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Summary, 2003 Spring Meeting
Depository Library Council
April 6-9, 2003
Reno, NV
Council Members present:
Paul Arrigo, Pennsylvania State University, Shenango;
Daniel C. Barkley, University of New Mexico;
Charlene C. Cain, Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center Library;
Cathy Nelson Hartman (Chair), University of North Texas Libraries;
Doris Small Hefner, California State University, Northridge;
Dena Hutto, Reed College, Portland, OR;
Barbara J. Ford, C. Walter and Gerda B. Mortenson Center for International Library Programs, University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign
Greta E. Marlatt (Secretary), Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA;
Michele T. McKnelly, University of Wisconsin, River Falls;
John Phillips, Oklahoma State University;
Mary W. Prophet, Denison University;
Laura Saurs, Newark Public Library;
Lynn Siemers, Washington Hospital Center;
John A. Stevenson, University of Delaware Library
John C. Kavaliunas, U.S. Census Bureau was excused due to a conflict.
Sunday, April 6, 2003, Afternoon and Evening Council Working Sessions
Committee Chairs gave brief reports of the work of each committee. Council reviewed GPO’s responses to the Fall Recommendations and were pleased with the responses and the progress being made.
Some discussion was held regarding the letter from Tad Downing requesting Council’s input on GPO’s proposal to discontinue the printed version of the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications and the Serials Supplement. GPO indicated they do intend, however, to continue printing the U.S. Congressional Serial Set Catalog: Numerical Lists and Schedule of Volumes. Council was basically in favor of this but Dena Hutto wanted to seek some input from others before Council wrote it up as a recommendation.
The majority of the two sessions was spent working with facilitator Fynnette Eaton, Change Management Officer, Electronic Records Archives Program, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). She worked with Council to brainstorm on the question of "wouldn’t it be nice if FDLP * * *". Council was asked to keep the discussion at a "50,000 foot level" since the purpose of the discussion was to begin to try to visualize the depository library of the future. A variety of ideas were proposed and considerable discussion took place. See the Envisioning the Future of Federal Government Information <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/council/EnvisioningtheFuture.html> document for more details of this and subsequent discussion during the meeting.
Monday, April 7, 2003, Plenary Session, 8:30 a.m.
Council Members present:
Paul Arrigo, Dan Barkley, Charlene C. Cain, Cathy Nelson Hartman, Doris Small Helfer, Dena Hutto, Barbara J. Ford, Greta E. Marlatt, Michele T. McKnelly, John Phillips, Mary W. Prophet, Laura Saurs, Lynn Siemers and John A. Stevenson.
Opening Remarks
Robin Haun-Mohamed, Chief, Depository Services, welcomed everyone and informed them that the session was being video-taped <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/council/sp03dlc_videos.html>. She gave the usual logistics and announced that this was the largest registered number of attendees for a meeting outside the DC area. Chair Hartman called the session to order. She introduced Martha Gould from NCLIS (National Commission on Libraries and Information Science) who welcomed everyone to Reno and acknowledged the efforts of the staff of the Washoe County Library.
Chair Hartman welcomed everyone, and thanked the GPO staff, Willie Thompson, Robin Haun-Mohamed and Nick Ellis in particular, for all their hard work with the meeting arrangements. After Council introductions, Chair Hartman conducted the usual Council aerobics to see how many attendees came from each area of the country. Students currently enrolled in library schools were also acknowledged since library school deans were specifically asked by GPO to send student representatives. She also asked how many attendees planned to gamble while in Reno.
Chair Hartman then introduced the format of the session and the visioning process that was to follow. She also gave a brief introduction of Fynnette Eaton who would be facilitating the process. Chair Hartman then introduced the Honorable Bruce R. James, Public Printer of the United States.
Welcome and Remarks by the Honorable Bruce R. James, Public Printer
Mr. James began his remarks by talking about what an important time this is and that GPO is at the crossroads. He has talked with the over 3,000 GPO employees about the need to face the reality of the trend toward an increasingly electronic world and the need to change and "leap over the 20th Century into the 21st Century." He commented that depository libraries and librarians also need to think about what their future will be. As he outlined in his Senate hearings, he is proceeding with a 3-step plan, the first part beginning with fact finding. It is necessary to determine strengths and weaknesses as well as problems and opportunities and to get everyone to agree on them so they can then proceed to build a strategic plan to present a new vision of the GPO. He expects this to be done by the end of the year and said it won’t be done in a vacuum. He wants to build the best strategic plan possible and then take it to Congress. The plan will include what we would like Title 44 to look like in the 21st Century.
He has been visiting libraries to see first hand what’s going on and how things are done. He knows a lot about printing but didn’t know much about depository libraries so wants to learn. He believes in the NCLIS (U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science) Principles of Public Information, especially the first and second ones:
1. The public has the right of access to public information; and
2. The Federal Government should guarantee the integrity and preservation of public information, regardless of its format. http://www.nclis.gov/info/pripubin.html
He indicated he doesn’t have an end in mind, only a beginning.
Visualizing the Depository Library of the Future
Fynnette Eaton described to the audience the process she was going to use and gave a little of her background in facilitating workshops within NARA to move their records management process forward. As well as setting the ground rules, she indicated the morning discussions were going to be kept at a high level, that is, at the 50,000 foot level, not at the daily or operational level. She read to the audience the information that had been compiled from Council’s discussions from the previous day. See the Envisioning the Future of Federal Government Information document <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/council/EnvisioningtheFuture.html> and the video <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/council/sp03dlc_videos.html> for more details of this discussion.
Monday, April 7, 2003, Plenary Session, 2:00 p.m.
The visioning process continued and audience participation was encouraged during this session.
Tuesday, April 8, 2003 Plenary Session 8:40 a.m.
Chair Hartman introduced the various GPO staff members who gave updates in their respective areas.
Judy Russell, Superintendent of Documents
See remarks, Administrative Notes, May 1, 2003 (v. 24, no. 5) http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/adnotes/ad050103.html#2
Gil Baldwin, Director, Library Programs Service
See remarks, Administrative Notes, May 1, 2003 (v. 24, no. 5)