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LPS Annual Report: FY 1997

Executive Summary

Fiscal Year (FY) 1997 saw progress in every area of the Library Programs Service (LPS) in effectively moving toward a more electronic program. This transition is guided by the 1996 "Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program" (FDLP).

Significant events in FY 1997 marked the beginning of partnerships and agreements among GPO, other Government agencies, and depository libraries, for making available, producing, and permanently storing certain electronic Government products. These initial projects will provide the foundation on which future partnerships will be based. The focus of this report will be on these partnerships as well as on the new applications that have been created in LPS to assist in the transition to a more electronic FDLP.

Important LPS 1997 highlights include:

  • Permanent access initiatives, including the "collection management" concept for GPO Access;
  • Expanded outreach activities, such as participating in and sponsoring conferences;
  • Developing new GPO Access Web applications and services for depository librarians, such as:
  • Adding the Council Web pages to the FDLP Administration Web page;
  • Creating "Core Documents of U.S. Democracy: An Electronic Collection";
  • Using the Web to conduct the Biennial Survey and the Item Selection Update Cycle;
  • Developing the Item Lister, putting up the electronic version of the Shipping List, and partnering with the creators of the Shipping List label service.
  • Office space renovation and local area networking.
  • The distribution of tangible products from LPS in FY 1997 was:

    Titles: Copies:
    Paper 13,216 Paper 6,123,497
    Electronic 741 Electronic 341,105
    Microfiche 16,347 Microfiche 6,001,858
    Total 30,304 Total 12,466,460

    FY 1997 saw the first general renovation of LPS' office space since we moved to the main GPO building in 1985. In addition to a general facelift, a Windows NT Local Area Network (LAN) was installed. The LAN is in its initial stages of development, and other applications will be added to enhance LPS' operational capabilities.

    Library Programs Service Highlights

    In Fiscal Year (FY) 1997 LPS continued the evolution toward a more electronic program. This transition is guided by the 1996 "Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program" (FDLP).

    Significant events in FY 1997 marked the beginning of partnerships and agreements among GPO, other Government agencies, and depository libraries, for making available, producing, and permanently storing certain electronic Government products. These initial projects will provide the foundation on which future partnerships will be based. The focus of this report will be on these partnerships as well as on the new applications that have been created in LPS to assist in the transition to a more electronic FDLP.

    Other important LPS 1997 highlights include:

    • Permanent access initiatives, including the "collection management" concept for GPO Access;
    • Expanded outreach activities, such as participating in and sponsoring conferences;
    • Developing new GPO Access Web applications and services for depository librarians, such as:
      • Adding the Council Web pages to the FDLP Administration Web page;
      • Creating "Core Documents of U.S. Democracy: An Electronic Collection;"
      • Using the Web to conduct the Biennial Survey and the Item Selection Update Cycle;
      • Developing the Item Lister, putting up the electronic version of the Shipping List, and partnering with the creators of the Shipping List label service.
      • Office space renovation and local area networking.

    FY 1997 saw the first general renovation of LPS' office space since we moved to the main GPO building in 1985. All of the offices were repainted and new carpet was installed. Office partitions were installed in the Micrographics area, and partitions are planned for the Acquisitions and Classification area. In addition to the general facelift, a Windows NT Local Area Network (LAN) was installed. The LAN, with Internet access, mainframe connectivity, and e-mail, enables LPS staff to communicate effectively with one another and the depository libraries. Catalogers are now using the Internet to access the OCLC system and produce cataloging records. The LAN is in its initial stages of development, and other applications will be added to enhance LPS' operational capabilities.

    Electronic Transition Staff

    The purpose of the LPS Electronic Transition Staff (ETS) is to identify, assess, and implement information technology solutions for the transition of the FDLP to a more electronically based program. Once developed, these solutions are being integrated into the LPS line operations. The four-person staff now includes George Barnum, of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, who joined LPS on a one-year appointment. George is concentrating on the issue of permanent public access for electronic information in general. Specifically he is working on forging partnerships between depository libraries, Federal agencies and GPO. Sandy Morton-Schwalb has been appointed for another one-year term and is working primarily on negotiating with Federal agencies to expand depository access to their electronic information products.

    Managing GPO Access as a Collection

    One of the key developments of FY 1997 is the "collection management" concept for GPO Access, which establishes that GPO will manage the various electronic Government information products made permanently accessible via GPO Access as a library-like collection. Permanent public access will be provided under the authority of the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-40), and planning for GPO Access storage will be done in the context of a GPO Collection Management Plan. GPO planning efforts recognize that GPO is building a FDLP Electronic Collection using GPO resources, and is coordinating permanent access through a distributed networked system. The FDLP Electronic Collection consists of remotely accessible electronic Government information products, including core legislative and regulatory GPO Access products which will reside permanently on GPO servers, and other products either maintained by GPO or by other institutions with which GPO has established formal agreements.

    A Collection Management Plan is being developed by a team led by LPS, joined by staff from the Office of Electronic Information Dissemination Services (EIDS), and Production. The Plan will delineate policies, procedures, and organizational responsibilities for managing the Collection. Establishing a Collection Plan will promote recognition among Federal publishing agencies that GPO is dedicated to ensuring permanent access to Federal electronic information products, whether those products are held by GPO Access or by an institution with which GPO has a partnership agreement.

    Core Documents Collection

    The "Core Documents of U.S. Democracy: An Electronic Collection" went live in late June and gives users direct online access to the basic Federal Government documents that define our democratic society. This core group of current and historical U.S. Government publications is available for free, permanent, public access via GPO Access at the following URL:

    <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/coredocs.html>. Where appropriate, the core documents collection points to content at other official Government sites such as the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Web site.

    LPS Web Applications

    LPS continues to develop applications for the FDLP Administration Page on GPO Access as the principal channel for official communications for the FDLP. One addition to the FDLP Administration Page in 1997 was the Council Web pages, which contain useful information on the activities of the Depository Library Council. This information includes the dates of and minutes from its meetings as well as its mission, history and a list of current and former members. Although GPO hosts the pages, the content originates from the Council.

    The most successful new service in 1997 was the development and implementation of the online "Amendment to Item Selections" form. The 1998 Annual Update Cycle was completed on July 31, 1997. There were nearly 65,000 transactions performed by over 1,000 libraries on the "Amendment to Item Selections" on the FDLP Administration Page. This new application saved 104 hours of weekend overtime by Depository Administration Branch (DAB) staff in manually editing and keying in the information from the Green Cards that have been used in the past.

    In 1997 a change was made to the Browse Electronic Titles page. All titles are now maintained in a comprehensive list organized in alphabetical order by agency and sub-agency. The original single page has now been split into many pages, thus reducing the time required to pull up a page. Retention of titles on the "New Additions" page will increase from one week to four weeks.

    The Item Lister, which creates an online list of a depository library's item number selection profile, was launched during 1997 and has proven to be a most popular product. Located off the FDLP Administration home page on the World Wide Web, the Item Lister reflects the depository library's item selection profile in the latest update to DDIS (Depository Distribution Information System), and allows the libraries to download a copy of their selections. The application has already saved time and money for the program, as LPS no longer needs to annually print out each library's profile for the update cycle. Libraries can pull down this information from the Web site as needed throughout the year.

    In January 1997, LPS began uploading shipping lists in DBF format to the Federal Bulletin Board. At the same time, in cooperation with the University of Texas-Arlington, and the State University of New York-Buffalo, all shipping lists are now available via the World Wide Web. Members of the depository community have long requested electronic shipping lists, and they are now available in both DBF and HTML formats.

    An electronic version of all significant GPO-produced print publications about the depository program was added to the FDLP Web site, including ongoing issues of Administrative Notes and Administrative Notes Technical Supplement (with links to back issues kept on the site).

    Pathway Services

    Pathway Services are available on the Internet via our GPO Access Web site at: <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces760.html>. These services, which assist users in locating Government information products on the Internet, continued to expand during 1997.

    The Pathway Indexer in 1997 was indexing as many as 150,000 pages at one point. However, the Indexer has been placed in maintenance mode awaiting the implementation of the Advanced Search Facility. The Advanced Search Facility, a software procurement funded by the Commerce Department, is expected to provide sophisticated Internet information discovery capabilities.

    A "Search the Federal Government" page was created to supplement the Pathway Indexer by linking to GovBot and agency-specific search engines. The page is also linked to the Superintendent of Documents home page.

    The Browse Topics page currently has 138 out of the 157 topics finished and updated regularly. Thirty-four of the completed topics have been prepared by 29 volunteers from the depository library community.

    A Browse Federal Agencies page has come about through a service partnership with Louisiana State University. This site is based on the agency entries in the U.S. Government Manual and links users to agency Internet sites. This "service partnership" demonstrates how leveraging the skills of the depository library community can enhance FDLP services. The URL is <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/agencies.html>.

    New Partnerships and Agreements

    In a more electronic FDLP it is assumed that the FDLP will provide permanent public access to a remotely accessible electronic collection of Government information and will develop services that improve librarians' abilities to manage the electronic FDLP. In the broadest sense, there are two kinds of partnerships: content and service. They share the common element of being formalized through some type of agreement between GPO and the library or agency. Partner institutions in content partnerships host part of the FDLP Electronic Collection for free use by the public. Service partners offer services that assist documents librarians and GPO in the administration of the FDLP. GPO, as administrator of the FDLP, coordinates such partnerships.

    The first example of the content partnership is the three-way effort with the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) and the Department of State. An agreement was reached between GPO, UIC and the Department of State to let UIC hold for permanent access electronic information products that migrate off the Department of State Web site (DOSFAN). This agreement ensures adequate access, security, and preservation for permanent access to the research collection.

    In 1997, LPS worked with the Department of Energy/Office of Scientific and Technical Information (DOE/OSTI) to ensure that DOE/OSTI reports were made electronically accessible to depositories. An Interagency Agreement was negotiated between GPO and DOE/OSTI to allow depository libraries no-fee access to the 12,000 - 15,000 public domain reports produced annually by OSTI via a GPO Access link to the DOE/OSTI "Information Bridge" Web site. This service is expected to begin in Spring 1998.

    Progress has been made on the Interagency Agreement with the National Commission on Libraries and Information Service (NCLIS) to conduct an "Assessment of Electronic Government Information Products." Staff from the National Research Council produced a draft Statement of Work (SOW) on behalf of NCLIS. Woody Horton, an information consultant, was given the task of creating a document, based on the SOW, to be used as a request for proposal in seeking a contractor to actually conduct the assessment. Final approval of the SOW by the Joint Committee on Printing is required before proceeding to the next phase of the project.

    The University of North Texas and GPO have entered into an agreement for permanent access to the publications of the now-defunct Advisory Commission on InterGovernmental Relations (ACIR). The ACIR collection can be found at: <http://www.library.unt.edu/gpo/acir/acir.html>.

    GPO, the University of Texas-Arlington, and the State University of New York at Buffalo have a partnership that enhances the shipping list service. The service enables users to perform a number of tasks such as viewing and printing shipping lists in item number, classification number, or title order and search shipping lists for title keywords, items and classification numbers.

    GPO will be working with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) on a pilot project that will enable depositories to have free online access to scientific and technical documents that are currently available in electronic format from the NTIS collection. After initially proposing some restrictions on redissemination of the information, NTIS has agreed to allow wider use of the materials, but has requested that it not be mounted on a Web site. While GPO would prefer no restrictions, this is acceptable in view of the benefits to the FDLP of having this information in the Program for the first time.

    FDLP Content and Products

    Discontinuing certain titles when reliable electronic alternatives are available was one of the transition alternatives identified in the 1996 "Study." There are several factors resulting in electronic information being assimilated into the FDLP. For example, many of the reductions in the number of tangible products in the FDLP are the result of publishing agencies changing their production or information dissemination practices. For a number of years, the most practical solution to the problem of "fugitive documents" was to obtain a single copy of a publication and convert it to microfiche. Today, the availability of many information products from Government Internet sites offers another solution. LPS will mine the Internet to determine if an electronic alternative is available for publications that we might have previously converted to microfiche.

    In the October 15, 1997 issue of the Administrative Notes, the Library Programs Service (LPS) announced a list of titles currently distributed in microfiche format for which an online electronic source has been identified. LPS prepared this list to solicit comments prior to discontinuing distribution of these titles in microfiche format.

    After discussion at the fall 1997 meeting of the Depository Library Council in Clearwater Beach, Florida, LPS has decided to postpone acting on this proposal until the criteria for identifying appropriate tangible product titles has been more fully developed and publicized. When considering online resources for distribution to the depository libraries solely in electronic online format, LPS staff look for resources that meet the following specific criteria. The title must be available on a Government web site that has a significant amount of content, including both current and back issues. The title cannot be a reference aid. In evaluating titles for online electronic delivery only, we consider the number of libraries selecting a title. Generally, only titles selected by 500 or less libraries are considered. If an online resource has a value associated with timely delivery, such as newsletters and announcements of hearings, online is very likely more timely than distribution of the material in microfiche format. LPS will continue to work in consultation with Council on this issue.

    Candidates for delivery solely in electronic online format have to meet several specific criteria. The title must be available on a Government Web site that has a significant amount of content, including both current and back issues. The periodical title cannot be a reference aid. In evaluating a title for online electronic delivery only, we consider the number of selecting libraries before eliminating the tangible version.

    LPS staff continues to identify titles available on the Internet, and for some of these titles, the online version will eventually replace the current distribution of physical products. For those materials that are replaced, the delivery of the physical products will not be discontinued until a volume year is complete. If the title lacks volume numbers, the change will be made at the beginning of the calendar year. LPS with continue to notify libraries via the Administrative Notes Technical Supplement when a title is available online.

    Acquiring Content for the FDLP

    Identifying and reviewing products available from Government Internet sites has expanded traditional acquisitions duties. By September 1997, the Browse Electronic Titles page had over 2,100 electronic product titles listed on the page. These products are classified and the information is sent to the Cataloging Branch, which provides cataloging records for these products in the Monthly Catalog. Weekly updates, performed each Monday, add an average of over 30 titles a week to the Browse Electronics Title page.

    LPS negotiated with National Imagery and Mapping Administration (NIMA, formerly the Defense Mapping Agency, DMA) to revise the existing Interagency Agreement to bring the NIMA products back into GPO for distribution directly from LPS. This was undertaken because of a shift in distribution facilities from NIMA to the Defense Logistics Agency in Richmond, VA. For several years, programming changes have been needed so that NIMA's system could accept the distribution information from the latest Item Selection Update Cycle. Bringing the material back into GPO for distribution to the libraries will eliminate this problem. And it should also allow LPS to have accurate statistics for the number of NIMA products being sent to the depository libraries.

    Product Update

    The number of tangible electronic products, a category that is virtually all CD-ROM titles, continues to grow in the FDLP. By the end of FY 1997 we expect to ship 735 CD-ROM titles. New CD-ROM products include USAPat Facsimile Images of United States Patents, FBIS on CD-ROM, the Federal Acquisition Regulation CD-ROM, and the World FactBook on CD-ROM. LPS is still working with Production to produce a version of the TSCA Inventory provided on three floppy diskettes from staff at the EPA. It will be distributed to the libraries in CD-ROM format.

    Two online services continue to be quite popular with the Federal depository libraries. 812 libraries are currently registered to access the STAT-USA databases via the World Wide Web. And a new online service, CenStats, also became available for depository access at no charge to the library. Beginning in March, patrons are able to access the paid CenStats database from workstations in the depository libraries. Census did not limit access to the database to one user at a time, but allows multiple users as long as the patron is located in the library when accessing the database.

    In December 1996, LPS was advised that the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) would no longer be available to GPO for the Sales Program or the FDLP. Under a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) between Oxford University Press and the National Cancer Institute, the JNCI was to be privatized over a five-year period. With assistance from the Joint Committee on Printing, the Public Printer, the Superintendent of Documents, the National Cancer Institute and Oxford University Press, LPS once again distributed this title to the Federal depository libraries, beginning with the September 3, 1997 issue. Oxford University Press has also made a commitment to provide sufficient copies of all issues of the JNCI, from January 1997 to the September 3 issue, to ensure libraries do not have a gap in their collections.

    Cataloging and Indexing Program

    During FY 1997 the Cataloging Branch received more than 34,000 pieces of work and processed more than 31,000 pieces. During CONSER's FY 1997, which concluded at the end of June 1997, catalogers authenticated 149 original records and 118 existing records, and maintained 1,487 records.

    A move to, and again from, a temporary work site while new carpeting and the GPO LAN were installed in the permanent work site accounted for an estimated decrease in production of approximately 1,000 Monthly Catalog records. Cataloging Branch workstations are now part of a LAN environment and will soon have network access to such useful tools as LC's "Cataloger's Desktop." Catalogers now have workstation access to ACSIS and DDIS and are able to obtain specialized locally produced information needed for cataloging records. We expect that long term benefits of a networked environment will far exceed the temporary decrease in production that resulted from the move.

    As of October 1, the cataloging backlog consists of approximately 3,100 pieces of work. Most of this work relates to microfiche, particularly individual issues of serials. Other work includes approximately 70 titles in CD-ROM and approximately 150 Internet related monographs. At the present time, most work published in paper, CD-ROM, and made available via Internet access is processed within approximately two weeks of receipt or notification. Titles in microfiche are processed within approximately three weeks of receipt.

    Two people have joined the Cataloging staff. These new personnel will devote much of their effort to cataloging Internet resources and other locator service initiatives.

    New Cataloging Developments

    Significant attention has been focused on Internet-related cataloging initiatives of the Cataloging and Indexing Program. GPO's recently published cataloging policies for remote access, its Internet-related cataloging practices, and its use of CONSER's "single record" option for transcribing URL related data in records for physical form versions, were praised by several members of the CONSER Operations Committee during meetings at the University of Michigan. Several catalogers and Cataloging Branch management participated in Internet cataloging-related programs during the ALA Mid-Winter meeting of the GODORT Cataloging Committee and the spring 1997 Depository Library Conference. In response to invitations from the Indiana Library Federation and the National Serials Interest Group (NASIG), the Chief, Cataloging Branch addressed members of these organizations with regard to GPO Internet-related cataloging initiatives.

    Electronic Access and Dissemination of Monthly Catalog Records

    At the present time, the GPO Web site edition of the Monthly Catalog contains approximately 87,000 records that represent titles cataloged since 1994. Approximately 2,300 of these records contain URL-related data. Most GPO Monthly Catalog Web site records with URLs provide hot-linked access to publications.

    Interest in initiating services to provide continued electronic access to titles represented by Internet-related Monthly Catalog records has produced a sustained and increasingly thorough consideration of the use of Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURLs) in Monthly Catalog records to support such services. Discussions with OCLC regarding the use of its PURL resolver software have reached a phase of detailed and substantive consideration.

    Such consideration includes testing current PURLs software in GPO's environment for GPO applications and continued consultation with OCLC as its considers development of a basic links checking function for potential integration with its freely available PURLs resolver software. Once available, we anticipate using enhanced PURLs resolver software as part of our cataloging and locator services.

    Improvements to data processing within GPO resulted in achieving the goal of publishing GPO web site Monthly Catalog records within 24 hours after production in OCLC. The GPO web site edition of the Monthly Catalog now represents a "daily catalog" of bibliographic records.

    Each issue of the CD-ROM edition of the Monthly Catalog now contains approximately 30,000 records cumulated since 1996 and includes the Periodicals Supplements for 1996 and 1997. This version of the Monthly Catalog has been enhanced by a new interface that makes the product more user friendly and by features that enable users to simultaneously search more databases than had been possible with the original software.

    Interactions with Depository Libraries

    In FY 1997, Depository Services Staff (DSS) conducted on-site inspections in 55 depository libraries. In addition, self-studies submitted by 140 depositories were evaluated and brief reports summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of the depository operation were mailed. The number of depositories examined in 1997 is down because only one Inspector instead of the full complement of four conducted the on-site evaluations. Two additional inspectors have been selected from the 30 who initially applied. Thomas Oertel, from the University of Utah Law Library, and Cynthia Etkin, from Western Kentucky University, joined GPO in September 1997. The remaining inspector is serving on the Electronic Transition Staff.

    Two libraries were designated depositories in FY 1997. Twelve libraries voluntarily relinquished their depository status, a decrease of two over FY 1996. Only two libraries cited lack of electronic equipment as the reason for terminating status. At year's end there were 1,366 libraries in the FDLP, a reduction of twelve from a year earlier. One library was placed on probation as a result of deficiencies discovered during inspections, while two others were removed from probationary status based on improvements in compliance which were observed during the re-inspection.

    The depository library self-study was used during 1997 and began with 175 libraries that were last inspected in 1989 and 1990. Throughout 1997, these reports were evaluated to determine whether an on-site inspection was required. In July 1997, 150 libraries last inspected in 1990 and 1991 were notified to submit the mandatory self-study by October 15, 1997. After analysis, a portion of the depository operations will be inspected in 1998. With the adoption of the self-study as an evaluation tool, the basis for inspections became 44 U.S.C. section 1909, i.e., "the Superintendent of Documents shall make firsthand investigation of conditions [in depository libraries] for which need is indicated..." This method of evaluation has permitted some resources devoted to periodic inspections to be reallocated to FDLP system support and related services for depository libraries.

    A Depository Library Council (DLC) Working Group on Statistical Measurement worked with DSS to develop the 1997 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries questionnaire. In August and September, a Web application was developed and tested. The new application replaced the Teleform fax software used for tabulating the 1995 survey data. The Biennial Survey will be distributed to depository libraries in October with a December 1 due date for responses. As part of the Biennial Survey, depository librarians will be able to review and submit updates to their depository PROFILE information.

    Conferences and Outreach

    Within LPS, the DSS takes the lead in organizing continuing education efforts for documents librarians. The two premier events are the annual Federal Depository Conference, which is conducted in conjunction with the spring DLC meeting, and the annual Interagency Depository Seminar. DSS also serves on the DLC Working Group to develop Service Guidelines for the Provision of Electronic Government Information to the Public. The committee will present a progress report at the fall Council meeting in Clearwater, FL. Other speaking engagements in FY 1997 included ALA midwinter meeting, ERIC Clearinghouse Directors, FLICC Acquisitions Institute, and the AALL annual meeting. The planning and organization of these events, as well as the coordination of GPO Access training and demonstrations with EIDS, has taken an increasing proportion of staff time in DSS.

    The 6th annual Federal Depository Library Conference, held from April 14-17, was an overwhelming success, with over 550 attendees and 50 speakers. This total was down slightly from the previous year as some academic librarians attended the Association of College and Research Libraries triennial conference from April 10-14. The Conference was held again at the Washington National Airport Hilton in Arlington, VA. As in previous years, the agenda allowed the attendees to choose among a selection of simultaneous sessions in addition to the plenary sessions.

    The Proceedings of the 6th Annual Federal Depository Library Conference will be available electronically on the FDLP Administration Web page in September, and available for shipment to all depositories in paper format in October. The Superseded List, distributed to all depositories in October 1996, was also available electronically via the Federal Bulletin Board and the FDLP Administration page.

    DSS also coordinated the weeklong 10th Annual Interagency Depository Seminar held May 28-June 4,1997. Sixty-five librarians with three or fewer years' experience as documents librarians attended the seminar. This seminar is designed as "basic training" for new documents librarians. It was presented by GPO, Library of Congress, Patent & Trademark Office, Copyright Office, U.S. Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, General Accounting Office, Department of Energy, Office of the Federal Register, and the Bureau of the Census.

    The Regional Librarians Conference held August 11-13 in Minneapolis, MN, was a great success. GPO brought together regional librarians and one representative from each state without a regional within its border to this one-time program at SOD expense. The topics, conducted by regional librarians, focused on "best practices," including state plans, establishing in-state listservs, producing results with little money, and GIS management. The conference strengthened the ability of regionals to provide services to their selectives and to improve their own performance.

    Distribution of Tangible Products

    LPS' Depository Distribution Division (DDD) is responsible for the receipt, shipment preparation, and physical distribution of the tangible Government information products that LPS distributes to the depository libraries.

    LPS' FY 1997 distribution of tangible products, by format, was:

    Titles FY1996 FY1997

    Paper 14,268 13,216
    Tangible Electronic 639 741
    Microfiche 14,465 16,347
    TOTAL 29,372 30,304

    Copies FY1996 FY1997

    Paper 6,084,337 6,123,497
    Tangible Electronic 275,815 341,105
    Microfiche 7,112,749 6,001,858
    TOTAL 13,472,946 12,466,460

    The beginning of FY 1997 marked the end of the distribution of the DOE reports in microfiche, as DOE/OSTI terminated its microfiche operations and began its own transition to an electronic information management system. As noted previously, DOE/OSTI and GPO have worked together to develop an electronic replacement which will keep this content available to depository libraries.

    Under an agreement with LPS, the U.S. Geological Survey distributes maps directly to depository libraries, and 295,493 maps were distributed in FY 1997.

    Nearly all depository shipments continue to be delivered by commercial carriers. GPO awarded a new delivery contract to Roadway Package Service (RPS), which now delivers nearly all depository shipments from LPS. Delivery by the U.S. Postal Service still accounts for less than 10% of all depository shipments. Even though RPS is our commercial carrier, depository libraries felt the impact of the United Parcel Service (UPS) strike. Anticipating an increase in volume from the UPS customers, two weeks prior to the strike began RPS limited LPS to only 600 packages per day, an allocation that was not lifted until September 17. The effect of this situation was to slow the delivery of shipments to depository libraries.

    The enhancements to the Lighted Bin System (LBS) performed during 1996 have allowed LPS to update the LBS with a daily download from GPO's mainframe of item selection files from DDIS (the Depository Distribution Information System). In addition, during 1997 the LBS has experienced less downtime due to the hardware and software enhancements added to each throwing zone during 1996. These upgrades have reduced the annual maintenance contract for the LBS by 50%.