Home Page > FDLP Desktop > Administrative Notes > Jan. 15 - Feb. 15, 2007

Administrative Notes: Newsletter of the FDLP

Spring Depository Library Council Meeting Scheduled for Denver, CO April 15-18, 2007

The spring Depository Library Council meeting will be held in Denver, CO, at the Adams Mark Hotel. Situated on the famed 16th Street Pedestrian Mall in downtown Denver, the Adam's Mark is 24 miles from the Denver International airport.

The meeting will begin Sunday, April 15, 2007 with registration starting at 8:00 a.m. The meeting will conclude at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday April 18, 2007.

A preliminary schedule of events is now available.

More information on the 2007 spring Depository Library Council meeting.

A limited number of rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at the prevailing Government per diem rate of $127.00 (plus 14.85% tax) per night single at the Adam's Mark Hotel, located at 1550 Court Place, Denver, CO.

Please make your reservations online at: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/usgpo07 or by calling 1-877-642-9212. You must mention the GPO's Federal Depository Library Conference and Council Meeting to receive the correct rate.

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Call for Presentations at Spring 2007 Council Meeting

GPO's Library Services and Content Management (LSCM) invites the Federal Depository Library community to submit proposals for educational presentations at the spring 2007 Depository Library Council meeting scheduled for April 15-18 in Denver, CO.

This year's educational programs will concentrate on "nuts and bolts" aspects of depository library management, such as:

• Processing shipments, including check-in, claiming, and cataloging
• Promotion of the FDLP materials and services
• Sharing techniques that enhance services to depository library users
• Staff training and knowledge management
• Strategies for dealing with library management for continued support of the depository operation
• Preservation of depository materials
• Weeding, including managing superseded documents and offering publications on the Needs & Offers list

We encourage you to submit your proposals as soon as possible to be considered for the spring meeting. Presentations can run for 45 minutes or an hour and a half, with a sole presenter or a panel. Audiovisual equipment will be provided.

To submit a proposal, please fill out the Web form at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/events/cfp.html.

Please send your proposal by February 28, 2007. If you have questions, please contact Marian MacGilvray at mmacgilvray@gpo.gov or call 202-512-1119.

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20th Annual Interagency Depository Seminar Scheduled

The 20th Annual Interagency Depository Seminar will be held in Washington, DC from July 30, 2007 through August 3, 2007. During the weeklong seminar representatives from various Federal agencies will present an overview of their information products and activities as they relate to Federal depository libraries.

The seminar is open to all depository library staff who would like to attend and will provide an opportunity for both new and experienced documents staff to review basic materials and learn about new products. Attendees with reference or public service responsibilities will find these sessions particularly useful.

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Monthly Metrics for FDLP and C&I Now Available Online

LSCM is releasing monthly statistics on the activities of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and the Cataloging and Indexing Program (C&I). These monthly statistics are available online at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/metrics/index.html

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Volunteers Needed to Test Catalog Access

LSCM is soliciting FDLP volunteers who are willing to participate in testing Z39.50 access to the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) http://catalog.gpo.gov. We are looking for a small test group representing all types of libraries who might potentially access the CGP to search for and retrieve MARC records. Testing is projected to begin in early March. Further information about the proposed test and how to volunteer can be found at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/cip/z39.50-update.pdf .

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FDLP Training Tool Procured: OPAL

LSCM recently completed an exploration of avenues to provide distance education opportunities, particularly Web-based, to meet the training needs of the Federal depository library community. As a result of a demonstration conducted with volunteers from the depository library community, we are pleased to announce the procurement of Online Programming for All Libraries (OPAL) for use in the FDLP in 2007 by GPO and Federal Depository Library participants. We are currently working on an implementation plan, and we will keep the depository community informed on progress.

The depository library community has long expressed a need for GPO to provide training. While the annual Federal Depository Library Conference and Interagency Seminar meet with rave reviews, staff of many depository libraries cannot avail themselves of these opportunities because travel to Washington, DC is required. With OPAL, GPO will be able to provide training that users can access in their own facilities.

OPAL provides the following functionality:

• Live presentations
• Text chatting
• Voice-over IP
• Synchronized browsing through PowerPoint presentations
• Archived sessions
• Podcasting
• Presentations open to anyone
• Private or limited attendance at sessions

Online Programming for All Libraries (OPAL) was purchased as an interactive Web-based meeting and conferencing service, administered by the Alliance Library System, the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center, and the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service. Visit OPAL online at http://www.opal-online.org.

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Shipping List Clarifications

Due to miscommunication with our map contractor, Shipping List 2006-0034-S, previously announced as cancelled, was distributed to depository libraries on January 9, 2007. Several libraries have reported non-receipt of two shipping lists: 2007-0077-P and 2007-0088-P. Many of these boxes had to be manually processed due to in-house automated equipment failure, and this procedure delayed shipment to several libraries. Both shipments have been mailed; any library not having received either shipment should follow normal claiming procedures.

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Federal Depository Library Offers Digital Collection
of Civil Rights Documents [Press Release, 1/12/07]

As the Nation pauses to remember the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) teams up with the United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) and the Thurgood Marshall Law Library, University of Maryland School of Law, to provide the American public a website of authentic Civil Rights historical publications.

"GPO is honored to be participating in this project," said Judith Russell, Superintendent of Documents. "This is an example of GPO's mission to improve service to the public and assure permanent access to digital collections."

The Thurgood Marshall Law Library, which is a GPO Federal Depository Library, has been scanning hundreds of historical Civil Rights publications to make this digital collection possible. These documents are provided by USCCR. With a couple strokes of the keyboard, Americans can access Civil Rights documents such as The Civil Rights Act. These documents are accessible at: http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/usccr/index.asp

"The Commission has continued to play a vital part in the efforts to combat discrimination in America. By providing access to the historical record of this important federal agency, the Thurgood Marshall Law Library will offer the public an opportunity to examine the efforts of the Commission more closely, while aiding the Commission in its role as a clearinghouse for information about civil rights," said Kenneth L. Marcus, United States Commission on Civil Rights.

"In conjunction with the Thurgood Marshall Law Library's strategic plan to enhance its civil rights collection in support of the School of Law's teaching and research mission, the Library has worked since 2001 to create a complete electronic record of United States Commission on Civil Rights publications," said Bill Sleeman, Assistant Director for Technical Services at the Thurgood Marshall Law Library.

The U.S. Government Printing Office is the Federal Government's primary centralized resource for gathering, cataloging, producing, providing, authenticating, and preserving published U.S. Government information in all its forms. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government. In addition to publication sales, GPO makes Government information available at no cost to the public through GPO Access (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/), and through partnerships with more than 1,250 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit http://www.gpo.gov.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency charged with monitoring federal civil rights enforcement. Members include Chairman Gerald A. Reynolds, Vice Chairman Abigail Thernstrom, and Commissioners Jennifer C. Braceras, Peter N. Kirsanow, Arlan D. Melendez, Ashley L. Taylor, and Michael Yaki. Kenneth L. Marcus is Staff Director. Commission meetings are open to the media and general public. For more information, please visit http://www.usccr.gov/

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[Handout]
GPO Fact Sheet:
American Library Association, Midwinter Meeting
January 19 – 24, 2007 – Seattle, WA

Spring Depository Library Council Meeting – http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/events/spring_council.html

• The Spring 2007 Depository Library Council Meeting will be held April 15-18 in Denver, CO, at the Adam's Mark Hotel, located at 1550 Court Place in Denver. Registration and hotel reservation information are available on the FDLP desktop at the above URL. Look for announcements on the GPO-FDLP-L listserv as the schedule of events is developed.

Annual Interagency Depository Seminar – http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/events/interagency.html

• The 2007 Annual Interagency Depository Seminar will be held July 30 - August 3, in Washington, DC. The free seminar, open to depository library staff, provides an opportunity for both new and experienced documents personnel to review basic materials and learn about new products directly from Federal agency staff. Tours of Federal agency libraries are included. For further information about the seminar, contact the Education and Outreach staff by telephone on (202) 512-1119; by fax on (202) 512-0016; or by e-mail at ylouden@gpo.gov.

2007 Federal Depository Library of the Year Nominations Invited – http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/fdlofyear/index.html

• Nominations are now being accepted for the 2007 Federal Depository Library of the Year, at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/fdlofyear/application.html. Any Federal Depository Library, regardless of size or type, may be nominated, with the exception of past winners, libraries of current Depository Library Council members, and libraries on probation. The nomination deadline is June 2, 2007.

Recommendations for New Council Members Now Being Accepted –

• GPO has solicited recommendations for new members of the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer from library associations and other organizations involved with Federal Government information issues. New Council members, who will serve a 3-year term beginning October 1, 2007, will be announced at the spring 2007 Council meeting.

Digitization of Legacy Publications – http://www.gpoaccess.gov/legacy/index.html

• GPO is completing a demonstration project for the digitization of legacy publications, and an assessment of the project is currently underway. Priorities for digitization included legislative and regulatory material that expands the coverage of the most popular GPO Access databases. A meeting of experts was held on January 11 at GPO, and a summary report of that meeting will soon be posted on the FDLP Desktop.

Amended Congressional Record on GPO Access – http://www.gpoaccess.gov/crecord/tips.html

• A new, amended version of the Congressional Record will be available in the first quarter of 2007 on GPO Access. The Secretary of the Senate, Clerk of the House, and JCP have approved having GPO proceed with a pilot program for making corrections, typically of small, clerical errors, to the online version of the Congressional Record.
  
• GPO will be making corrections to miscellaneous issues of the online version of the Congressional Record for 2005 and 2006. No content will be removed during this process. The TEXT and PDF files will be corrected, and the explanation of the corrections, including the original, uncorrected text, will appear within the document.

OPAL Procured for FDLP Training – http://www.opal-online.org

• GPO has procured OPAL (Online Programming for All Libraries), an interactive Web-based meeting and conferencing service, for FDLP training in 2007 for Federal Depository Library participants. With OPAL, GPO will be able to provide training that users can access in their own facilities. An implementation plan is being developed.


• OPAL is administered by the Alliance Library System, the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center, and the Illinois State Library Talking Book and Braille Service.

Web Discovery & Harvesting –

• GPO will soon release a report about its six-month pilot project to harvest online Environmental Protection Agency publications using technologies for automated Web discovery, assessment, and harvesting of U.S. Government publications. The report will include a project overview, analysis of random samples from the results, plus vendor and GPO recommendations for future automated publication harvesting activities. Further analysis will be conducted as GPO reviews the complete results for inclusion in GPO’s information dissemination programs and classifies, catalogs, and archives in-scope publications.


• GPO is continuing development of automated publication harvesting tools and methodologies in preparation for full implementation in conjunction with FDsys. Many harvesting tools include discovery and harvesting components, but none heretofore have included the specific assessment conducted by GPO. Assessment involves the determination whether harvested materials are publications within scope of the FDLP and Cataloging and Indexing Program. Analysis of the results from the third and final crawl of the EPA Web site showed an average 85% accuracy rate in finding online content that was within scope. Although GPO will continue to work to improve this rate, the pilot helped demonstrate that scope determinations may be made using automated tools.

Federal Depository Library Handbook – http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/handbook/index.html

• GPO continues to work on editing, consolidating, and updating its various FDLP instructions and manuals into a single online publication. Members of the depository library community wrote fifteen chapters on every aspect of operating and managing a depository library. Seven chapters were posted online for comment. Three more chapters (3, 12, and 15) will be posted soon for comment, while another three (8, 11, and 14) will have final versions posted. Other chapters are still under development. The final consolidated version of the Handbook is expected to be completed this summer.

Catalog of Government Publications (CGP) – http://catalog.gpo.gov/

• The CGP is the public face of GPO's cutting edge integrated library system (ILS). It contains over 500,000 historical and current bibliographic records from July 1976, with nearly sixty thousand records containing one or more PURLs. Since go-live in March, 2006, the catalog is averaging close to forty-two thousand successful requests per day. Available from the CGP are static monthly New Electronic Titles reports of newly cataloged, Web-accessible electronic titles with links to the publications included. Also available are predefined searches for New Titles and New Electronic Titles, for specific intervals. Projected for 2007: Z39.50 access to the CGP; federated searching across select resources with MetaLib; an administrative module to enable depositories to update their own information; a new Library Directory; upgrade to Aleph version 18; and authenticated services for depository libraries. The projects are in various stages of completion for 2007. The FDLP-L list will announce roll-out dates.

Authentication Initiatives –

• GPO recognizes that as more Government information becomes available electronically, data integrity and non-repudiation of information become more critical. The primary objective of GPO's authentication initiatives is to assure users that the information made available by GPO is official and authentic and that trust relationships exist between all participants in electronic transactions. GPO's authentication initiatives will allow users to determine that the files are unchanged since GPO authenticated them. In order to keep within GPO’s mission to provide permanent public access to official or authentic U.S. Government publications, GPO is currently implementing a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) initiative to ensure the authenticity of its electronically disseminated content.


• In October 2006, GPO awarded a contract for the development of a bulk signing tool for the application of digital signatures on Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files. This will enable application of digital signatures in a more timely, efficient and cost-effective manner than can be achieved manually. The same procurement includes a validation mechanism that will enable users to easily view authentication information for digitally signed PDF documents. GPO staff have been working with the contractors to develop the tool, and authentication will begin after the tool has been installed and tested.

Disaster Recovery –

• Several years ago, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, GPO received funds to develop a disaster recovery site to ensure that its electronic data is protected and remains accessible in the event of an unforeseen system failure or catastrophe. Work is progressing and on track for implementation within this fiscal year on normalizing GPO Access WAIS data for GPO's disaster recovery solution. The work will also facilitate dissemination efforts related to FDsys. Having completed the Data Analysis Phase, GPO is currently involved in the Execution Phase of the initiative, which is projected to be completed in early spring.

Future Digital System – http://www.gpo.gov/projects/fdsys.htm

• The Future Digital System (FDsys) Team is working intensively to complete the design and implementation phase of FDsys development. In November, Harris Corporation, the contractor for Master Integrator services, and GPO completed the System Design Review (SDR), a major development milestone. The SDR included reviews of system architecture, development timelines, testing and training strategies, and the structure of information content packages.


• Harris will integrate technologies and applications together to deliver a fully functional system. GPO and Harris are using Vendor Capability Assessments, software demonstrations and other evaluation processes to make decisions about which commercial products best meet FDsys requirements and performance needs.


• Beta testing of the first system release is scheduled for completion in May 2007. The first public release of FDsys, Release 1C, will be deployed in December 2007.


• Additional information about progress on FDsys may be found in Techline, News of GPO’s Digital Content System, no. 2, January 2006, or at http://www.gpo.gov/projects/fdsys_documents.htm.

Monthly Performance Metrics for the Federal Depository Library Program and the Cataloging and Indexing Program – http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/metrics/index.html

• GPO’s Library Services and Content Management will be releasing monthly statistics on the activities of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and the Cataloging and Indexing Program (C&I).


• An archive of the monthly Performance Metrics will be compiled as the reports are created. This will also be available online on the FDLP Desktop, beginning with figures for January 2007.

Distribution and GPO Access Statistics – http://www.gpoaccess.gov/

• During first quarter of FY 2007 (Oct. – Dec. 2006), GPO distributed 977,253 tangible copies of 2,320 titles (print, microfiche, CD's, DVDs and in-house maps). USGS map distribution during the first quarter FY 2007 included 59 titles and 12,673 copies.


• Also in the first quarter, 2,168 online titles and 1,684 PURL links to agency titles outside of GPO Access were added, for a total of 3,852 new online titles on GPO Access. These additions bring the total number of titles on GPO Access to 211,819, and the total number of titles linked from GPO Access to 49,638, for a total of 261,457 titles accessible through GPO Access.


• In the first 2 months of FY 2007, 82.4 million documents were retrieved from GPO Access, averaging nearly 41.2 million a month, or 1.4 million per day. Retrievals from GPO Access since its inception in 1994 now total 2.93 billion.


• In the first quarter of FY 2007, 4248 titles were cataloged, compared with 2294 in the same quarter in FY 2006.

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Questions?

If you have questions or comments on any of the content in Administrative Notes, please send them to askGPO, the online help service at:
http://gpo.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/gpo.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

To ensure that your question is routed to the correct area, please choose the category "Federal Depository Libraries" and the appropriate subcategory, if any.

You may also contact the GPO Customer Contact Center at 866-512-1800 (Toll-free), or at 202-512-1800 (DC Metropolitan Area), Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., EST.

A service of the U.S. Government Printing Office.

Last update Date: February 26, 2007
Page Name: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/adnotes/ad1_2_1507.html