issued pursuant to a letter from the 

USGS, dated October 5, 2001, which asked 

GPO to “request that depository libraries 

receiving the [Source-Water CD-ROM] be 

instructed to destroy their copies.” The 

Superintendent's request went to the 335 

Federal depository libraries which had 

selected this document for their collections.

The Superintendent of Documents' request 

followed established policy for the 

withdrawal of documents from the FDLP. 

The Government may request the removal of 

materials from depository libraries since 

under Title 44 of the U.S. Code all FDLP 

materials remain Government property. 

Requests to withdraw happen rarely, 

however. Since FY 1995, the GPO has 

distributed 230,019 tangible product (print, 

microfiche, and CD-ROM) titles to 

depository libraries, and recalled just 20 (16 

to be destroyed, 3 returned to the agency, 1 

removed from shelves). Such actions are 

taken only on the request of the issuing 

agency, most commonly because the titles 

contain information that is erroneous or has 

been superseded. The Superintendent has no 

statutory ability to deny agency document 

withdrawal requests, but instead serves as 

the statutory conduit for carrying them out. 

Prior to initiating any withdrawal request, 

however, GPO policy is to carefully review 

each request and ensure that all such 

requests are made in writing.

GPO is working closely with the library 

community on the issue of withdrawing 

documents and is keeping the community, as 

well as the Joint Committee on Printing, 

informed. Because our mission is to 

promote public access to Government 

information, we take very seriously any 

Federal agency's request to restrict access to 

Government information that has been made 

public. However, we also have a duty under 

the law to cooperate with Federal agencies in 

the appropriate distribution of the official 

information they publish. Since the 

September 11 attacks, the USGS CD-ROM 

is the only document that the Superintendent 

of Documents has been asked to be 

withdrawn from depository libraries. Any 

future agency withdrawal requests will be 

handled in accordance with law and 

established policy.
AN-v23-#07-5/15/02

15

Revolving Fund

Effect on Revolving Fund of Funding 

Post-Retirement Benefits. The 

Administration's proposal to have agencies 

pay the total cost for their employees' postretirement benefits would increase GPO 

costs by nearly $17.9 million in FY 2003. 

Of this amount, $6.9 million has been 

included in this request for the two 

appropriations made directly to GPO. The 

balance of nearly $11 million would have to 

be charged to GPO's Revolving Fund, which 

finances operations that provide for the 

Government's printing, printing 

procurement, sales of publications, agency 

distribution, and related services. 

Recovering this cost would require that 

GPO's rates charged to Federal agencies and 

the prices charged to the public for the sale 

of publications be significantly increased. 

Imposing these price increases would be a 

heavy burden on GPO's agency and public 

customers.

Police Merger. We are cooperating with 

the General Accounting Office in its current 

review of a proposal to merge the GPO 

police force with the Capitol Police.

Status of Air Conditioning Project. In the 

FY 2001 supplemental appropriations act 

last year (P.L. 107-20), Congress provided 

$6 million for more energy-efficient air 

conditioning and lighting systems at GPO. 

The air conditioning project is underway. 

The architecture and engineering study, 

which details the system design and 

equipment requirements, has been 

completed. Bids for the air conditioning 

contractor have been solicited and were due 

to GPO by March 25. A contract has been 

awarded and the work schedule calls for the 

new system to be installed and operational 

by the end of March 2003. Work on the 

lighting improvements will follow.

Emergency Preparedness Projects. Last 

fall, Congress provided $4 million to GPO 

in supplemental transfer authority for 

emergency preparedness (P.L. 107-117). As 

we have communicated to the Senate and 

House Appropriations Committees, our plan 

for spending these funds includes $1.1 

million to replace GPO's ageing fire 

protection, signaling, and public address 

systems to protect GPO personnel and 

property. The balance of $2.9 million is to 

establish a limited remote printing capability 

at GPO's Laurel, MD, warehouse, which 

will provide for continuity of necessary 

printing operations in support of Congress. 

These funds are also being used to establish 

a remote mirror site for GPO Access outside

of Washington, DC. We are currently 

reviewing GPO field offices for placement 

of this site. Both Committees have approved 

our proposal for spending these funds.

GPO Emergency Support for Congress. 

In the wake of the anthrax attacks last fall, 

GPO provided temporary work space for 

personnel from the Senate Office of 

Legislative Counsel and some personnel 

from the Office of the Clerk of the House. 

Since that time, as the result of the closure 

of the Capitol's off-site delivery center, we 

have provided space at our warehouse 

loading docks off North Capitol Street for 

use by the Capitol Police in screening all 

trucks bound for congressional offices for 

the distribution of supplies, equipment, and 

food. Up to 70 trucks a day have passed 

through this operation. At the request of the 

Chairman of the Committee on House 

Administration, we are providing space to 

support off-site computer operations for 

House Information Resources.
AN-v23-#07-5/15/02

16

Sales Program. In recent years, the volume 

of sales through GPO's sales of publications 

program has been declining. The free 

availability of publications on GPO Access

and other Government web sites has been 

the primary reason for this decline, although 

competition from other Government 

publications sales outlets has contributed to 

it. The losses have been temporarily 

financed through GPO's Revolving Fund.

We have taken a number of steps to reduce 

program costs and increase revenues. In the 

past 5 years, we have cut FTE's in the sales 

program from 529 to 392, or 26%. Further 

FTE reductions of 25 and 35 are planned for 

FY 2002 and 2003, respectively, yielding an 

additional reduction of 15% during that 

period. We have reduced warehouse space 

for the program by closing our Springbelt, 

VA, paper warehouse and consolidating 

paper warehouse operations in our 

documents warehouse space in Laurel, MD. 

We have made across-the-board pricing 

adjustments of 20% over the past two years. 

In addition, we are emphasizing our online 

ordering service, and we have implemented 

an 800-ordering number and expanded credit 

card payments to include American Express.

Along with these actions, we have begun 

closing those GPO retail bookstores around 

the Nation that no longer are economically 

viable. Closing these stores will reduce 

costs, and we expect to retain a substantial 

portion of store revenues through our online, 

fax, phone, and mail order operations served 

by our warehouse. Quick turnaround 

service for purchasers can be provided by 

express overnight delivery. At the same 

time, free public access to Government 

information will remain unaffected through 

local Federal depository libraries as well as 

Internet availability.

To date, we have proceeded with the closure 

of 6 stores: San Francisco, Boston, the 

McPherson Square store in Washington, DC 

(one of 3 in the Washington, DC, area), 

Philadelphia, Chicago, and Birmingham, 

AL. We provided advance notification to 

the respective House and Senate delegations 

of our plans for these 6 stores, as well as the 

Joint Committee on Printing. Other closures 

are pending and we will be providing 

notification soon to the respective 

delegations about these stores.

In spite of the decline in the volume of 

publications sold, we believe the continued 

operation of a sales program that provides 

the public with an opportunity to purchase 

their own copies of Government documents, 

pursuant to the provisions of chapter 17 of 

Title 44, is justified. Our objective is to 

reduce the costs of this program to a level 

consistent with the program revenues.

However, part of the costs of the sales 

program are indirect overhead expenses that 

impose a proportionally greater burden on 

the program as revenues have declined. 

This overhead includes many expenses that 

are unique to Government agencies, such as 

costs for personnel and budget offices, EEO 

and Inspector General operations, security 

personnel, and other administrative costs. 

As GPO strives to find a way to continue 

providing the public service afforded by the 

sales program while minimizing its costs, it 

may become necessary to discuss other 

funding options for the program. For 

example, until 1978, the program received 

part of its funding from appropriations to 

cover general and administrative expenses.

FTE Level. I am requesting a statutory 

ceiling on employment of 3,222 FTE's. 

This is a decrease of 38 from the previous 
AN-v23-#07-5/15/02

17

year, and reflects a reduction of 6 FTE's 

from printing and binding operations and 35 

from the sales program, offset by the 

increase of 3 under the Salaries and 

Expenses Appropriation. Total GPO FTE's 

have dropped 39% between FY 1990 and 

FY 2001, 36% since FY 1993 alone, when I 

first took office. GPO is now at its lowest 

employment point in the past century, 

principally due to our use of electronic 

information technology.

Additional Issues

Legislative Changes. We are requesting a 

change to section 303 of Title 44, regarding 

the pay of the Public Printer and the Deputy 

Public Printer, in order to maintain pay 

parity with other comparable legislative 

branch officials as well as appropriate 

comparability with senior staff throughout 

the Government. Changes in the pay levels 

for the Public Printer and Deputy Public 

Printer have been provided through the 

appropriations process, as they last were in 

the early 1990's.

* * *

Mr. Chairman and Members of the 

Subcommittee, this concludes my prepared 

statement, and I would be pleased to answer 

any questions you may have.
AN-v23-#07-5/15/02

18

Table of Contents

Annual Item Selection Update Cycle 2003 Begins June 3, 2002...................................... 1

New Titles by Topic Email Alert Service Initiated ....................................................... 6

Online Services Available through the FDLP.............................................................. 7

Invitation to Complete the GPO Access 2002 User Survey............................................ 8

Check Your Online Directory Entry ......................................................................... 8

Readers Exchange: Sharing a Regional / Wilhite ......................................................... 9

Public Printer Statement: House Committee on Appropriations .....................................10

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