Summary of Public Comments on GPO’s Draft Strategic Plan 1

and Agency Responses

SUMMARY OF PUBLIC COMMENTS ON 

GPO’S DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN AND 

AGENCY RESPONSES

The public comment period 

for GPO’s Draft Strategic Plan 

commenced on March 29, 2022 

and closed on April 29, 2022. GPO 

received 14 comments on the Plan 

from a variety of interested entities, 

including GPO employees, the 

Association of Research Libraries 

(ARL), the Carl Levin Center for 

Oversight and Democracy and the 

Project on Government Oversight 

(POGO), the American Association 

of Law Libraries (AALL), members 

of the Federal Depository Library 

(FDLP) community, and members 

of the public. GPO reviewed these 

comments and summarized them 

according to the sections identified 

on the following pages.
2 Summary of Public Comments on GPO’s Draft Strategic Plan 

and Agency Responses

Overall Plan

Three commenters appreciated the 

overall structure of the Plan, referring 

to the language and presentation as 

concise, straight forward, succinct, and 

streamlined. 

One commenter recommended GPO 

include “Support National Social 

Initiatives” as a fifth goal in the Strategic 

Plan, as a way for the Agency to be 

involved with and support non-partisan 

contemporary social issues or technical 

topics related to printing and publishing.

Agency Response:

With regard to the proposal to include the 

support of “national social initiatives,” 

the Agency does not believe that is 

appropriate. Although the proposal is 

well-intentioned, it is one that the Agency 

cannot address: the Agency produces 

materials and provides services to all 

three branches of government and does 

not set policy itself. What may seem 

like an appropriate initiative to one 

customer may not sit well with another. 

Rather than pick particular policies to 

support, the Agency must remain focused 

on its mission of publishing trusted 

information for the Federal Government 

to the American people.

Vision, Mission, 

Values

One commenter supported the update 

to GPO’s vision, mission, and values to 

focus on the convenient provision of 

access to trusted information for all and 

appreciated the focus on transparency as 

a supported value in the Agency’s work.

One commenter recommended the 

Mission Statement be updated from 

“Publish trusted information for the 

Federal Government to the American 

people” to “Publish trusted Federal 

Government information for the 

American people.”

One commenter recommended the 

sentence “Treat one another with 

respect” be updated to read “Treat one 

another with respect regardless.”

Agency Response:

The Agency believes that the existing 

mission statement adequately addresses 

both its Federal customers and the 

American people who benefit from much 

of that work. The suggested change could 

be read to deemphasize the Agency’s 

obligation to its customers and therefore 

the mission statement should remain the 

same.

With respect to the comment regarding 

treating each other with respect, that is 

intended to provide further context in 

our value of “kindness.” As it is related to 

a GPO core value, it is always part of our 

work ethic and culture.
Summary of Public Comments on GPO’s Draft Strategic Plan 3

and Agency Responses

Goal 1—

Achieve Operational 

Excellence

Goal 1.1—Prioritize Customer 

Relationships:

One commenter appreciated GPO’s 

continuing focus on customer service 

and recommended that any metrics 

developed to measure GPO customer 

service activities take into consideration 

both the timeliness and the thoroughness 

of responses to customer needs.

Agency Response:

GPO’s business units create individual 

strategic plans to complement the 

Agency’s plan. Timeliness and 

thoroughness of responses to customer 

needs are important metrics to measure 

success and will be shared with GPO’s 

business units for incorporation and 

implementation.

Goal 1.2—Right-Size GPO’s 

Workspace Footprint:

Two commenters supported GPO’s efforts 

to explore additional opportunities for 

leasing to government tenants. One 

commenter further recommended 

this could introduce opportunities 

to collaborate with Federal partners 

(modeling the relationship between GPO 

and the Office of the Federal Register).

Agency Response:

The Agency appreciates the support 

for this goal and will incorporate these 

comments into its implementation of the 

strategic plan.

Goal 1.3—Automate for 

Efficiencies:

The Agency received no comments on 

this goal.

Goal 1.4—Promote Synergy:

One commenter recommended that 

the explanation of the goal include the 

promotion of interoperability.

Agency Response:

The strategic plan was updated to include 

the promotion of interoperability in the 

explanation of this goal.
4 Summary of Public Comments on GPO’s Draft Strategic Plan 

and Agency Responses

Goal 2— 

Modernize and 

Innovate

Goal 2.1—Develop and Leverage 

Powerful Software Solutions:

One commenter recommended GPO 

should consider whether it is feasible 

to rely on existing infrastructure, 

rather than building software solutions 

in-house. The commenter also 

recommended GPO examine existing 

market solutions, and prioritize 

leveraging these over GPO-developed 

solutions.

Agency Response:

The commenter identified an ongoing 

tension between using commercial, 

off-the-shelf software (COTS) solutions 

versus custom software developed 

by the Agency. The Agency’s software 

development is usually in response to 

customer requirements that are unique 

or difficult to meet with COTS solutions. 

This goal is intended to continue the 

recent GPO practice of integrating COTS 

solutions to the extent practicable. 

For example, GPO’s next-generation 

composition engine, XPub, is built around 

the commercial XPP publishing solution. 

Additionally, GPO will be developing 

solutions to enable our customers to 

easily author documents using Word 

and send them to GPO to be processed 

through XPub. Thus, the Agency is trying 

to incorporate COTS solutions both in its 

own environment and for its customers’ 

interactions with GPO systems. While 

the Agency will continue to develop 

cutting-edge systems to meet its own 

requirements as well as those of its 

customers, it will also look to integrate 

commercially available software where 

feasible and advantageous.

Goal 2.2—Provide the Most 

Trusted and Secure Credentialing 

Products and Services:

The Agency received no comments on 

this goal.

Goal 2.3—Deploy New Content:

One commenter supported GPO’s plans 

to work with its Federal Government 

partners to add more content to the 

GovInfo digital repository and continue to 

enhance its functionality. 

One commenter commended GPO for 

significant improvements to GovInfo 

and the Catalog of U.S. Government 

Publications over the past five years. The 

commenter recommended GPO enhance 

the functionality of existing content by 

developing more effective tools to retrieve 

congressional oversight materials. 
Summary of Public Comments on GPO’s Draft Strategic Plan 5

and Agency Responses

One commenter supported GPO’s plans 

to work with its Federal Government 

partners to add more content to GovInfo 

and to enhance its functionality. The 

commenter stated that collaborations 

with Federal partners to increase online 

access to historic agency documents, 

Congressional reports and hearings, and 

court opinions are key to ensuring that 

law libraries can effectively meet the 

legal research needs of students, faculty, 

attorneys, and members of the public.

One commenter encouraged GPO to 

continue to add born-digital Federal 

agency content into GovInfo. In addition, 

GPO should consider revising 2.3 to 

“Deploy New Functionality and Content” 

instead of “Deploy New Content” which 

seems to overlap with 2.6.

Agency Response:

The Agency appreciates the support for 

this portion of its strategic plan. With 

respect to the suggestions to improve 

accessibility of congressional materials, 

those suggestions are best addressed 

through the strategic plan for the 

Agency’s Library Services and Content 

Management unit and will be included in 

that plan. The Agency has modified goal 

2.3 as suggested.

Goal 2.4—Transition from Paper 

to Electronic Processes:

The Agency received no comments on 

this goal.

Goal 2.5—Expand In-House 

Publishing Services:

The Agency received no comments on 

this goal.

Goal 2.6—Expand Digital Content 

and Preserve Historic Collections:

One commenter stated that expanding 

GPO’s digitization efforts will require 

additional agency resources. 

One commenter recommended that in 

implementing recommendations by the 

all-digital task force and prioritizing 

permanent no-fee public access to 

digital content, GPO should consider the 

storage and resource capacity of libraries 

to store and preserve materials and 

identify ways to make funds available to 

compensate libraries for retention and 

preservation. The commenter supported 

comments that call on GPO to prioritize 

collaborations with libraries interested 

in collecting, describing, and preserving 

born-digital content. The commenter 

recommended GPO acknowledge gaps in 

collections, preservation, and access.

One commenter supported GPO’s goals to 

partner with Federal depository libraries 

to identify documents and collections 

for digitization, to increase access to 

digital government information, and to 

preserve tangible historic materials. The 

commenter recommended GPO consider 

forming partnerships with academic law 
6 Summary of Public Comments on GPO’s Draft Strategic Plan 

and Agency Responses

libraries, public law libraries, and private 

law firm libraries that are not members 

of the FDLP but that may wish to partner 

with the GPO. 

One commenter encouraged GPO to 

continue to add born-digital Federal 

agency content into GovInfo. They 

suggested that the final Strategic 

Plan should directly address digital 

preservation activities (as well as access 

measures) for all Federal information 

under GPO’s stewardship and that GPO 

make a commitment to seek to expand 

its stewardship of content within scope 

of the FDLP. In addition, they suggested 

that GPO prioritize collaborations with 

libraries that have an interest in working 

to collect, describe, and preserve borndigital content.

Agency Response:

The Agency appreciates the support for 

its approach to expanding digital content 

and expanding its historical collections. 

GPO has recognized that increasing 

digitization activities will require 

additional resources and will incorporate 

this recommendation into its strategic 

plan for the National Collection of United 

States Government Public Information 

(National Collection).

GPO does not currently have authority 

to provide direct grants or funding to 

its library partners and would likely 

require additional resources should it 

ever receive such authority. The Agency 

is incorporating partnerships with nonFDLP institutions, increased work with 

institutions interested in preserving 

materials that are born digital and being 

transparent about collection gaps in its 

strategic plan for the National Collection.

Goal 3— 

Ensure Financial 

Stability

Goal 3.1—Explore Expansion of 

Agency Products and Services:

One commenter recommended GPO 

investigate a print-on-demand model 

for aspects of its publishing services, 

especially in connection to an all-digital 

FDLP. The commenter recommended 

working with the Depository Library 

Council (DLC) to research this topic.

Agency Response:

The Agency will continue to explore 

options for cost-effective print-ondemand services. These efforts will be 

incorporated into the strategic plans 

for Plant Operations and the National 

Collection.

Goal 3.2—Enhance Marketing:

One commenter recommended 

spotlighting GPO’s role in serving as 

a digital repository for Government 

documents and the Agency’s ability to 

preserve and enhance access to executive 

branch material in an agency-level 

marketing campaign, which would also 

support Goal 2.6 Expand Digital Content 

and Preserve Historic Collections and 3.3 

Cross-Selling.

One commenter recommended GPO 

develop a positioning statement and 

include Social Marketing and Community 

Engagement activities in the agency-level 

marketing campaign.

One commenter recommended GPO 

convert the Publication and Information 

Sales (P&IS) organization into a full-
Summary of Public Comments on GPO’s Draft Strategic Plan 7

and Agency Responses

service marketing, advertising, and 

promotion organization to serve the 

outreach needs of all Federal agency 

customers.

One commenter recommended GPO 

update the GPO Online Bookstore website 

and operations and use past and future 

trends to determine product inventory for 

the GPO Sales Program.

Agency Response:

The Agency believes that marketing is 

an important aspect of ensuring that 

GPO’s customers and potential customers 

understand the breadth of services 

available from GPO as well as the value 

proposition of using GPO. Each of the 

Agency’s revenue-generating units will 

look at activities to improve their own 

marketing activities as they develop their 

unit strategic plans in support of this 

Agency goal. Most of these comments will 

be addressed within those unit strategic 

plans.

Goal 3.3—Cross-Selling:

The Agency received no comments on 

this goal.

Goal 3.4—Sunsetting Legacy 

Practices:

One commenter recommended GPO 

consider the shift in the prevailing 

models by which libraries obtain and 

store information, such as subscribing 

to digital content and relying on cloud 

storage. The commenter recommended 

GPO rely on library staff expertise to 

better understand current models for 

building and providing access to the 

collection.

One commenter recommended GPO 

continue to seek cooperative input 

through Working Groups conducted 

under the oversight of the Depository 

Library Council, as an approach to 

exploring how to balance the public’s 

needs and best interest with available 

resources.

Agency Response:

The Agency will investigate the shifts 

in how its partner libraries receive 

information as it crafts its own plans 

for sunsetting outdated or unnecessary 

practices. The Agency plans to continue 

its current practice of working with the 

Depository Library Council (DLC) and its 

working groups.

Goal 4— 

Develop Our 

Workforce

Goal 4.1—Recruitment, 

Development, and Retention:

One commenter pointed to GPO’s success 

in using the Intern Program to recruit 

and retain teammates and recommended 

continued collaboration with Human 

Capital in this area.

Agency Response:

The Agency will continue to utilize 

its intern, recent graduates, and 

apprenticeship programs to attract 

qualified people to GPO and retain them 

as teammates into the future. Human 

Capital’s strategic plan will incorporate 

this comment.
8 Summary of Public Comments on GPO’s Draft Strategic Plan 

and Agency Responses

Goal 4.2—Succession Planning:

One commenter recommended GPO 

model the United States Census Bureau 

and conduct interviews with retiring or 

retired teammates in order to preserve 

the institutional memory of the agency. 

The commenter recommended this 

activity fall under the direction of an 

agency historian.

Agency Response:

The Agency’s Human Capital unit will 

look to other agencies’ practices to find 

strategies for its implementation of this 

goal and goal 4.3.

Goal 4.3—Knowledge 

Management:

One commenter supported GPO’s 

plan to enable a culture of knowledge 

sharing but emphasized that in order to 

be successful the effort cannot rely on 

the informal exchange of information 

between teammates. The commenter 

recommended GPO make knowledge 

management a priority with dedicated 

responsibilities and resources.

Agency Response:

As individual business units develop their 

own strategic plans, they will incorporate 

the need to preserve knowledge as 

required by this goal. Similarly, support 

units like Information Technology will 

ensure that they are planning to support 

those activities.

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