Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here at the Fall meeting of the Depository Library Council. On one hand, though, it is a sad occasion for me because it reminds me that Wayne Kelley, just retired as Superintendent of Documents, is not with us. He is, however, returning today from a trip to France where he probably did not think of us at all. Wayne made great contributions to our office and our programs. He is a person of strong character and great vision and I value immensely the opportunity that I had to work with him for over six years.

I feel most fortunate to now have the opportunity to work with another person whom I consider a real friend and for whom I have the greatest respect-Fran Buckley. I know that he too will make great contributions as the Superintendent of Documents. Fran, welcome on board from me, also.

Now I would like to introduce our newest manager in the Library Programs Service, Vicki Barber. Vicki is the new Chief of the Depository Distribution Division (DDD). Vicki joined GPO in 1990 as a Management Analyst in the Outstanding Scholar Program. After two years of training in all of the areas in Documents, she began working in the Promotion and Advertising Branch where she worked on a number of projects involving the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Following that, she moved into a different world sometimes referred to as "box kicking" and became Chief of the Publications Branch in Documents Sales Service at our Laurel, MD distribution facility. That got her the experience to be selected and promoted into the Depository Distribution Division job where, as you know, she now moves a lot of boxes.

Her 42 employees are responsible for the distribution of all paper and tangible electronic products, as well as a small number of microfiche shipments, to your libraries. And, yes, she is also tasked with the fulfillment of claims, which she recently decided she could handle better than a contractor and brought that function back in-house.

You will note on the agenda that Vicki and Sheila McGarr will be holding an information session for new documents librarians this afternoon. Those of you who are new to the documents world should plan to participate in that session.

Electronic Transition

As I have noted, Vicki and her staff work with tangible depository products, still primarily that stuff called paper. We are aware of the concern that has been raised in the depository community about how far and how fast the electronic transition will be moving, more specifically, will we be replacing paper when an electronic version is available? Certainly, this was one of the transition alternatives identified in our 1996 "Study," and is something we are always considering.

But I would like to share with you a quote in a recent article in Library Journal concerning paper, which I believe is very appropriate here. This quote is from William Miller, president of the Association of College and Research Libraries. The article says that Mr. Miller advocates a realistic perspective, saying, "All information is not yet electronic and probably never will be; electronic information will not be less expensive than current printed information; and libraries-both physical and virtual-will continue to be needed, along with the professionals who run them."

It is our intent, also, to take a realistic perspective and continue our practice that when the publishing agency produces a title in paper and it is available to GPO in paper, we will ride it for library distribution even if an alternative electronic version is available. This is what we are authorized to do under Chapter 19 of Title 44 and we will continue in this manner until Congress provides another direction. I believe the transition should proceed based on the actions of the publishing agencies. If they discontinue paper, then obviously, so will we in the Federal Depository Library Program.

We will, of course, continue to mine the Internet for digital publications to which we can point and add to our Pathway Services. However, if there is a paper product, we will not be treating the electronic version as a replacement, as long as we have the funds, and as long as the paper products are produced through GPO or the agency provides copies.

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.

We have developed a list of some 100 microfiche titles to be replaced by Internet-accessible electronic products in the coming year. We published this list in the October 15 issue of Administrative Notes to advise the library community, and to provide you with an opportunity to advise us if that action would have a negative impact on serving the public.

There is also in the works a possible electronic solution to bringing scientific and technical products into the program, that because of the sheer volume, have never been dealt with in paper.

We are 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 image format from the NTIS collection.

Linda Kennedy of the University of California-Davis volunteered to be part of the pilot in the summer of 1996 and has been working closely with Kris Vais of NTIS. As the initial phase of the pilot got underway, NTIS staff thought it preferable to work with just UC-Davis in what many of us have been calling a "pre-pilot pilot" to determine what bugs there might be in the system before adding more libraries.

Now that UC-Davis and NTIS have been working together for some months, NTIS has indicated that it is ready to work with an additional library, to be added this fall, and then add another four to six libraries in the first half of 1998. Eventually the intent is to include up to 20 libraries in the pilot. I know that a number of you have expressed support for the project and are interested in participating. We will be determining the libraries that will be taking part in the next phase, and hope to have something out soon asking for volunteers.

Anne Watts, Council Chair, has asked that small academic and public libraries be included in the pilot group, and we have assured her that we are looking for a broad representation of libraries to participate. This effort will also be valuable, because it will provide an opportunity for evaluation of another model of electronic information delivery--the use of image files.

I mentioned Wayne Kelley earlier. An issue that was near and dear to his heart was the fate of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. GPO was informed last year that it would no longer be available to either our sales or depository programs due to an agreement between the National Cancer Institute and Oxford University Press to privatize the journal. However, with negotiations among the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP), the Public Printer, the National Cancer Institute, and Oxford University Press, spearheaded by Wayne Kelley, the journal is once again a depository item. In fact, sufficient copies of the journal have been provided by Oxford University Press to depositories from January 1 through September 3, 1997, to ensure that there is no gap in the collection. The October 15 issue of Administrative Notes contains copyright information you should be aware of about the journal.

Now let me talk for a moment about our other key program in the Office of the Superintendent of Documents-our Sales Program. We are nearing the unveiling of the Integrated Processing Systems or IPS, which has been in the works for many years. This is the replacement of over 20 mainframe legacy systems, dating back to 1970, with off-the-shelf, but significantly modified, integrated software. This several million dollar system is scheduled to go live on November 17, and, yes, that is this November, next month.

IPS should greatly improve customer service and document delivery. Implementation, though, is not going to be either an easy or a smooth process. You can expect some disruption in order processing functions as the new system is installed and tested. There will be no parallel system running. Our inventory and subscriber data, which is now being readied for conversion, must be cut over in one action from the mainframe to the new server, with updates in the new system beginning immediately. Historical data will still be available on the mainframe computer, but this data will not contain any updates once IPS goes live.

IPS will affect not just the systems, but also our people, primarily those handling telephone and mail orders and all other kinds of customer service. In fact, everything that those 150 or so people will do will be very different. We really won't know exactly what the jobs will look like, and we won't be able to classify jobs, until the system has been up for some time. So, on the cutover day and for some time afterward, I'm pretty sure that things will be very confused and probably downright "ugly." But I'm also sure that we will get through it and provide greatly improved service, and that IPS will allow us to downsize to reduce costs as we must do if the Sales Program is to have a chance to remain viable.

Shortly after the activation of IPS, the Publications Reference File (PRF) will be replaced by what we are calling the Sales Product Catalog (SPC). The Sales Product Catalog will be a master file for "information professionals" and for our internal use. It will contain all of the information previously found on the PRF. There will also be two specialized versions of the catalog. "SPC Domestic" will be for domestic customers and will not contain international pricing or mailing information. The other version will be termed "SPC International." The SPC and the two specialized versions will be available on GPO Access, but there will be a gap of time before they will be up. I really cannot tell you now how long this will take right now.

Another change is that we will no longer offer a microfiche version. We will have two years of records available, and the Sales staff is studying the feasibility of producing a CD-ROM for out-of-print documents.

And perhaps of even greater significance, the new system will no longer use the 12-digit stock number for ordering, but will instead use a new 6-digit stock keeping unit or SKU. However, the old stock number can be translated by IPS, so we can continue to accept orders using it.

During the first year of implementation, the focus of IPS will be on the Sales Program, but we expect that other areas will be phased in over time. In a year or so we will evaluate the possible integration of existing legacy systems in Library Programs Service and other areas which would move them off the mainframe and into the integrated client-server environment.

One area concerning the Sales Program where I would ask for your help is when a product is taken only electronic by the agency, but there could still be a market for it in paper. In such a case, we would like to consider obtaining the source files from the agency and republishing in paper. So, I would ask that you help us watch for such situations, and if you run across a likely candidate, please let me know.

Finally, and leading to the next speaker, I want to mention the Interagency Agreement that GPO entered into with the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) to conduct an "Assessment of Electronic Government Information Products." This assessment is meant to gain for us information about agency practices and plans in terms of electronic publishing, particularly concerning medium and format standards. One realization that we have come to already as we have developed the Statement of Work with Mr. Woody Horton, an information consultant brought on board by NCLIS, is that we need to change our use of the term "format." As you know, we have used format to mean paper, microfiche, CD-ROM, electronic online, etc. But we now see that those are really the media or medium, and recognize that the format is the arrangement of the information on the medium.

We have now completed a draft Statement of Work and submitted it to the Joint Committee on Printing for approval. Woody Horton will be with us on Wednesday to share the Statement of Work with you and gain input on agencies and products to be surveyed.

I thank you for this opportunity and look forward to the deliberations of the Council for the next three days.

Good morning, everyone. It's a real pleasure to be here today in such a beautiful setting, and to see so many friends again. Today, I want to update you on some of the activities going on in the Library Programs Service (LPS), many of which are part of the evolution to a more electronic Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Since our program is now multimedia and multi-format, I'll be covering activities concerning both electronic and traditional tangible products. Then in conclusion, I want to move on to the general topic of communications between LPS, depository libraries, and other program participants.

First, though, some electronic transition highlights. This past year marked the beginning of partnerships and agreements between GPO, other Government agencies, and depository libraries, for making available, producing, and permanently storing certain electronic Government products.

These initial projects have built the foundation on which future partnerships will be based. The FDLP owes a great deal to the members of our Electronic Transition Staff, as well as to our pioneering partners at the University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of North Texas, and the Departments of State, Education, and Energy, and at OCLC. Together we have blazed the trail that should lead to permanent access to Government information for future generations. The focus of George Barnum's remarks later this morning will be on these partnerships as well as on the new applications that have been created in LPS to assist in the transition to an electronic FDLP.

Some of our other 1997 highlights include:

All of our 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.

This is the third year of the LPS Electronic Transition Staff, or ETS. In general, ETS' role 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. Among other things, George continues the work started by the other people from the library community who have joined us on temporary appointments. You may know that one of our visiting experts, Sandy Schwalb, was reappointed for a second year, and we are very pleased that we have been able to keep Sandy on for a second year. Some of the projects you'll be hearing about today, including the Department of Energy and NTIS dissemination efforts, and the NCLIS assessment have progressed because of her contributions.

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 the FDLP Electronic Collection using GPO resources, and is coordinating permanent access through a distributed networked system. This 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.

Tomorrow morning at 10:45, George Barnum and I will be doing a program on this topic, as well as describing to you our vision for a Collection Management Plan. We hope that you will join us tomorrow and share your thoughts and ideas on this issue.

One of the manifestations of the collection concept is a digital collection on GPO Access known as the "Core Documents of U.S. Democracy: An Electronic Collection." This Web-based collection went live in late June. It 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. I appreciate Council's consideration of this issue as last spring's meeting, and we are interested in any suggestions for expanding this collection.

Since 1991, GPO has been participating in the Supreme Court's Project Hermes. Under this project, the Court electronically distributed its orders and opinions in ASCII and WordPerfect format. At GPO, we've then made those files available to the public by putting them up on the Federal Bulletin Board. Recently, the Supreme Court advised all Project Hermes subscribers that, beginning this month, the files would be sent in ASCII and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). This stimulated us to take a fresh look at how we're presenting the Court information. We've been discussing providing both a searchable database of Supreme Court orders and opinions, covering the period beginning in 1991, and well as building a browsable index for them.

We have been working on a prototype of what the index page might look like, and we're interested in getting Council's advice on how to proceed. With Council's support, we'd like to move to provide ASCII and PDF versions for each new opinion, as well as a summary file.

Identifying and reviewing products available from Government Internet sites has expanded LPS' traditional acquisitions activities and led to some realignment of our resources. In today's Government information environment, printing is at least still partially centralized with GPO, while digital publishing, especially Web activities, define decentralization. Right now, LPS has more people devoted to discovering and evaluating Government information on the Internet and building locator tools for that content than we assign to obtaining copies of tangible products produced at or through GPO. Of course, chasing fugitive products, which are often published without regard to GPO or the FDLP, is still extremely time-consuming. In fact, with the added complications of software licensing, copyright-like restrictions, and Government and private sector arrangements, obtaining copies of fugitive titles is more problematic than ever.Here are some success areas with content for the Program: 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 is currently negotiating 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 is being undertaken at this time 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 shipped about 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.

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. 882 depositories have signed up for CenStats access.

For FY 1997, the approved Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation was $1.23 million less than we requested. House Report 104-657, dated July 8, 1996, explained that "a reduction of $1.2 million will be possible by converting most serial sets to CD-ROM. Regional depositories, plus one depository in each state without a designated regional ... will continue to receive paper copies of the serial set." The Report described the distribution of the bound Serial Set as "duplicative since the individual paper copies of these documents are now distributed to libraries simultaneously with their first printings."

This position was recently reaffirmed in a letter from Senator John Warner, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP), in his September 29, 1997, response to a proposal from GODORT that GPO make available Serial Set title pages and tables of contents for the various volumes published. Senator Warner noted that beginning with the 105th Congress, distribution of the bound Serial Set will be limited to regional depository libraries and one library in each state that does not have a regional depository library. Senator Warner also asked that GPO make the Serial Set title pages and contents available to all requesting depository libraries.

Distribution of the slip House and Senate reports and documents which make up the Serial Set will continue. During early 1997 all depositories were provided with an opportunity to select either paper or microfiche format.

All depositories which selected the bound Serial Set will receive it until the 104th Congress volumes are completed.

Distribution of the mylar dividers which help organize the microfiche into Serial Set order will continue. We have produced the set for the 104th Congress, and it will be distributed to all depositories which select this product.

Beginning with the 105th Congress, we will produce and distribute Serial Set volume title pages and tables of contents for selecting libraries.

Also beginning with the 105th Congress, in accordance with Congressional direction, distribution of the bound Serial Set will be limited to the regional depositories, plus one library in each without a regional within its boundaries.

There are several technical issues to overcome before a complete, useful, and cost-effective CD-ROM Serial Set can be produced. The JCP has directed GPO to "work with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House, as well as the ongoing SGML working group, to facilitate Congress' maximum utilization of electronic creation and transfer of information. Such efforts will make possible a complete electronic version of the Congressional serial set in the near future."

Until that is accomplished, you can find House and Senate Reports and Documents on GPO Access. A growing number of Reports and Documents from the 104th and 105th Congress are available on GPO Access. Look for Congressional publications by clicking on "Congress" from the new SuDocs home page.

LPS expects to receive depository copies of the U.S. Industry and Trade Outlook '98 (formerly known as the U.S. Industrial Outlook), very soon. NTIS has made arrangements for copies to be sent to GPO for distribution to the depository libraries. Another highly anticipated new product is the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) manual, which will replace the Standard Industrial Code manual. Depository copies will also be provided for this title.

Cataloging and Indexing Program

This past fiscal year, the Cataloging Branch processed more than 25,000 titles, and we have a backlog of approximately 4,600 titles, most of which is microfiche, particularly individual issues of serials. The moves to and back from a temporary work site accounted for an temporary decrease in production of Monthly Catalog records. As a result of the renovations, Cataloging Branch workstations are on the LPS local area network and will soon have network access to such useful tools as LC's "Cataloger's Desktop." Catalogers also have workstation access to our mainframe ACSIS and DDIS records, to verify classification and item number information.

Two librarians have been hired for the Cataloging Branch, and we expect them to join us soon. These new personnel will devote much of their effort to cataloging Internet resources and other locator service initiatives.

New Cataloging Developments

Our Web site edition of the Monthly Catalog contains some 87,000 records cataloged since 1994. 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.

The 2,300 Web site records with URLs should provide clickable access to product content on the Internet. We are concerned about the long-term accuracy of URLs in all of our locator services. This has led us to a decision to use OCLC's Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURLs) to maintain the utility of these links. Our consideration of the PURL resolver software includes testing current PURLs software in GPO's environment for GPO applications and continued consultation with OCLC on the development of a basic links checking function and other enhancements. Once available, we anticipate using enhanced PURLs resolver software as part of our cataloging and locator services. We recognize that PURLs may not be the ultimate standard for persistent naming, but it appears to be the best alternative for the near-term. We expect that any future developments would be backwardly compatible with PURLs. We are also monitoring the situation with the Universal Resource Name, or "handle" solution being developed by CNRI, but we feel that it is in the best interests of our Web site and cataloging records users to proceed with PURLs at this time.

Interactions with Depository Libraries

In FY 1997, our Depository Services Staff (DSS) inspected 55 depository libraries. In addition, self-studies submitted by 125 depositories were evaluated and brief reports summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of the depository operation were sent to the libraries.

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, and both are going through inspection training and our new LPS internal orientation program.

Two libraries were designated depositories in FY 1997, while 14 libraries voluntarily relinquished their depository status. 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 ten from one year earlier.

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. The adoption of the self-study as an evaluation tool has permitted some resources devoted to periodic inspections to be reallocated to FDLP system support and related services for depository libraries.

The Council Working Group on Statistical Measurement worked with LPS to develop the 1997 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries questionnaire, and we appreciate their input and suggestions. 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 is literally in the mail to depository libraries 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 name and address PROFILE information.

Regional Conference

This summer we sponsored an event that was described in terms of electing a pope, and some folks around the country were waiting for the puffs of smoke. I'm referring of course to the Regional Librarians Conference held this past August in Minneapolis. I felt this meeting was a great success, and I know I got a lot out of it. GPO brought together regional librarians and onerepresentative from each state without a regional within its border to this one-time program at our 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 theirselectives and to improve their own performance. We anticipate additional regionals-oriented activities taking place in conjunction with future Council meetings and spring Conferences to follow up on the activities which took place in Minnesota. Let me thank Council member Julie Wallace who did a terrific job as our local events coordinator, and your Council Chair AnneWatts, who also contributed to the event.

Official Communications with LPS

Many of you regularly use a variety of channels to ask questions of LPS staff. You send inquiry forms, write letters, e-mail, fax, and phone us. In the years in which we have participated in the GOVDOC-L listserv, we noted many cases where people post questions to the listserv that should have been directed to LPS. Recently, there has been increasing interest in getting this"technical processing" type of traffic off of GOVDOC-L and directed to us. We couldn't agree more, and we've been prototyping a Web-based inquiries and announcements module that should meet these needs. Using a Web-based approach will allow us to integrate this function with our other Web-based FDLP Administrative functions.

With Lee Morey's assistance, I'm going to walk you through the test pages and show you how it will work. Then, I'd like to get your reactions and feedback so we make sure everyone's needs are met.

[On screen demo of AskLPS prototype Web application]

That's what we have in mind, and we think we can get this up in basic form in a fairly short time.

I welcome your comments and suggestions.

It's a real privilege for me to be making this report for the Electronic Transition Staff (ETS). I arrived at GPO in mid-July and feel like I've already been through quite a bit: the move into new office space, the big changes in GPO administration, and my transformation into a reluctant, but ultimately victorious, baseball fan. It needs to be said that my original position still holds as true today as it did before the playoffs: my symphony orchestra can still kick their symphony orchestra's backside. But that's another issue.

I'm here to update you on the progress of the Transition, and perhaps the most convincing measure of our progress is the extent to which the report on what ETS is up to has already been covered by other people. What we're in existence for is to move functions and processes out of the realm of the merely possible into the run of daily activities in the other LPS functional areas. Thus you've heard about some of the initiatives we've been most involved in from Jay and Gil.

ETS continues to be four individuals covering the waterfront of various projects and tasks. Lee Morey and Joe Paskoski work on the technical side of various new and growing services. The creation of the Council Web pages, much of the work on the Web-based Item Selection Update, development of AskLPS, and several of the service partnerships have all come through Joe, while Lee brings you ongoing improvements and work on Browse Topics and the Pathway Indexer. There are now 120 topics available, developed and kept up to date by 27 volunteers coordinated by Lee.

The other half of ETS is Sandy Morton-Schwalb and me, working on a wide variety of projects. Our priority over the last several months has been partnerships with agencies and libraries. Our second content partnership has recently come online, an agreement between GPO and the University of North Texas to provide permanent accessibility to the online collection of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. We're awaiting approval from the Joint Committee on Printing on an agreement with the Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information to provide in electronic form the DOE Contractor R&D Reports that we all know and love (sort of) on microfiche. We've recently completed work on a partnership that we're very excited about between the National Library of Education and OCLC, to embark on a year-long pilot project to test disseminating ERIC reports electronically. This will be the same subset of ERIC that we're used to receiving in fiche, and the access will be through servers at OCLC and using their searching software. You should look for an announcement of the beginning of this pilot in early '98. Finally, as you've heard from Jay, we are in negotiations to expand the pre-pilot work on the project to make NTIS files available electronically.

Another aspect of being the "in-house consultant" in LPS is that we are often called on to act as observers and provide comments on new ideas, which is very stimulating work. I've worked with various people around the organization since my arrival, offering what I can of a fresh viewpoint. ETS has represented GPO outside the agency as well, participating in activities following up on the Electronic Archiving Conference sponsored by the National Agricultural Library and Cornell University last year. We have also attended meetings of the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) group putting together a service called Foreign Affairs Documentation Center, that will eventually make a wide variety of international affairs information available.

It's interesting to me, and I'll leave you with this thought, that much of our contact with other agency personnel takes on the aspect of missionary work. Now maybe it's just that we've been hanging around John Shuler, but I want to give you an illustration. I was at a meeting for the USIA project and got into a conversation with some folks who deal with getting their agency's information to the public. I mentioned the FDLP and got a non-response. I explained the basics of what we do (you know the drill: 1400 libraries, free and open access). When my battery ran down, one of the people looked at me and said, "Is that something that's all up on the Web?" I'm gradually learning how to answer that, but the extent to which we still have a huge job ahead of getting the message out is impressive, to say the least. I know it's keeping me busy.

As usual, I come to you today to talk about new and exciting changes to GPO Access. Based on input from you, our users, many areas of GPO have worked hard since we last got together to continue the improvement of GPO Access.

You have heard me speak many times about the importance that we place on user feedback. While this dialog frequently presents us with difficult challenges, it is a vital piece of the development process and I hope that you will continue to share your thoughts and ideas with us. Hopefully, many of you will take advantage of the two informal focus group sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon to let us know what you think of our redesigned Web pages.

We are continuing to work on improving response time on GPO Access. Usage statistics indicate that our efforts have been successful, but they also make it clear that we will have more work ahead as usage continues to grow.

September was the busiest month ever for GPO Access. Over 6.5 million documents were downloaded from our databases. To put this in perspective, over 9,000 documents were downloaded per hour, or 2.5 per second to reach this total. This is significant, since the last time we got together I proudly reported that we had just gone over four million for the first time. It was only in August that we exceeded five million for the first time.

This growth occurred in our busiest applications, the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations, which indicates that users are able to get in and retrieve what they need. Over 2.3 million documents were downloaded from the Federal Register and almost two million from the Code of Federal Regulations.

I am pleased to announce that the redesign of the GPO Access Web pages has been completed and the new pages were released on Friday, October 17, 1997. Many of you probably saw the new pages before you left to come to Florida. For those of you who did not, with the assistance of Terri Barnes I am going to go through some of the changes this morning.

Let me start by explaining our objectives for the new home page. We had heard repeatedly that the previous page was difficult to navigate and not intuitive to new users and that it afforded minimal utility to seasoned users. Our redesign efforts focused on creating a home page that would afford a new user with a clear and easy path to the GPO Access services that they need, while still providing a useful starting point for a frequent user.

This two-pronged goal was met by using shorter links and more commonly recognizable language. On the left side there are quick jumps to our most popular applications. On the right side, a user is presented with easy to follow links to GPO Access services.

For those who know nothing about GPO Access, there is a link to a new page titled "What is GPO Access?" It provides essential descriptive information about GPO Access and the services it provides. There are links to take the user directly to the resources described. To minimize scrolling, quick jumps take users directly to the area of the page that interests them.

A new/noteworthy page will help users keep up with new GPO products and services. New and noteworthy items appear in chronological order and the page provides both new GPO Access services and new sales products. For a new sales product, the link leads to the information contained in the official product release. All postings to this page will remain permanently accessible, arranged by year.

The next link will take users directly to the Federal Bulletin Board.

By clicking on "Search Databases," a user goes to a new page that contains a number of useful links. There are links to the general search page, links to each of the specialized search pages, or to a page where they can find out more about each of the individual databases.

I would like to point out a few significant changes to GPO Access on this page. First, the online version of The Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is now known as simply Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. Second, the Publications Reference File has been renamed the Sales Product Catalog. And finally, there is a link to the new Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents application.

The next link on the new GPO Access home page takes users to a page of applications designed to help users find Government information on GPO Access and other Federal Internet sites. It provides quick jumps to the applications themselves as well as a link to the portion of the "What is GPO Access?" page that explains each of the tools.

There is a link on the new GPO Access home page to a page finding products for sale by GPO. It has links to all of the applications for locating sales products and to the bookstore page.

Finally, there is a link to a new page titled "Government Information at a Library Near You" describing the Federal Depository Library Program. There are links on this page to the Locate Libraries page, the MOCAT application, and the FDLP Administration page.

There is also a new online GPO Access Survey form. I am pleased to report that many of you have already used this form. As of Friday, more than 400 depository librarians had submitted survey responses and the preliminary results are quite encouraging. I hope that those of you who have not yet filled one out will do so in the near future. Point your browser to:

During Fiscal Year 1997, which ended September 30, the Cataloging Branch received more than 28,000 pieces of work and processed more than 25,000 pieces of work. During CONSER's Fiscal Year 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 worksite while new carpeting and the GPO local area network were installed in the permanent worksite 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 September 18th, the cataloging backlog consists of approximately 4,600 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, or via the Internet is processed within approximately two weeks of receipt or notification. Titles in microfiche are processed within approximately three or four weeks of receipt.

Two people have been offered employment as catalogers and are expected to join operations sometime during the early part of FY 1998. These new personnel will devote much of their efforts to cataloging Internet resources and other locator service initiatives.

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 CONSER's 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 Depository Library Conference. In response to invitations from the Indiana Library Federation and the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG), the Chief, Cataloging Branch addressed members of these organizations with regard to GPO Internet-related cataloging initiatives.

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 hotlinked access to publications.

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.

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 PURLs 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.

Discontinuing certain titles when reliable electronic alternatives are available is one of the transition alternatives identified in the "Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program." Many of the reductions of the number of tangible products in the FDLP are the result of publishing agencies changing their production practices. For a number of years, the most practical solution to the problem of fugitive documents was to obtain a single copy of the publication and convert it to microfiche. Today, the availability of many information products from Government Internet sites offers another solution.

We have developed a list of some 100 microfiche titles to be replaced by Internet-accessible electronic products in the coming year. LPS is publishing this list in the October 15 issue of Administrative Notes to advise the library community of these changes and to provide an opportunity to comment. The list may also be reviewed on GPO Access at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/mfrep.html. LPS will continue to mine the Internet to determine if an electronic alternative is available for publications that we might have previously converted to microfiche. LPS will continue to notify libraries via the Administrative Notes Technical Supplement when a title is available online.

In January 1997, DAB began uploading shipping list information in DBF format for all formats of material twice a week 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 also available via the World Wide Web.

LPS is currently negotiating with the National Imaging and Mapping Agency (NIMA), formerly Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), to revise the existing Interagency Agreement to bring NIMA products back into GPO for distribution to the libraries via the lighted bin system. NIMA has not updated the depository library profiles for several years. Bringing the NIMA material back into GPO should eliminate problems with non-receipt of material and will also provide LPS with more accurate statistics concerning the number of products distributed and new title availability.

Item Lister, a new service developed for depository libraries, was activated in January 1997. Item Lister reflects the depository libraries' item selection profile in the latest update to the Depository Distribution Information System (DDIS), and allows libraries to download a copy of their selections.

DAB also developed the online "Amendment to Item Selections" form. By the time the 1998 Annual Update Cycle closed, on July 31, 1997, 64,873 total online transactions had been performed by 1007 libraries. The new item selections take effect with the beginning of the new fiscal year, October 1, 1997.

Browse Electronic Titles (BET), part of the suite of Pathway Services Web pages, has been changed. All titles are now maintained in a comprehensive list organized in alphabetical order by agency and sub-agency. The original page has also been split into many pages, thus reducing the time required to pull up a page. And maintenance of titles on the "New Additions" page will increase from one week to four weeks.

Micrographics staff continue to work with GPO's Quality Control Department and depository librarians to monitor contractor performance under the full service microfiche contracts. Recent problems with DDIS tapes have been identified and contractors will receive new tapes on October 1, 1997. Problems with shipping list products for Wilkins Systems, Inc. have been sent to GPO's Term Contracts for review and action. If libraries continue to have problems with microfiche shipments, contact Michele Harris at (202) 512-1060, fax (202) 512-1636, e-mail: mharris@gpo.gov.

All staff in the Depository Administration Branch now have the new e-mail addresses. Please contact Michael Clark at mclark@gpo.gov, Michele Harris at mharris@gpo.gov, Laurie Beyer Hall at lhall@gpo.gov, Robin Haun-Mohamed at rhaun-mohamed@gpo.gov, and Earl Lewter at elewter@gpo.gov.

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 is once again distributing this title to Federal depository libraries, beginning with the September 3, 1997 issue. Oxford University Press has also provided sufficient copies of all issues of the JNCI, from January 1, 1997 to September 3, 1997, to ensure libraries do not have a gap in their collections. Copyright information concerning the Journal was printed in the October 15, 1997 issue of Administrative Notes.

The 1996 World Factbook on CD-ROM was distributed to libraries in May 1997. LPS is expecting the 1997 edition to be available in October in both print and CD-ROM formats.

The two online fee based services provided to the Federal depository libraries at no charge to the library continue to be very popular. 812 libraries are currently registered to access the STAT-USA databases via the World Wide Web. And the new service, CenStats, also became available for depository access at no charge to the library. Patrons are able to access the paid CenStat database from terminals in the depository libraries. Census does 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.

LPS is awaiting delivery of the U.S. Industry and Trade Outlook '98 (formerly known as the U.S. Industrial Outlook), due out this fall. The other highly anticipated new product, the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) manual, will replace the Standard Industrial Code Manual. NTIS will be providing copies for both these titles for distribution to the libraries.

PERSONNEL

Vicki Barber joined the Library Programs Service as Chief of the Depository Distribution Division in May, 1997. She had previously served as Chief of the Publications Branch in the Documents Sales Service.

Number of Titles Distributed

Tangible Product	Fiscal Year 1997	Fiscal Year 1996
Paper	13,216	14,268
Electronic	741	639
Microfiche	16,347	14,465
Total	30,304	29,372

Number of Copies Distributed

Tangible Product	Fiscal Year 1997	Fiscal Year 1996
Paper	6,123,497	6,084,337
Electronic	341,105	275,815
Microfiche	6,001,858	7,112,749
Total	12,466,460	13,472,946

DEPOSITORY DELIVERIES

The current mail carrier for nearly all depository shipments is Roadway Package Service (RPS). Delivery by the U.S. Postal Service accounts for less than 10% of all depository shipments. Libraries should receive shipments within seven working days after they are picked up from LPS. Delivery of packages to depository libraries was affected this summer by the UPS strike. Anticipating an increase in mail volume from UPS customers affected by the strike, RPS limited LPS to only 600 packages per day prior to the strike. This limit was not lifted until September 17. Depository shipments should now be received in a more timely manner.

Paper claims fulfillment has returned to LPS. LPS has not renewed the contract for paper claims fulfillment services. In the interest of providing more effective and less costly service to depository libraries, paper claims fulfillment will once again be performed in-house.

Depository libraries are again asked to assist LPS in reducing the number of invalid claims by observing the proper claims process.

Please claim only those items your library has selected to receive. All incoming claims are verified through DDIS. Claims must be submitted within 60 calendar days from the date on the shipping list.

During the annual update cycle the number of invalid claims increases drastically. Additions remain pending until they are activated at the start of a fiscal year. Your library will begin to receive the added publications at this time. Do not base your claims for missing depository publications on additions made during the update cycle period until you receive a shipping list dated on or after October 1, 1997. Deletions can be submitted to LPS throughout the year. If your library has deleted an item number, LPS will stop shipping the publication within 72 hours after receipt of your library's deletion request. Do not claim deleted items.

In most instances it is not necessary for your library to submit a duplicate claim. Claims are filled from the original request. If your library makes the decision to send a duplicate claim, please identify it as DUPLICATE.

Also, LPS automatically ships rain check items to libraries when the publications are available. Please do not claim short shipments or rain checks.

The following notations, found on the shipping list, should alert you to the publications' status.

Occasionally LPS may experience problems in receiving claims via the fax. When this happens, libraries will be advised to send fax claims to another fax number. Once problems are resolved, libraries should resume using (202) 512-1429.

LPS is currently reviewing ways to make the claims process easier by evaluating the possibility of electronic claim submittal. Watch for more information in upcoming months.

LPS will take advantage of Electronic Package Data Interchange (EPDI) offered through RPS. This service allows for the electronic transmittal of barcode and package information at LPS to RPS hubs and terminals. Outgoing shipments can then be processed and delivered to libraries more quickly.

PERSONNEL

Thomas G. Oertel, from the University of Utah College of Law Library, joined the Library Programs Service (LPS) as a depository library inspector on September 2. Cynthia Etkin, from Western Kentucky University, joined LPS on September 29, filling the other inspector vacancy.

The Regional Librarians Conference, held from August 11-13, 1997 at the Radisson Hotel Metrodome 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 event at our expense. The sessions, conducted by regional librarians during the 2 1/2 day event, focused on "best practices," including setting up instate listservs, electronic submission of disposal lists, Geographic Information System (GIS) management, State Plans, etc. The conference strengthened the ability of regionals to provide services to their selectives and to improve the performance of regionals.

The 7th annual Federal Depository Library Conference and Spring 1998 Depository Library Council meeting will be held in Arlington, VA from Monday, April 20 through Thursday noon, April 23, 1998. The Washington National Airport Hilton is the site for the third year in a row. A preliminary agenda for the conference will be announced in the December 15, 1997 issue of Administrative Notes. As the online conference registration form was successful in 1997, it will be available in December 1997 from the FDLP Administration Web page.

The 11th annual Interagency Depository Seminar is scheduled for May 27-June 3, 1998 in Washington, DC. The preliminary agenda was announced in the October 15 issue of Administrative Notes. The deadline for registration is March 2, 1998.

In October, LPS distributed the 1997 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries. All depository libraries are required by Title 44, United States Code �1909, to complete the survey. This year, for the first time, all responses must be entered via GPO's Web site at:

The due date for the survey is December 1.

In July, 150 depository libraries last inspected in 1990 and 1991 in the following states were notified to submit a mandatory self-study: Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. The due date for the self-studies was October 15. After analysis, a portion of these depository operations will be inspected in 1998.

The majority of the self-studies submitted by 175 depository libraries last inspected in 1988-90 were evaluated and brief reports mailed to these libraries or on-site inspections completed. The remaining self-studies currently in LPS will be examined shortly and on-site inspections scheduled if necessary.

During FY 1997, 55 depository libraries were inspected and 125 self-studies were completed and libraries notified in writing of the results of our analyses. Based on the on-site inspections, two depositories were placed on probation. Two other libraries were removed from probation due to improvements made in the depository operation. During the year, two depositories were designated and 14 voluntarily dropped out of the FDLP. Of these, three stated lack of electronic equipment as the reason for relinquishing status.

There are 1,366 depositories including 53 regionals in the Federal Depository Library Program in the following categories and percentages:

PUBLICATIONS

The Proceedings of the 6th Annual Federal Depository Library Conference is available on the FDLP Administration page at:

The paper publication will be distributed to all depositories this fall.

One of the key ETS 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 Permanent Online Collection using GPO resources, and is coordinating permanent access through a distributed networked system. The Permanent Online 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 maintained by either 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.

One of the keys to the success of the Permanent Online Collection concept is partnering with agencies, intermediaries, and libraries and institutions to distribute the load of responsibilities for permanent access. Two basic types of partnership have been defined: Content partnerships, in which agency producers are paired with institutions which house and provide access to information with coordination from GPO; and service partnerships, in which partners share some operational tool or service that aids in the administration of the FDLP. Several new partnerships which have come online recently are described below.

The University of North Texas recently became our second content partner, housing the electronic research collection of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR). The ACIR collection may be accessed at: http://www.library.unt.edu/gpo/acir/acir.html.

GPO, the National Library of Education, and OCLC, Inc. have signed an agreement to conduct a one-year pilot project making online ERIC documents available free to depository libraries. The pilot will provide information about managing and providing access to a large, high-demand collection.

A partnership that offers a new Pathway Service has been forged between GPO and the Louisiana State University. The List Federal Agency Internet Sites was developed and is being maintained by the LSU Libraries. The List is based on agency entries in the U.S. Government Manual and links users to those agencies' Internet sites. The partnership with GPO should give this excellent agency list increased visibility as it joins the suite of Pathway Services on GPO Access. The URL is: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/agencies.html.

Electronic Transition Staff have been working with the Department of Energy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information (DOE/OSTI) to ensure that DOE/OSTI reports are made electronically accessible to depositories. An Interagency Agreement is being 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 January 1998.

The Depository Library Council Web pages can now be found on the FDLP Administration site. The pages contain useful information on the activities of the Council, including the dates of and minutes from Council 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 URL for this site is: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/council/dlc.html .

GPO's Pathway Indexer currently indexes around 160,000 Web pages over 1300 Government Web sites. Staff have developed a new "search engines" page, http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/searche.html, which will include the Indexer, GovBot, a planned link to the Advanced Search Facility (being developed by the Department of Commerce) when it comes online, and a list of links to site-specific search engines for major government agencies. The URL for the Indexer is: http://gather.access.gpo.gov/Harvest/brokers/Pathway/query.html .

As of 10/1/97, 120 Browse Topics have been created. Currently there are 27 individuals who have volunteered to be GPO partners and create and/or maintain 31 Browse Topics. A style revision has been done to ensure that there is consistency in the way the topics are presented. The Electronic Transition Staff is interested in working with any information specialist who has subject-related expertise in one of our current topics, or who has ideas for a new Government-related topic. Further information is available on the GPO Web site at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/topics/invite.html.

For FY 1997, the approved Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation was $1.23 million less than we requested. House Report 104-657, dated July 8, 1996, explained that "a reduction of $1.2 million will be possible by converting most serial sets to CD-ROM. Regional depositories, plus one depository in each state without a designated regional... will continue to receive paper copies of the serial set." The Report described the distribution of the bound Serial Set as "duplicative since the individual paper copies of these documents are now distributed to libraries simultaneously with their first printings."

This position was recently reaffirmed in a letter from Senator John Warner, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP), in his September 29, 1997, response to a proposal from GODORT that GPO make available Serial Set title pages and tables of contents for the various volumes published. Senator Warner noted that beginning with the 105th Congress, distribution of the bound Serial Set will be limited to regional depository libraries and one library in each state that does not have a regional depository library. Senator Warner also asked that GPO make the Serial Set title pages and contents available to all requesting depository libraries.

Distribution of the slip House and Senate reports and documents which make up the Serial Set will continue. During early 1997 all depositories were provided with an opportunity to select either paper or microfiche format.

All depositories which selected the bound Serial Set will receive it until the 104th Congress volumes are completed.

Distribution of the mylar dividers which help organize the microfiche into Serial Set order will continue. We have produced the set for the 104th Congress, and it will be distributed to all depositories which select this product.

Beginning with the 105th Congress, we will produce and distribute Serial Set volume title pages and tables of contents for selecting libraries.

Also beginning with the 105th Congress, in accordance with Congressional direction, distribution of the bound Serial Set will be limited to the regional depositories, plus one library in each without a regional within its boundaries.

CD-ROM edition
There are several technical issues to overcome before a complete, useful, and cost-effective CD-ROM Serial Set can be produced. The JCP has directed GPO to "work with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House, as well as the ongoing SGML working group, to facilitate Congress' maximum utilization of electronic creation and transfer of information. Such efforts will make possible a complete electronic version of the Congressional serial set in the near future."

A growing number of House and Senate Reports and Documents from the 104th and 105th Congress are available on GPO Access. Look for Congressional publications at http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/index.html#congressional_publications.

If we distribute the bound Serial Set to the same libraries which now receive the bound Congressional Record, the following libraries (in addition to the regionals) could receive the bound Serial Set:

The Government Printing Office (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 Plan. GPO planning efforts recognize that GPO is building a Permanent Online Collection (the Collection) using GPO resources, and is coordinating permanent access through a distributed networked system. The 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 other institutions with which GPO has established formal agreements. Such institutions may include Government agencies, Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) partner libraries, or other service institutions that support a part of the Collection. A Collection Plan will be developed to delineate policies, procedures, and organizational responsibilities for managing the Collection. The Collection Plan is critical for the effective maintenance of remotely accessible electronic information products that GPO increasingly holds for permanent public access.

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. With a demonstrable plan to develop a Collection infrastructure, GPO will be better able to provide or promote these services.

Storage is a key component of Collection management. As used in this report, storage means the functions associated with saving electronic information products on physical media, whether magnetic, optical, or other alternative technology. GPO Access storage refers to the storage of information products through their life cycle as part of the Collection, from initial release as a product through preservation for permanent access. This view of storage of GPO Access databases has evolved from what was visualized in 1993. The most notable changes are: