The award is being given to honor GPO Access, the electronic information service that provides access to over 1,000 databases. More than 97,000 titles are housed on GPO Access servers, and links are provided to over 46,000 titles from other Agency web sites.
Several databases lack a print equivalent.
GPO Access was established by Public Law 103-40, the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993. It has undergone continual expansion and improvement since its creation to provide better service to the public. Early FY 1999 statistics indicate that GPO Access receives five million searches and ten to fifteen million document retrievals per month, while helping Congress, Federal agencies, and the courts to disseminate official information quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively. The convenience and timeliness of GPO Access have rapidly made it an invaluable public resource. The new Public Access to Government Information Award was created at the request of AALL's Government Relations Committee to recognize persons or organizations that have made significant contributions to protect and promote greater public access to government information.