F e d e r a l    D e p o s i t o r y    L i b r a r y    P r o g r a m

2001 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries Approaching

The 2001 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries will be conducted on the Web at <www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/bisurvey/01survey.html> from November 1 through November 30, 2001.

The purpose of the Biennial Survey is to report on conditions in the depository libraries. Required by law (44 U.S.C. §1909), the Biennial Survey gathers data from all the depository libraries every 2 years, supplementing the more in-depth inspections or self-studies that are performed every 6 or 7 years.

The survey period will be November 1-30, 2001; however, to avoid the rush, depositories are advised to submit their survey responses early in November. Additional information will be posted at the Biennial Survey web page <www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/bisurvey/index.html>in late October.

Your internal Federal Depository Library Program password will be needed to access the survey. If you do not have your depository library password, please contact:

• Joe Paskoski at 202-512-1698, <jpaskoski@gpo.gov>,
• asklps@gpo.gov, or
• Depository Services at 202-512-1119.

Staff shortages on the inspection team have continued to cause delays in processing self-studies and in physical inspection of libraries. The sole inspector at the beginning of the year, Charles Bradsher, was joined in January by Walter Zoller. Bradsher left GPO in June. Regina Koo was recruited as a new inspector in August, and a third inspector should be on-board in November 2001.

No inspections are currently scheduled, pending completion of training for new staff members. Inspection staff have been focusing on the review of self-studies from 1999 and 2000. When these have been completed, inspection trips will be scheduled for this set of self-study libraries as necessary.

The next set of self-studies will be called for from depository libraries last inspected in 1994 in Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The call for self-studies from these states is not definitely scheduled at this time, but may occur in January 2002. Of course, libraries may begin their self-studies at any time, using the online template at <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/fdlm/selfstud.html>.

15th Annual Interagency Depository Seminar Announced

The 15th Annual Interagency Depository Seminar will be held in Washington, DC from May 28 through June 5, 2002. The weeklong seminar will consist of an overview of various agencies' information products and activities as they relate to Federal depository libraries. The seminar is being presented by many Federal agencies, including:

• Bureau of the Census
• Copyright Office
• Library of Congress
• Office of the Federal Register
• Patent and Trademark Office
• Government Printing Office
• and more to be announced.

The Interagency Depository Seminar is the most comprehensive introduction to U.S. Government information now offered (see the attached schedule of events). It is aimed at documents staff with basic working experience in a depository. In the 14 years that it has been offered, the seminar has been very popular with the Federal documents community. As attendance must be limited to 60, preference will be given to those who have not previously attended the seminar and whose libraries are located outside the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Costs for the seminar are being kept as low as possible. A $22.00 registration fee will be the only charge; it covers coffee and donuts in the morning and sodas in the afternoon. Librarians attending the seminar must cover their own travel and subsistence expenses, as no government funds are available for that purpose.

Prospective attendees should complete the registration form and mail it, along with a check for $22.00 postdated after January 1, 2002 and made out to "GPO Cafeteria Service" to the Library Programs Service by March 15, 2002. Librarians who are officially registered for the seminar will be notified first by e-mail immediately and then receive a packet by mail in mid-April 2002. As there is usually a waiting list, a helpful hint is to submit the registration form to reserve a place first, then try to obtain full or partial funding from your library administration later. If you wait until funding is assured, the limited slots for the seminar may be filled.

If you have any questions about the seminar, please contact the Chief, Library Division, by telephone on (202) 512-1119; by fax on (202) 512-1432; or by e-mail at <rhaun-mohamed@gpo.gov>.

15th Annual Interagency Depository Seminar

Preliminary Agenda

There will be an informal get-together of seminar participants in the lobby of the St. Gregory Hotel and Suites at 6:00 p.m. Librarians will be able to meet some colleagues and Depository Services staff in an informal setting. Those who are interested may enjoy dining together in the Rosslyn or Georgetown areas.

The Library Programs Service (LPS) of the Government Printing Office will host the first day of the seminar. LPS staff will be available to answer questions about how GPO acquires, classifies, catalogs, and distributes and disseminates government information products in all media. LPS staff will also discuss writing the self-study and responsibilities of Federal depositories. There will be a comprehensive tour of the LPS facility and an opportunity to network.

The Office of the Federal Register (OFR), of the National Archives and Records Administration, will present this morning’s program on the Federal regulatory system. The workshop covers the rulemaking process, including the relationship between laws and regulations; the important elements of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations; using the finding aids of the Federal Register/CFR publication system; and an overview of electronic access to certain publications of the OFR.

In the afternoon, GPO's Office of Electronic Information Dissemination Services will demonstrate the variety of GPO Access on-line services, including the Federal Register, Congressional Record, U.S. Code, Congressional bills, and other databases.

In the morning, four different Federal agency representatives will discuss their products, services, and electronic initiatives. For maximum flexibility in program planning, Federal agencies will be confirmed in spring 2001.

In the afternoon, the Serial and Government Publications Division will conduct a tour of its operation, including the government publications stacks and reference. There will be a presentation on the National Digital Library activities. There will be the opportunity to tour key areas of the restored Jefferson Building.

Staff of the Census Bureau will present product information for the 2000 Census, American Community Survey, American Factfinder, etc., and demonstrate other products on DVD or CD-ROM and the Census home page. Bureau staff will provide a variety of handouts and answer questions about the availability and uses of Census data.

A full day workshop will cover the basics of intellectual property: patents, trademarks and copyrights, featuring speakers from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. Attendees will learn to differentiate between three types of Federal protection for intellectual property and the methods by which this information is accessed by the public. Publications and search methods, where applicable, will also be discussed.

In the morning, agency representatives from two Federal additional publishers will discuss their products, services, and electronic initiatives.

The seminar will conclude at noon.

Presentations during the seminar week will be held in the Carl Hayden Room of the main building of the Government Printing Office and the Library of Congress. Presentations will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. and will last until 4:00 p.m., unless otherwise stated in a detailed program supplied to the registrants in mid-April 2002. All participants are expected to attend all presentations.

A block of rooms has been reserved for seminar participants at the St. Gregory Hotel and Suites. The hotel is located at 2033 M St. NW, Washington, DC. This hotel is one block from the Dupont Circle Metro station. Attendees can take the Metro subway train from Washington’s Reagan National Airport to the hotel and also to Union Station, which is about a block from GPO. The Library of Congress can be reached by Metro or by walking from GPO.

A room is available for the government rate of $119.00 per night, plus tax. Overnight parking is free. If you wish to reserve a room at the St. Gregory Hotel and Suites, you should call as soon as GPO confirms your seminar reservation. Hotel reservations must be made no later than April 24, 2002. After that date, rooms will be subject to availability at the best available rate. If you choose to make other hotel arrangements, be sure the hotel is near a subway stop for ease of transportation to and from seminar sites.

The phone number of the reservation desk at the St. Gregory Hotel and Suites is 202-530-3600. Please tell the reservation clerk that you are attending the GPO Interagency Depository Seminar and quote the above room rate. If you are interested in sharing a room with another librarian attending the seminar, Robin Haun-Mohamed at LPS will try to match up roommates. You may contact her by telephone on 202-512-1119 or via e-mail at <rhaun-mohamed@gpo.gov>.

Mail to: Chief, Library Division
Library Programs Service (SLL)
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, DC 20401

RIE and CIJE Citations to be Online Only

As of January 2002, the ERIC Program will no longer print Resources in Education (RIE) nor supply a paper copy of Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE) to the Federal Depository Library Program for conversion to microfiche. Both RIE and CIJE will be supplied through the December 2001 issues to complete the volumes. The SuDocs number for RIE is ED 1.310: and the item number is 0466-A. The SuDocs number for CIJE is ED 1.310/4: and the item number is 0466-A-02. Patrons may search the ERIC database at <www.eric.ed.gov/searchdb/searchdb.html> for both RIE and CIJE citations.

October 12, 2001

Dear Depository Librarian:

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Associate Director for Water has asked the Library Programs Service (LPS) to instruct all depository libraries to destroy all copies of the following CD-ROM publication:

Please withdraw this material immediately and destroy it by any means to prevent disclosure of its contents. Both LPS and the U.S. Geological Survey regret any inconvenience resulting from this request and we appreciate your cooperation.

Sincerely,

FRANCIS J. BUCKLEY, JR.
Superintendent of Documents

Responses to Recommendations

1. Program on Baseline Electronic Proficiencies at the October 2001 Conference

Council recommends that the Government Printing Office develop a program for the October 2001 Depository Library Conference on suggested baseline proficiencies for public access to federal electronic resources.

Rationale:

Council recognizes the widespread uncertainty regarding the proficiency level needed for accessing electronic government resources when providing public services. It is the sense of Council that a program delineating baseline proficiencies would serve the dual purpose of providing practical information of immediate use, as well as opening a dialog on proficiencies that could become the catalyst for more advanced training opportunities.

Response:

The Library Programs Service (LPS), in coordination with Council, has scheduled a session entitled "Baseline Electronic Proficiencies" for the October 2001 Depository Library Conference. Speakers will address the issue from three different perspectives:

• Overview of electronic competencies from a professional educator.
• Implementation of training for baseline electronic proficiencies in an academic library.
• Review of issues and concerns from the American Library Association Government Documents Round Table (GODORT).
2. Basic Collection Proposal

Council recommends that the Government Printing Office proceed with the "Basic Collection" revision proposal. Council also requests that the Government Printing Office regularly review this list. Council further recommends that the Government Printing Office examine the functions and scope of all collection lists in the Federal Depository Library Manual.

Rationale:

Council agrees that the Basic Collection list is outdated and in need of revision to reflect the changes in currently available, tangible and online, government products. In order for this to continue as a viable list, Council suggests the list be reviewed for possible revision on a regular basis. Council asks the Government Printing Office to clarify the primary purpose of the Basic Collection and all collection lists in the Federal Depository Library Manual to make sure they are still valid and useful, and that the purpose for each is clearly explained.

Response:

LPS has further revised the changes to the Basic Collection proposed at the spring 2001 Depository Library Council Meeting held in San Antonio, Texas. The updated Basic Collection is located at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/coll-dev/basic-01.html. The revision included updating of some titles, deletion of discontinued products, and inclusion of online equivalents for all titles when available. The Basic Collection will be revised as needed to keep the information current and useful to the libraries in the Federal depository library community.

Depository Services Staff have begun reviewing the Suggested Core Collection lists, Appendix A of the Federal Depository Library Manual. As this list was last updated in 1993, it includes many publications with title changes and discontinued publications. This review will be carried out as resources permit. LPS intends to solicit assistance from depository community librarians in updating the lists in the future.

3. Clarify the Phrase "select or otherwise make available" in the Basic Collection Proposal

Council recommends that the Government Printing Office clarify the phrase "select or otherwise make available" as used in the Basic Collection proposal.

Rationale:

The electronic environment that we work in makes the concept of "selection" more fluid since libraries can access things that they have not selected. Questions that Council raised include: does each library have to point to all items in the basic collection or is one pointer to GPO Access enough; should the online catalog include each title; and are there reference service implications? Council believes that an articulated range of options for depository libraries would be helpful.

Response:

LPS has changed the wording in the Basic Collection proposal from "select or otherwise make available" to "All depositories should select or provide electronic access to titles from this Basic Collection." This wording is identical to that used in the Instructions to Depository Libraries (p. 5). An article in the July 15, 2001 Administrative Notes advised the depository community of the revision and included several ways for libraries to meet the requirement to select or provide electronic access to these titles:

• Link to all the titles in the Basic Collection from the library's Web site.
• Catalog the Basic Collection using a collection level record and include a hyperlink.
• Link to the revised Basic Collection Web page from the library's Web site.
• Purchase and make available commercial equivalents (tangible or electronic) of the titles in the Basic Collection.
• Incorporate titles into topical bibliographies or guides.

In addition, a plenary session dealing with item selection and electronic products has been scheduled for the fall 2001 Federal Depository Library Conference and Depository Library Council Program. The session, entitled, "Item Selection Rates, Electronic Formats, and Collection Development Policies in the More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program" is scheduled for Tuesday, October 16, 2001 from 11:15 to 12:00 noon.

4. Cooperative Cataloging Partnerships

Council recommends that the Government Printing Office investigate the feasibility of entering into cooperative cataloging partnerships with depository libraries. The investigation could include the development of criteria and requirements for cooperative cataloging partners.

Rationale:

Through partnerships, depository libraries would have the opportunity to share the results of local and regional cataloging efforts by contributing records for inclusion in the Government Printing Office’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications and distribution as GPO records. Cooperative cataloging by GPO partners has the potential to add value to other FDLP initiatives, such as the University of North Texas Cybercemetery and the Permanent Public Access initiative. In addition, cooperative cataloging partnerships may enable the Government Printing Office to discover and obtain cataloging for government information products outside the current GPO cataloging workflow. Once developed, cooperative cataloging partnerships could be used to enable depository libraries engaged in a variety of digitization, retrospective conversion, and discovery projects to share cataloging of GPO-distributed products.

Response:

Cooperative cataloging has been and remains an essential component of bibliographic control of U.S. Government publications. For years, GPO has been an active participant in all national cooperative cataloging programs. These programs are managed by the Library of Congress (LC) within the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), and include components for name authority, subject authority, monographs, and serials (NACO, SACO, BIBCO, and CONSER, respectively).

All these programs support the cataloging of U.S. Government publications. To be effective, cooperative cataloging programs require that catalogers of member institutions must be trained and certified and must produce records that meet national standards. GPO catalogers meet these criteria and they adapt records produced by other certified institutions, when they are available, for use in producing the Catalog of United States Government Publications and for distribution to libraries throughout the United States and in many foreign countries.

While not technically a cooperative cataloging program, the efforts of volunteers in the Electronic Fugitives Working Groups to identify online versions of U.S. Government publications show promise as a prototype for identifying and sharing basic bibliographic and location information. Information provided by the Electronic Fugitives Working Groups is passed to GPO catalogers for production of widely disseminated records. Such a model provides some of the benefits of cooperative cataloging, such as shared basic information, but without the administrative costs associated with forging agreements, monitoring compliance, and assuring that volunteers meet requirements for PCC membership.

Given the interest in cooperative cataloging, we have arranged for two representatives of LC PCC programs to make presentations during a plenary session of the Fall 2001 Depository Library Council. This session will feature Jean Hirons, CONSER Coordinator, and Carolyn Sturtevant, NACO Coordinator.

---

[ Back to the Table of Contents ]

---

Spanning the Bridge of Time, by Everett K. Brown

Pacific Friend, July 2001 (v. 29, n. 3)

[The following article on the National Archives of Japan was recommended for inclusion in Administrative Notes by Michael DiMario, Public Printer. Reprinted by permission.]

Looking at old maps is a hobby for me. Like any lover of history, I prefer to consult old maps before beginning a journey. For it is often on dusty and out-of-date maps that history waits to be re-discovered.

In Tokyo, just north of the Imperial Palace, there is a place I sometimes visit to consult old maps. It is called the National Archives of Japan. Other places in Tokyo have good map collections too, such as the National Diet Library, found on the far side of the Palace. What leads me to the National Archives, however, is that it is the official repository of the Japanese government. Here I can find a variety of official maps of Japan, some dating back nearly four hundred years.

A feature of the National Archives is that many of the maps, books and other documents in the archives are part of original collections that have fascinating historical value. Take for example the library of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616). Historians have long known of the brilliant Japanese leader's interest in Chinese studies. By looking at the variety of Chinese texts that he assembled during his lifetime on subjects such as history, politics and measurements, one can understand the breadth of his extensive learning.

On a recent visit to the National Archives I ran into Robert Campbell, an American who is an Associate Professor of Edo and Early Meiji Literature at Tokyo University. Campbell describes himself as a "heavy user" of the archive facilities. In the second floor reading room he showed me several old Japanese travel diaries and an interesting assortment of 19th century books from America that he was consulting.

These books, he explained to me, were originally the contents of a large steamer chest brought back to Japan by the first Japanese emissary mission to visit the United States and Europe in the early Meiji period (1868-1912). The books covered a whole range of topics, such as industry, politics and economics--all books that the delegation assembled during their 18-month voyage. I was surprised to see there was even a small travel guide to hot springs in upstate New York.

"What I find fascinating about this collection," Campbell told me, "is that it represents a time capsule. From these books we can see the access Japan had to Western thought during the early Meiji period." Campbell added that many of these books were published just days before the delegation's return to Japan and represented the most advanced Western ideas of the day.

Until the National Archives was established in 1971, the various Japanese government ministries and agencies archived their own official documents, a practice that had continued since the formation of the present-day Japanese government system in the Meiji period. Older documents, such as ancient Japanese and Chinese classical books and materials, were originally stored in the Cabinet Library (Naikaku Bunko). After the creation of the National Archives they were added to the present collection, and are now an important division of the archives. Examples of some of these ancient texts are on display in the first floor exhibition area.

On the third floor, I met Masaya Shiomitsu, a legal documents expert and one of the team of archivists who organize the National Archives collection. It is the job of archivists like Shiomitsu to determine what documents are of historical value and then coordinate their transfer from each of the government ministries to the archives.

Compared with national archives in Europe, where the history of modern archiving systems dates back to the 18th century, there are surprisingly few staff at the National Archives of Japan. This is due in part to the relatively young history of modern archiving in Japan, dating back only 30 years. With a team of roughly ten members, archivists such as Shiomitsu oversee a collection of over 990,000 volumes of historical official documents.

"What is distinctive about the National Archives of Japan," Shiomitsu pointed out, "is the diversity of government documents available to the public, and the span of history represented here. In the collection you can find manuscripts dating as far as the year 908 A.D."

It is the responsibility of professional restorers to protect and restore such rare and unreplaceable treasures. While all of the documents are kept in the underground storage room at a constant temperature of 22° C and humidity of 55%, they still tend to deteriorate over time and with use.

Upstairs on the fourth floor is the restoration room, where a team of professional restorers is busy at work restoring damaged documents. I met Itaru Aritomo, who had just returned from Europe where he attended a European Commission on Preservation and Access meeting to discuss the latest strategies in restoration practices.

"Many restorers around the world prefer Japanese washi paper for their restoration work," Aritomo told me, especially in the leaf casting technique. This is a method whereby the affected parts of the original document are filled in with fibers of washi paper."

Aritomo gets many inquiries from professional restorers around the interested in Japanese restoration techniques. Over the internet, he and other experts around the world exchange information on the most advanced European restoration techniques, as well as traditional Japanese methods, in order to preserve valuable documents in the best possible way.

Before leaving the National Archives, I dropped back down to the second floor reading room, where I found Huang Rong-guang, a Chinese researcher working in the microfilm room. Huang, who is completing her Ph.D. thesis at Tokyo University, is an expert on Sino-Japanese trade during the Meiji period.

For Huang, being a researcher is often detective work that leads her on distant journeys. As the National Archives is the repository of government documents, she sometimes comes across official references to trading companies. If the subject is important enough, she will visit the local archives in the city where the company was located, whether it be Nagasaki, Shanghai or even Paris.

When I asked Huang about her experience using the National Archives of Japan she contrasted it with a visit she recently made to Beijing. Though China has a history of archiving official documents that dates back nearly two thousand years, due to the sheer volume of backlogged materials she had to wait some time for documents important to her research.

"I really value the computer search system at the National Archives of Japan. It allows me to complete fast and easy document searches even over the internet," Huang added. She did hope, however, that Japan would someday develop an archive search system like the one now available at the National Archives in Paris. There she was not only able to make searches for book titles, but also for word references within the text.

Disclosure of government documents to the general public has been enshrined in law under the Administrative Information Disclosure Act, which was passed by the government in May, 1999, and came into effect in April of this year. More and more government data is being made available to the public, and there is increasing interest in official documents as records of the workings of the government. Remarkable strides have already been made in the short history of the National Archives of Japan, and its work will surely become increasingly important in the future.

---

30 Years of the National Archives of Japan

The National Archives of Japan celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year. It was founded in July, 1971, to store as historical materials the official documents transferred by government ministries and agencies. It also provides a database of official documents online on the internet. Under the Public Archives Law, which was enacted in 1988, the National Archives of Japan gained the role of passing official documents on to future generations as a historical legacy.

The National Archives of Japan houses over 990,000 documents, and some 80,000 documents are used for reference by the public every year. The main building is in Chiyoda Ward, central Tokyo, and in 1998 a new branch was founded in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture. The National Archives of Japan celebrated a new start on April 1, 2001, when it became in Independent Administrative Institution. (For more information on the National Archives of Japan, see <www8.cao.go.jp/koubunsho/index_e.html>.)

---

In order to protect against the ravages of ultraviolet rays or natural disasters, documents are kept in two underground storage rooms. The stacks area comprises about 35 linear kilometers of space that is kept at an ideal constant temperature of 22 degrees C and 55% humidity.	Goshomei Genpon, the original manuscript of the Constitution of Japan, with the signature and seal of Emperor Showa.
Similar to traditional Japanese paper making techniques, this leaf-casting machine is highly valued in restoration work. With this process the fibers of washi paper fill in the damaged parts of documents.	Among the many interesting books in the archives is this diary of the first Japanese emissary mission to the United States and Europe. The book's illustrations reveal some of the first images of American life to be seen in Japan.

---

[ Back to the Table of Contents ]

---

Library Programs Service
FY 2001 Annual Report

Within the U.S. Government Printing Office, the Library Programs Service (LPS) is charged with the administration of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the Cataloging and Indexing Program, and the distribution component of the International Exchange Program of the Library of Congress. These programs are accomplished through the basic functions of LPS:

• Acquisition, classification, and bibliographic control of U.S. Government publications in all formats
• Distribution and format conversion of tangible U.S. Government publications
• Assuring permanent public access to all publications in FDLP collections, with particular attention to the current and ongoing accessibility of electronic U.S. Government publications
• Inspection of depository libraries for compliance with statutory requirements
• Providing continuing education and training initiatives that strengthen the ability of depository library personnel to serve the public

Summary

The transition to a more electronic FDLP, begun in 1996, is continuing, as required by Congress and consistent with the trends in Government publishing. In FY 2001, LPS began moving ahead of the publishing agencies in terms of reliance upon online information. No longer passively proceeding "in tandem" with agency publishing decisions, LPS is frequently selecting only the electronic version of Government publications for FDLP even when the originating agency may still be publishing in a tangible format. This process has contributed to an increasingly complex workload for LPS staff.

LPS’ cataloging and locator services have emerged as a critical element in the FDLP’s provision of current public access to U.S. Government publications. Long recognized as the national authority for cataloging Government publications, LPS is also gaining recognition as a center of excellence in other aspects of managing an electronic collection for permanent public access.

In FY 2001, about 60% of the titles in the FDLP were available online. This ongoing change is reflected in changes in the LPS organization. While the areas of LPS that are associated with processing tangible publications are either static or shrinking in size, additional resources are required for the discovery, classification, cataloging, and archiving of electronic publications.

Staffing and automated systems resources continue to be issues for LPS. Loss of experienced personnel and managers has occurred at an unprecedented rate this year, with the worst losses occurring in the Cataloging Branch and the Depository Distribution Division. Filling these vacancies will take considerable time, and the new staff will not be completely on board and assimilated into the workflow until well into FY 2002.

LPS has begun the process of acquiring an up-to-date library cataloging and data management system, typically referred to as an integrated library system (ILS). Such a system would enhance LPS’ ability to perform the statutorily authorized functions of the Cataloging and Indexing Program and the FDLP.

LPS Highlights for 2001

• FDLP publication distribution increasingly electronic
• Policy guidance for acquiring online publications
• Significant personnel turnover
• Expanded role of cataloging staff
• New directions for partnerships
• ILS acquisitions planning process
• State plans revision initiative
• Web Document Digital Archive project with OCLC

FDLP Publication Dissemination

The FDLP has become a primarily electronic program. Under policies articulated early this year, Government publications are furnished to Federal depository libraries solely in online electronic format unless certain criteria or circumstances exist. As a result, there is now a higher proportion of online-only titles in the FDLP than ever before.

Many format changes begun in FY 2000 are now in effect. LPS previously established the requirements for depository copies for many publications that are printed under GPO term contracts beginning in FY 2001. Last year, LPS checked each term contract to see if that title or set of publications was available online. If so, and it did not fall into one of the exception categories, LPS changed the depository dissemination to electronic only. LPS reviewed about 700 annual term contracts and changed about 25% of them to solely electronic dissemination. The results of these decisions, coupled with the program funding reductions, are showing up in FY 2001, with nearly a 29% reduction in the number of FDLP paper titles. There has also been an even sharper reduction in the number of microfiche titles, due in large measure to the cessation of the Congressional bills in microfiche at the end of the 106^th Congress.

By the end of July, 18,387 additional online titles were made available via GPO Access. Overall, 59% of the titles disseminated this year were online, compared to 53% in FY 2000. The following chart shows the distribution of publications in the FDLP in FY 1999, 2000, and 2001:

Media	FY 1999	FY 2000	FY 2001*
	Titles	Titles	Titles
Online (GPO Access)	17,885	11,715	15,755
Online (other agency sites)	14,166	20,951	5,480
Paper (includes USGS maps)	13,103	13,660 9,650
Microfiche	25,740	14,572	4,867
CD-ROM, DVD	682	617	491
Total	71,576	61,515	36,063

* Projection based on data through August

The downturn in the number of new links to online publications at other agency sites is caused primarily by a reduction in the new additions to the Dept. of Energy partnership sites, particularly the DOE Information Bridge (http://www.osti.gov/bridge/). Despite significant staffing losses in the Cataloging Branch, LPS operations to identify, catalog, and link to external resources have continued at a steady pace.

Policy Guidance Developed

In January 2001, the Superintendent of Documents (SOD) issued policy guidance (produced with library community input) to assist GPO staff in determining which publications should be disseminated solely online. SOD 71, the "Dissemination/Distribution Policy for the FDLP" and the related list of "Essential Titles for Public Use in Paper Format" are important working documents for LPS staff to use in acquiring publications for the FDLP, and making possible more consistent decisions. SOD 71 and the "Essential Titles" list are available on the FDLP Desktop.

Personnel and Staffing

FY 2001 saw unprecedented personnel turnover in LPS. Within a one-year span, LPS has lost four staff to the Library of Congress, two to the Defense Technical Information Center, and one each to the Internal Revenue Service and the National Library of Education. This attrition is exclusive of retirements and other causes. The impact of this out-migration has been particularly marked among the library inspectors, catalogers, and the Depository Distribution Division.

Vicki Barber, formerly Chief of the Depository Distribution Division, recently left LPS for a promotion to Chief of the Documents Technical Support Group. LPS is in the process of recruiting to fill this key position. Colleen Davis, an LPS veteran who had been acting as Chief of the Depository Distribution Division, retired in July. William Teele, Chief of the Depository Receiving Section, retired in September. Filling these positions is a priority for LPS.

Bonnie Trivizas returned to LPS as Chief of the Library Division. Bonnie, who previously served in LPS from 1986-92, has management responsibility for the Cataloging Branch (CB), the Depository Administration Branch (DAB), and the Depository Services Staff (DSS).

DSS’ library inspection team shrunk to only one library inspector for part of the year. Two additional inspectors were selected in August. One of the candidates is from a depository library and one is from the LPS cataloging staff.

Thomas A. Downing, Chief of the Cataloging Branch, was the acting Chief, DAB from January through July, in addition to continuing as Chief of the Cataloging Branch. In July, LPS selected Betty M. Jones, previously Chief of Cataloging Section 2, to become the Chief, DAB. Having lost 5 catalogers during the year, LPS is now recruiting catalogers using an "open-until-filled" announcement to fill these positions on an ongoing "flow" basis, rather than by reacting to individual vacancies. LPS has investigated a variety of retention strategies, including upgrading the cataloging positions. However, GPO’s Position Management Branch has advised LPS managers that these positions are correctly graded at the PG-11 level.

In summary, as of mid-September there were 20 recruitment actions underway in LPS, and of these five selections have been made, including two catalogers and two library inspectors. Additionally, one new program analyst came on board in August through the Outstanding Scholar hiring program. Coupled with the high number of staff in new positions, this personnel turnover has impacted LPS’ production operations and other activities.

Cataloging Developments

The Cataloging and Indexing Program managed by LPS has an important role in providing access to online resources through bibliographic control. LPS has expanded its cataloging and locator services efforts, and moved beyond the traditional Monthly Catalog as its principal output. As a center of excellence for Government publications cataloging, the role of the LPS cataloging staff is expanding to encompass a broader range of decisions regarding online resources.

Bringing new employees into dynamic online cataloging environments is both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is in trying to work as productively as possible while continually recruiting and training staff. The opportunity in training newly hired catalogers is to integrate cataloging with the complete range of LPS technical services. In addition to their traditional functions, as new catalogers are hired they are being trained to:

• Determine if online resources fall within the scope of the Electronic Collection
• Evaluate online resources and their association (if any) with physical forms of the same title
• Classify online resources and assign item numbers to them
• Catalog online resources (as well as physical forms)
• Determine the appropriate pages for initial access via bibliographic records
• Assign PURLs to bibliographic records
• Communicate with agency webmasters, as necessary, to restore broken links and to encourage them to provide permanent public access via user and cataloger friendly web pages

These duties create a stimulating work environment and contribute to efforts to identify, describe, and provide permanent public access to both online and physical resources.

Partnerships

There have been recent changes in the partner relationships between libraries and GPO. Increasingly, LPS is asking its library partners to act as the administrators of partnerships, in addition to implementing them or organizing the volunteers. Some recent examples include the University of Central Oklahoma taking on the administration of the Browse Topics service, and the University of North Dakota assuming responsibility for the Needs & Offers list project, both of which originated as GPO-managed services. These and other partnerships are very well served by being managed by librarians in the FDLP community.

State Plans Initiative

In August the Superintendent of Documents asked the directors of the depository libraries for their support and assistance in revising the state plans for the delivery of FDLP services. Some 20 years ago, many depositories and state library agencies worked together to develop state plans for the delivery of depository services within their states or service areas. Since then, much has changed in the FDLP and in the way libraries receive and deliver information in general. From GPO’s perspective, the time for state plans has come again. Among the benefits of the state plan process is the opportunity to strengthen the relationship among all of the depositories in a state or service area, to coordinate with other library and information planning initiatives, and ultimately to provide improved, cost-effective library services to the citizens.

Federal Depository Libraries

The number of depository libraries continues to decline, with several libraries leaving the system with no advance notification to LPS that relinquishing status was under consideration. LPS is developing various approaches to address this issue. Both library inspections and the review of self-studies proceeded at less than optimal rates due to the severe staffing limitations on the inspection team.

	FY 1999	FY 2000	FY 2001*
FDLP libraries	1,347	1,328	1,313
New depository designations	3	1	2
Libraries leaving the FDLP	16	20	17
Libraries placed on probation	5	11	1
Inspections	100	120	36
Self-studies evaluated	252	145	87

*Actual data through August

Web Document Digital Archive Pilot Project

LPS and OCLC, Inc. are testing an initial release of a system to locate, identify, process, describe, catalog, and archive electronic publications. The Web Document Digital Archive Pilot Project has recently been expanded to include several other partners, including the State Library of Connecticut and the State Library of Ohio. The proposed system will incorporate a mix of new and existing solutions in an effort to refine and integrate LPS workflow and routines for processing and storing e-titles for the long term.

GPO is a full partner in this project, and staff has worked closely with OCLC, providing input in the development process. The initial application of the project is based on the CORC interface. Archiving functionality will be added in a subsequent development phase beginning in early 2002. In September ten LPS staff received intensive hands-on training in the CORC interface, paving the way for LPS’ participation in phase one of the project.

LPS’ own archive of electronic publications continues to evolve and grow. The highest priority candidates for this "in-house" solution remain agency publications that are primarily textual or images of text, and which have no tangible counterpart in the FDLP. Information about the operation of the FDLP/EC Archive can be found at <www.gpo.gov/ppa/resources.html>.

Systems Modernization

LPS is in the process of acquiring an up-to-date library cataloging and data management system that will enhance LPS’ ability to perform the statutorily authorized functions of the Cataloging and Indexing Program and the FDLP. In the marketplace such a system is typically referred to as an integrated library system (ILS).

The transition to a more electronic FDLP has given GPO and LPS a distributed library collection of electronic resources to manage and maintain. To meet these requirements, mandated by 44 U.S.C. Chapter 41, LPS needs an improved cataloging and library data management system.

Currently LPS is operating through a patchwork of legacy mainframe systems, stand-alone desktop applications and Web-based service applications that do not share data and are not interoperable. LPS’ efforts to integrate our technical services operations and to manage and improve public access to electronic resources should improve with the acquisition of an ILS. A cataloging and library data management system using state of the art technologies must be acquired to meet the demands of the changing Government information environment.

As a result of the initial analysis performed, LPS’ efforts are focused on purchasing Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) cataloging and library management software from the GSA Schedule, provided it meets our system requirements. Significant costs and time associated with a full competitive procurement will be saved with this approach. LPS expects to adjust internal workflow procedures, as necessary, to mesh with the new system, minimizing modifications to the standard software.

LPS Outreach

In addition to the usual appearances at American Library Association conferences and Depository Library Council meetings, LPS staff presented papers and made presentations on various aspects of the FDLP and the Cataloging and Indexing Program in a variety of venues.

In November 2000, Thomas A. Downing, Chief, Cataloging Branch, contributed to LC’s "Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium: Confronting the Challenges of Networked Resources and the Web." His paper, entitled "An Initial Survey and Description of How Selected United States Government Libraries, Information Centers, and Information Services Provide Public Access to Information via the Internet" was published by LC. The paper appears as part of the "Proceedings of the Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium" and is accessible at <http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/downing.html>.

At the Preservation 2000 Conference, York, England, December 2000, George Barnum presented "The FDLP Electronic Collection: Preserving a Tradition of Access to United States Government Information."

Barnum also updated the Federal Library and Information Center Committee 2001 Information Technology Update at LC on "The GPO-OCLC Digital Archiving Pilot Project," and presented "SuDocs 101: Where did SuDocs Classification come from and what's it for?" at the May 2001 Interagency Depository Seminar.

In Athens, Georgia, in May 2001, Gil Baldwin met with the directors of depository libraries and the Georgia documents librarians. He made two presentations and participated in Georgia's state plan discussions. In September, he was scheduled to appear before the depository librarians of Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire to discuss the future of the FDLP. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, led to the postponement of this program until October 30.