Through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), and in partnership with more than 1,250 libraries nationwide, the U.S. Government Printing office has an abiding commitment to providing public access to the most comprehensive body of official Federal Government information possible. Since 1996, GPO has been transitioning the FDLP to a predominately electronic basis in full cooperation and consultation with the library community. This initiative has resulted in an exponential expansion of effective public access to Government information without substantial increases in funding, and today more than 1 million documents a day are retrieved from GPO Access (www.gpoaccess.gov ). At the same time, GPO has continued to provide public access to information in tangible formats in accordance with policy established by GPO’s Superintendent of Documents.
GPO will continue to expand electronic information offerings through the FDLP and will continue to provide for dissemination of tangible products to depository libraries in accordance with existing policy, in full consultation with the library community. GPO will ensure that the necessary resources are applied to these tasks for FY 2005 and 2006 without requiring additional resources beyond those that have been approved and requested. All ongoing work on improvements to GPO’s electronic information dissemination systems-including those projects associated with the authentication, preservation, and establishment of standards for electronic information products-will continue. GPO’s Superintendent of Documents will actively seek the guidance and input of the library community in planning for and implementing changes in the dissemination of Government information products in either electronic or tangible formats.
To begin this consultation, the Superintendent will convene multiple sessions on the future of tangible information products in the FDLP at the Spring 2005 meeting of the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer, in Albuquerque, NM (April 17-20). The Superintendent will also conduct a survey of Federal depository libraries nationwide on the same subject. No changes in existing policy or program practice regarding the dissemination of tangible products will be implemented until the results of these efforts have been fully reviewed in consultation with the library community and GPO’s oversight committees in Congress.
Judy
Judith C. Russell (jrussell@gpo.gov)
Managing Director, Information Dissemination (Superintendent of Documents)
U.S. Government Printing Office
Phone: 202-512-0571
Fax: 202-512-1434
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