Government information should be available to the public at no or low cost in an easily accessible format. Any revenue garnered by government from the sale of public information should be reinvested in the infrastructure that delivers government information to the public. The commercial sector plays an important secondary role in the collection and dissemination of government information. The American public is served by a diversity of information providers, and no public or private entity should enjoy a monopoly over any body or type of government information. Nor should any private or public sector entity limit the dissemination of government information through exclusive contracts, resale restrictions or other restrictive trade practices.
Many law libraries serve as federal depositories, state depositories, or both.
Federal Depository Libraries operate under a statutory obligation to make government information available to the public. The FDLP should provide for a system of equitable, effective, no fee, efficient, and dependable access to and dissemination of government information, in permanent and readily accessible formats, from all branches of government. As the government moves into a more electronic environment, depository libraries are increasingly important channels through which citizens access law and law-related information. The Government Printing Office, the National Technical Information Service, the Library of Congress and other federal agencies share in the dissemination of government information. AALL believes that all federal government information should be disseminated through a depository and access program with strong, central authority, with Congressional oversight, and with the ability to enforce agency compliance through relevant laws, regulations and other policies.