Monday, October 20, Morning Session

Chair Anne Watts welcomed everyone to the 51^st meeting of the Depository Library Council (DLC). Members of the Depository Library Council were introduced. Chair Watts surveyed the attendees on a variety of topics (e.g., geographical representation, first time attendance, types of libraries represented, etc.). Government Printing Office (GPO) staff were introduced. Attendees were encouraged to attend Council meetings. The Chair then introduced Public Printer Michael DiMario.

Mr. DiMario announced Wayne Kelley’s retirement as Superintendent of Documents. He noted that with ongoing legislation and other activities at this time it was appropriate to select a new Superintendent of Documents. He first thought of Francis Buckley, who has been deeply involved with the depository program and who would bring enormous experience from his work at the Detroit Public Library and as Director of the Shaker Heights Public Library. Mr. Buckley had been chair or member of numerous committees in ALA and had testified before Congress. Mr. DiMario wanted a spokesperson for public access who would have high credibility with the White House and Congress. In the interim, Jay Young had been leading the Office of Superintendent of Documents and had done an outstanding job. He had worn a dual hat as head of the Sales Program and as Superintendent. Mr. DiMario expected Jay and Fran to be a team leading the program into the future. He believed that they have the ability to move the organization forward.

Mr. DiMario had also appointed Robert Mansker as Deputy Public Printer. Mr. Mansker had 20 years of experience in the Congressional arena and has been working on GPO reform legislation. He would be expected to continue to promote the best interests of the program on the Hill.

In addition, Andrew Sherman had been appointed Director of Congressional, Legislative and Public Affairs. Mr. Sherman has played a significant role in the legislative process.

Mr. DiMario also noted that he was in the process of appointing a new Inspector General. Since this was in process, Mr. DiMario declined to announce the name [Robert G. Andary].

Mr. DiMario further announced that GPO had received full funding for the program for FY 1998 and this had been signed by the President the previous week. The Senate had made a few changes. $1.5 million of the revolving fund was directed to be available to the General Accounting Office for management studies of certain programs in GPO. These studies would be done by an outside contractor who would be looking at the Office of Superintendent of Documents and the depository program. It will be a routine management review. Some depository libraries may be contacted. There would also be a financial audit by an outside contractor and this would be ongoing.

Mr. DiMario noted an ongoing dialogue with the Senate Rules Committee and the Office of Management and Budget. There has been the promise of draft legislation, and concept papers have been issued from time to time. Eric Peterson, Staff Director of the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP), was to be present on Wednesday and was expected to have more information.

Mr. DiMario concluded that we needed to publicize the program, that we as a group had the ability to advance the program, but that we needed to have our voices heard.

Mr. Young began his remarks by noting how he looked forward to Council meetings because of the people in attendance, and that the program symbolized what was best about Government. He expressed his regret that Wayne Kelley was not present and acknowledged Mr. Kelley’s great contributions to the program.

After welcoming Fran Buckley, Mr. Young introduced Vicki Barber, new Chief of the Depository Distribution Division. After briefly describing her background and current duties, Ms. Barber was identified as the person who brought the claims of tangible depository products back in-house.

In addressing concerns of the community of how fast and how far we were into the transition, Mr. Young quoted Dr. William Miller in a recent article, "all information is not yet electronic and probably never will be." Mr. Young stated that when an agency produced a title in paper, GPO would continue to provide it to depositories in paper, even if it were also available in another format. This policy would continue as long as appropriations continued; should appropriations decline, then obviously they would have to look at it. If agencies discontinued paper, then GPO would also. Mr. Young further stated that electronic would not replace paper as long as GPO had funding.

When addressing the problem of fugitive documents, he said that for many years the most practical solution was to get one copy and convert it to microfiche. Now the availability of many information products on the Internet offered another solution. A list of 100 microfiche titles that would be replaced by an electronic format was published in Administrative Notes [see vol. 18, no. 13 (10/15/97) & no. 14 (11/15/97)]. He requested advice from the libraries if it would have a negative impact on their service to the public. GPO wanted to hear from libraries.

GPO was working with NTIS on a pilot project that would allow free online access for depository libraries to scientific and technical publications in electronic image format. Linda Kennedy at the University of California-Davis has been working with NTIS. NTIS was interested in expanding to another library this fall. In 1998 four to six more libraries would be added, GPO’s intention being to include up to twenty libraries. GPO would determine the libraries to be included. Council Chair Watts requested that small academic and public libraries be included. Mr. Young agreed.

Mr. Young moved on to the topic of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Through negotiations spearheaded by Wayne Kelley, the journal was once again included in the program. Back issues were also being sent so that there would be no gaps.

Mr. Young then proceeded to report on the Sales Program. The new Integrated Processing System (IPS) was to be unveiled on November 17 [rescheduled to 3/30/98]. This would greatly improve customer service. There would not be parallel system testing so there might be some transition difficulties. Historical data would be maintained on the mainframe. Northrup Grumman won the contract. The new IPS would affect telephone and mail orders. It would reduce costs. There would be some downsizing through attrition. The Publications Reference File (PRF) would be replaced by the Sales Product Catalog (SPC). This would be a masterfile for information professionals consisting of two subsections: the "SPC Domestic" (which would not include international prices); and the "SPC International" (which would include the international prices). The SPC would be a report or output from the overall database. There would be no microfiche version. It would contain two years of records. GPO was looking at CD-ROM for the out-of-print documents. There would no longer be a twelve digit stock number, but a six digit one. For the first year, the focus would be on the Sales Program. Mr. Young expressed interest in getting source files from agencies that were electronic and republishing them in print if they were marketable. He requested feedback from the depository community in identifying such products.

The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) was continuing on its interagency agreement to conduct an assessment of Government electronic products, gathering information particularly on medium and format standards. Woody Horton was the consultant. Mr. Young suggested that our use of the term format needed to be changed; that we needed to recognize that format is the arrangement of the material on the medium.

Mr. Willard brought greetings from Jean Simon, who had attended the Fall 1996 Depository Meeting in Salt Lake City. He announced that Peter Young had left the Commission and was back at the Library of Congress. A new executive director would be named soon. Mr. Willard reviewed the history of the assessment of standards study. Its focus would consist of three components: creation, dissemination, and permanent accessibility. The study resulted from two different developments: the Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program and a need for an independent technological assessment. The Public Printer thought an independent body would be appropriate to conduct the study. The Commission had focused on a number of issues: public access, libraries and the Internet, and the economics of information. In July 1996, the Commission passed a resolution that they would help GPO with the study and focus on the end user. There were five aspects: future publishing plans, cost effectiveness, usefulness of information to the public, training requirements, and publishing format.

The Commission signed an interagency agreement with GPO to put the study into effect. After a false start, they engaged the Computer and Technology Board of the National Research Council. They contracted a researcher, Alan Inouye, who prepared a draft report which became the final report accepted by NCLIS in late July. This report was available at <www.nclis.gov>. The conceptual plan had three phases:

1. preparing the document (containing a detailed statement of work and the framework of the document)
2. directing the collection of data
3. developing a series of reports (informed opinion based on data).

The real focus would be on phases one and two. The Commission felt that some of the issues raised in the framework document needed to be addressed; this would occur in phase three. In August, Woody Horton was engaged as adjunct staff to shape the Statement of Work (SOW) in the Washington contracting environment. He had worked at the Office of Management and Budget in the ‘60s helping to computerize the budget. The SOW was presented to the staff director of the Joint Committee on Printing. There were questions about the focus and direction. An amended SOW was resubmitted. It would shortly be submitted to an outside contractor who would create the survey.

Mr. Willard stated that, since there was a broad array of information, they needed input on which products to include in the survey. He believed that these efforts would create a major landmark in understanding information policy.

1. In response to a question, Mr. Willard attempted to clarify what NCLIS was doing. He said that they had developed a document--a series of questions and a Statement of Work--which directs a contractor to survey electronic products. The third phase was conceptual whereby the questions would be taken from the framework and answered. The Commission would bring a body of experts to review the results and then might come out with a final document. Mr. Willard noted that there were some documents that pertained to the study at the National Academy of Science web site <www.nas.org>.

Jay Young noted that phase three was beyond the scope but the depository program would get a product out of this that could be used.

2. In response to a question on the timeframe for phase two, 4-6 months was given. The timetable was in the Statement of Work.
3. A question was asked on who would be adjudicating the data. The response was that Woody Horton would be working on it, but it would probably be a private contractor.
4. There was concern about all the different software that depository libraries were dealing with and whether this was the group involved in looking at that. Mr. Willard responded that this group was precisely looking at that. Jay Young added that GPO would not be able to ordain what agencies used, but that what came up in the study would be useful for that purpose.

Chair Anne Watts requested attendees to place their suggestions in the DLC suggestion box. She announced the Spring Council meeting would be held April 20-23, 1998 at the Washington National Airport Hilton in Arlington, VA.

Mr. Baldwin presented an update on activities of the transition to electronic in the Library Programs Service. Highlights included:

1. Began the partnerships and agreements between GPO, other Government agencies, and depositories. Partners included the University of Illinois-Chicago with the Department of State, University of North Texas, Department of Energy, Department of Education, and OCLC;
2. Developed permanent access initiatives including the "collection management" concept for GPO Access and the FDLP Electronic Collection;
3. Sponsored the Regional Librarians Conference;
4. Developed new GPO Access web applications and services including the addition of the Council’s web page and creating the "Core Documents of U.S. Democracy;"
5. Began the use of the web to conduct the Biennial Survey and the Item Selection Update;
6. Developed the Item Lister and mounted an electronic version of the shipping lists;
7. Partnered a shipping list label service;
8. Raised awareness concerning privatization of Government information products and copyright-like restrictions;
9. Renovated office space for the first time since the 1985 move, and
10. Installed a Windows NT LAN, which provided Internet access at the desktop for most staff and Internet connectivity to OCLC for catalogers.

Mr. Baldwin noted that this was the third year for the Electronic Transition Staff (ETS) whose role was to identify, assess, and implement information technology solutions for the transition. The staff included George Barnum, from Case Western University, who has a one year appointment and is concentrating on permanent public access for electronic information and on partnerships between depository libraries, Federal agencies and GPO; Lee Morey, Joe Paskoski, and Sandy Morton-Schwalb. Ms. Schwalb was reappointed for a second year and is working on the NTIS dissemination, the Department of Energy, and the NCLIS assessment projects.

A key development was the collection management concept for GPO Access whereby GPO would manage various Government information products as a library-like collection permanently accessible via GPO Access. It was part of the planning for permanent access through a distributed network system. The digital collection of "Core Documents of U.S. Democracy" was one of the manifestations of the collection management concept. It went live in late June, giving users access to basic Government documents that define our democratic society. Mr. Baldwin was appreciative of Council’s consideration of this collection at last Spring’s meeting and was interested in suggestions to expand it.

Since 1991, GPO had participated in the Supreme Court’s Project Hermes. Beginning this month, the file would be sent in ASCII and Adobe PDF. This has stimulated GPO to look at how these files would be handled. They have been working on building a browsable index and an index page. Council’s advice was being sought on how to proceed. GPO would like to move to provide ASCII and PDF versions for each new opinion, as well as a summary file.

LPS has had to realign some of their resources as digital publishing, especially on the Web, had defied centralization. More LPS staff had been assigned to discovering and evaluating Government information on the Internet. There are more people building locator tools than obtaining print products. They were continuing to chase fugitive products. Complicating this was software licensing, copyright-like restrictions, and Government/private sector arrangements. By September, the Browse Electronic Titles page had more than 2100 titles and about 30 titles were being added each week.

LPS was working with the National Imagery and Mapping Administration (NIMA), formerly the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), to revise the interagency agreement to bring back NIMA products for distribution to depository libraries.

Mr. Baldwin announced that 735 titles of tangible electronic products (i.e., CD-ROM) had been shipped to depository libraries so far. Of the two popular online services provided via LPS to depository libraries, STAT-USA had 812 registered, and Censtats had 882 registered.

The Superintendent of Documents Salaries and Expenses Appropriation for FY 1997 was $1.23 million less than requested. House Report 104-657 explained a reduction of $1.2 million would be possible through conversion of most Serial Sets to CD-ROM. A paper copy of the Serial Set would be distributed to each Regional depository and to one depository library in each state without a Regional. Senator John Warner, Chair of the JCP, reaffirmed this position in response to a proposal from GODORT (the Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association) that GPO make the Serial Set title pages and tables of contents available to all requesting depository libraries. Distribution of House and Senate documents and reports would continue. All depository libraries requesting the bound Serial Set would receive it until the 104^th Congress was completed. With the 105^th Congress, title pages and tables of contents would be sent to selecting libraries. The bound Serial Set would then be limited to the Regional depository libraries, plus one depository library in each state without a Regional in its boundaries.

The Joint Committee on Printing had directed GPO to facilitate Congress’ maximum utilization of electronic creation and transfer of information. A growing number of House and Senate reports could be found on GPO Access.

Depository libraries could soon expect the U.S. Industry & Trade Outlook to be arriving. NTIS arranged for distribution to GPO. There would also be depository copies of the NAICS (North American Industrial Trade Classification System) Manual.

The Cataloging Branch had a backlog of approximately 4600 titles. These were mostly microfiche titles. There were cataloging workstations with Internet access at each desk. Two new cataloging librarians had been hired and would be devoting much of their time to cataloging Internet sites. With 87,000 records cataloged since 1994 on the Monthly Catalog on the web, the web site was a true daily record. 2300 records had URLs. Mr. Baldwin stated that there was concern for longterm accuracy of the URLs. They considered their decision on using PURLs (Persistent Uniform Resource Locators) software and decided that it appeared to be the best alternative. They expected to use advanced PURLs software, but would be looking at Universal Resource Name or "handles."

Mr. Baldwin reported that 55 depository libraries were inspected, and 125 self-studies had been sent in. Summaries of their reviews were sent out to libraries. Two new inspectors were named: Thomas Oertel, from the University of Utah Law Library; and Cynthia Etkin, from Western Kentucky University. Twelve libraries relinquished their depository status (only two reported that it was because of the electronic requirements), and two libraries became new depositories. In July 1997, 150 libraries last inspected in 1990 and 1991 were notified to submit self-studies. The self-study has allowed some resources to be reallocated to FDLP systems support related services for depositories.

Mr. Baldwin acknowledged Council’s input for the 1997 Biennial Survey and announced that it was "in the mail" with a December 1 due date. A web application of the Biennial Survey was developed and tested. As part of the Biennial Survey, the name and address updates could be submitted on the web.

The Regional Librarians Conference was held in Minnesota in August. Mr. Baldwin noted that there was representation from states without a Regional within the borders. The Conference strengthened the Regional’s services to the selectives. He thanked Julia Wallace and Anne Watts for their help on this conference.

Mr. Baldwin acknowledged the variety of input to LPS staff, via phone, fax, e-mail, etc. Noticing the number of postings to GOVDOC-L, LPS has been predicating a web-based approach to this avenue. LPS would like feedback on "AskLPS" test pages on the web. At LPS, there would be a designated person, the "traffic cop," who would distribute the questions to the appropriate persons to answer. They would decide if the question was appropriate to post for all to see or if it was just one library’s problem.

Mr. Baldwin also requested each depository library to view its Library Profile regularly for updating.

The "AskLPS" web site was then demonstrated.

Mr. Evans announced that there would be new and exciting changes to GPO Access. He placed emphasis on user feedback and encouraged attendees to take advantage of the focus group sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.

EIDS has been working on GPO Access response time. Usage has continued to grow with over 6.5 million documents downloaded in September alone. The Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations have been the biggest growth areas with 2.3 million and almost 2.0 million documents respectively downloaded from each.

Redesigned GPO Access web pages were rolled out on Friday. Objectives included affording the new user a clear and easier path while still providing a useful point for the seasoned user, shorter links, quick jumps, easier to follow links. There was a new page on "What is GPO Access." A New and Noteworthy Products page had items appearing chronologically and contained new sales releases. All posting to this would remain permanently accessible, arranged by year. There is a "Browse Federal Bulletin Board Files" and also a "Search Databases" selection which would allow users to select a general search page, more specialized search pages, or more about each of the individual databases.

Mr. Evans announced that the online version of the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications would now be known as the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, that the Publications Reference File (PRF) would now be the Sales Product Catalog (SPC), and that there would be a link to the new Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents application. A link to the new GPO Access home page would provide users help in finding Government information on GPO Access and other Federal Internet sites. There would also be linking to a page to "Find Products for Sale." Where possible, order online or print a form to mail or fax. There would be a link to a bookstore page. A new online GPO Access survey form was reported. Over 400 have already tried it. Its URL was <www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/surveyoct97.html>.

A number of projects were on the horizon. There has been positive feedback on the browsability of the Congressional Directory and the U.S. Government Manual. Interim online products might appear in advance of their printing. Work was underway to extend the coverage of the new Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents back to the beginning of the Clinton administration. An increasing number of committees were requesting various Senate hearings to be mounted on GPO Access which might lead to a more comprehensive Congressional hearings application. The 104^th Congressional Record had been converted to SGML and the Code of Federal Regulations was 50% complete to date. Commerce Business Daily was using SGML.

Mr. Barnum had been with the Electronic Transition Staff (ETS) for three months. ETS, which has four staff members, worked with all sections of GPO. New developments included the FDLP, Council, and Partnership web pages. Pathway Services continued to grow with the Pathway Indexer in a "maintenance mode," awaiting further developments. ETS reached out, forging partnerships around the community. Mr. Barnum noted that the University of Illinois-Chicago partnership with the Department of State, the University of North Texas as a second partnership on the Advisory Commission on InterGovernmental Relations. Other partnerships were moving forward. There was an agreement with OCLC and the Department of Education to place ERIC documents online. The pilot project would begin in January for one year and would include those reports that depository libraries were used to receiving in microfiche through the depository program. Mr. Barnum was optimistic about an NTIS partnership. They were awaiting approval from the Joint Committee on Printing to move forward on partnering with the Department of Energy (DOE) to forge an information bridge for the DOE E 1.28: and E 1.99: microfiche reports. This would involve 12-15,000 reports annually.

As a visiting expert consultant, Mr. Barnum was able to observe projects outside of GPO. Two such observational opportunities were the National Agricultural Library and the foreign affairs documents at the United States Information Agency. As part of his agency visitations, Mr. Barnum informed them about the FDLP.

Mr. Barnum reported that the Gateway Program was being observed. A discussion on Gateways and "where now" would be held on Wednesday. There was a need to update the role of the Gateways.

1. Clarification was requested on what ERIC reports would be online. Mr. Barnum indicated that it would be the subset that depository libraries received, just the Government funded reports.
2. A question concerned the difference between a Gateway or a "button" on the web. Mr. Barnum responded that that was what would be discussed. When Gateways started, there was a different climate than now. There was a lot of value being added by Gateways.

Chair Anne Watts announced that there would be a Question and Answer session, reports from Council, and the election of the incoming Chair (Assistant Chair/Chair-Elect).

1. Diane Garner asked T.C. Evans about the GPO Access survey on the web site, noting that there were questions that were similar to those on the Biennial Survey. Mr. Evans responded that this was coincidental.
2. Tom Andersen commended LPS on the "AskLPS" and inquired about modifying it by breaking it down by week, by month, a Frequently Asked Questions section. Mr. Baldwin indicated an interest in looking at this.
3. Diane Garner asked Gil Baldwin if "AskLPS" would be browsable or searchable. Mr. Baldwin responded that it was browsable now, searchable later. A further question on a date when this would be operational drew the response that it would depend on feedback. It could be operational quickly.
4. There was a question on the date to expect the NAICS Manual. Mr. Baldwin said that they would get the information out as soon as they knew.
5. A question was asked on what the title pages for the Serial Set were and how different were they from the microfiche. Mr. Baldwin responded that the title pages did not go with the microfiche, but were to assist those who might want to bind the Serial Set. There was a suggestion that title pages be on acid-free paper.
6. A question about the Inquiry Form on AskLPS: would there be a way for the form to repeat the directory information on each library? Mr. Baldwin replied that now anyone could ask a question of GPO; that they were not requiring depository libraries to fill out the form in order to ask a question.
7. A question whether a clerk sending queries under the librarian’s name could put his/her own e-mail address on the query for the response. Mr. Baldwin replied that the response could go back to whoever input the form.
8. A Regional, who tested the Biennial Survey, inquired whether there would be any space for "sidebar" comments on it. Sheila McGarr said the 1997 Biennial Survey was frozen, in the mail already and on the web. Comments could be e-mailed to her.
9. Tom Andersen asked how one could comment. Ms. McGarr said it could be a piece of paper placed in the file.
10. Diane Garner suggested that there be a "Tell LPS" as well as an "AskLPS."
11. Diane Garner identified the Council’s Statistical Committee (consisting of Council and non-Council members) and its original impetus to assist with the development of the Biennial Survey. Ms. Garner inquired of T.C. Evans what kind of process went on or what kind of data gathering methodologies were done. She elaborated further on the question on whether the data was already being gathered at libraries (e.g., ARL, public libraries). Mr. Evans said there was a basic set on a wide variety of data being collected. Specific applications had specific needs. An example was the Commerce Business Daily (CBD) requiring statistical gathering for the Department of Commerce for quality assurance. Mr. Evans further added that some data was not shared to protect the privacy of users.
12. Denise Davis indicated concern about the privacy of users. Ms. Davis posed a question to Mr. Evans on whether they were measuring input or output. Mr. Evans responded both, but primarily output. He said that their legal counsel had ruled that an FOIA request for output at DTIC was a violation of privacy.

Chair Anne Watts requested that the chair of each committee provide highlights.

GPO Operations, Diane Eidelman

Ms. Eidelman reported that the background and information for the Service Issues Guidelines Work Group had been published in the September 15, 1997 Administrative Notes. It has been posted on the Council’s web page at GPO. There would be a discussion on the draft guidelines at a meeting tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.

Cataloging Work Group, Carol Bednar

No report at this time.

Web Page Working Group

The Group does not have a chair at this time. No report.

Electronic Preservation and Archives, Dan Clemmer

No report at this time.

Chair Anne Watts announced that Mary Mallory would be reading Barbara Levergood’s paper on the CD-ROM Documentation Project.

Chair Anne Watts thanked Jan Fryer for her assistance and for compiling a new Council handbook.

Carol Bednar nominated Tom Andersen for Assistant Chair/Chair-Elect; seconded by Duncan Aldrich and Julia Wallace. Mr. Andersen was elected by acclamation.

Tom Andersen asked Gil Baldwin about further feedback for the "Core Documents." Mr. Baldwin indicated that they were always accepting suggestions for additions.

Diane Garner expressed appreciation for the list of 100 microfiche titles that would be converted to an electronic format and inquired whether GPO was keeping track of those titles that did not come directly from GPO. Mr. Baldwin responded that several people were mining the Internet to look for publications. Ms. Garner inquired whether they were collecting numbers of things that were disappearing from the program and appearing on the web.

Julia Wallace said that there were a number of issues on items going to be just electronic and

of long term access. Ms. Wallace raised a question concerning GPO printing some items in paper, but not sending those to depository libraries; but, instead, providing them electronically. Mr. Baldwin responded that if funds were available at GPO, then they would provide paper. Some electronic products hosted on GPO Access after time may migrate to a partner. Agencies were encouraged to notify GPO of changes but this has not been routinely done.

Julia Wallace suggested that cataloging records be purged of URLs that were not there anymore. Mr. Baldwin had asked OCLC to create a PURL-like software to check links. This has not been done yet; but Mr. Baldwin thought OCLC was moving in that direction.

Chair Anne Watts stated that Council would be attending some of the presentations and addressing some of these issues.

Tom Andersen inquired about appropriations and the status of the drive to conversion to electronic formats. Mr. Young believed the 5-7 year timetable was still present, but that the pressure had abated.

Dan Clemmer announced that the Department of State would soon be establishing a home page for declassified FOIA information. There would also be a collection of documents relating to certain issues. Mr. Clemmer believed that this would be occurring this fall and he would announce it on GOVDOC-L.

A question from the audience concerned the PURL software. Mr. Baldwin said it was still being tested. He also stated there would not have to be notification; but that it would be automatic. Louisiana State University reported that they have changed 60% of URLs.

The meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.

Chair Anne Watts called the meeting to order at 8:40 a.m. Ms. Watts announced that copies of the draft of Council’s recommendations and commendations were available for the audience. Ms. Watts reminded all present that Council had not copy edited this draft, but that Council had agreed on the concepts of them. The recommendations and commendations would be posted on the Council listserv where they would be edited and completed by November 15. They would then be forwarded to GPO for posting to the Council web page and printing in Administrative Notes [see v. 18, no. 16, 12/15/97]. A notice would be posted to GOVDOC-L. Again the Chair reminded the audience that these recommendations and commendations should be considered drafts. A rationale would accompany each recommendation. Chair Watts then presented the topics of the draft recommendations for comments and questions.

Council recommends that the Government Printing Office investigate the feasibility of distributing those documents and reports that comprise the Serial Set in a stable (archival) medium (format) to those depository libraries that select them. The Council does not consider CD-ROM a permanent archival medium. Two possibilities that might be considered are second generation silver halide microfiche and acid free paper that can be bound.

Council questions/comments: None

Audience questions/comments: None

Council applauds the development of the AskLPS feature on the FDLP Administration home page, as a significant step forward in efficient communication between LPS and all depository libraries. As this new service is developed, Council would like to advise the development team on the most effective organization and features to fulfill the needs of depositories.

Council questions/comments:

Chair Watts noted that comments received in the Council’s suggestion box indicated that the participants were pleased with AskLPS.

Julia Wallace stated that Council has a number of thoughts on enhancements for AskLPS and she requested the audience to share their thoughts also.

Audience questions/comments: None

The Depository Library Council is encouraged that the Government Printing Office has produced the white paper, "Managing the GPO Access Collection," and that GPO is drafting a collection plan with which to manage GPO Access databases and other electronic Federal Government publications made available through the FDLP. Council recommends that in preparing the collection plan GPO address:

1. the scope and coverage of the FDLP Electronic Collection;
2. mirror sites to provide the necessary redundancy that will ensure uninterrupted service and permanent access to materials in the collection;
3. outreach to agencies and depository libraries which delineates procedures for capturing fugitive electronic publications from agency web sites;
4. the preservation of and permanent access to information distributed on CD-ROM and other tangible electronic mediums, and
5. effective bibliographic access to the Collection.

Council questions/comments:

Richard Werking commented that Council had discussed the recommendation’s title which would be "Managing GPO’s Electronic Collection."

Duncan Aldrich noted that there were five areas listed to be addressed; but in the final wording, there may be more. The five listed were of particular interest.

Audience questions/comments:

Clarification of the word "tangible" in item four was requested. Mr. Aldrich said that it was a concern of Council and there may be a need for planning to coordinate migration of information to a more stable medium.

Council recommends that GPO modify the public display of entries in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications to a more user-friendly, labeled format. The underlying MARC tags should remain available as an alternate display format.

Council questions/comments: None

Audience questions/comments: None

Council recommends that GPO provide the Z39.50 search interface for the OpenText software.

Council questions/comments: None

Audience questions/comments: None

Council recommends GPO install GILS-compliant software for all of the WAIS databases and assist libraries in obtaining GILS-aware client software.

Council questions/comments: None

Audience questions/comments: None

Council recommends that GPO develop, in consultation with Council, selection criteria for migration of microfiche publications to online format only.

Council questions/comments: None

Audience questions/comments:

A member of the audience indicated mixed feelings on the topic. He noted that he did not remember voluntarily giving up anything. He was also concerned about an archival, tangible copy.

Diane Garner mentioned that the depository library community had been given a list of 100 titles that would be converted. Council’s thought was to slow the process and look at these titles. Certain classes would be better in an online format but the purpose of the recommendation was to look at this.

Several members of the audience concurred that it was not always true that statistics were better online and that it was good to have them in paper. One suggested that if it is to be studied, that it could be tied in to the mirror sites under the recommendation on managing the GPO Access Electronic Collection.

Chair Watts said criteria would be developed and that Council understood the urgency of GPO to migrate these titles.

Richard Werking said that the rationale would include that criteria be established first. Diane Garner suggested a friendly amendment, "selection criteria and plan for permanent access to…"

One of the audience asked whether leaving out partnerships was an oversight. Chair Watts said that this was in response to the 100 titles. SOD 13 was developed for conversion of paper to fiche. She added that the partnership question belonged in the "Managing GPO Access Electronic Collection" recommendation. Duncan Aldrich said that Council had listed some particular items and may have missed this.

Gil Baldwin interjected that the Collection Plan, which Council has not seen, does include partnerships.

Julia Wallace added that Council discussed microfiche and permanent access. She noted that there is a need to tie the microfiche conversion more closely to collection management and that is why Council was slowing the process (microfiche/online conversion) down

Chair Watts reiterated that Council supports partnerships and considers them very important.

Carol Bednar inquired whether there would be a comment in Administrative Notes about the delaying of the process due to Council’s recommendation since the list of 100 titles was published there. Gil Baldwin responded affirmatively [see vol. 18, no. 14, 11/15/97].

Council recommends that GPO give a high priority to making the HERMES collection of Supreme Court opinions available as a searchable database on GPO Access.

Council questions/comments: None

Audience questions/comments: None

Council commends the Public Printer for agreeing to sponsor a very successful Regional Libraries Conference held in August 1997. The conference provided Regionals an opportunity to strengthen their ongoing services and responsibilities, as well as identify new areas for service, to Selectives. Council is aware that the conference was planned as a one-time event, but because of the conference’s long term benefit to the entire Federal Depository Library Program, we encourage GPO to consider requesting funding for a second Regional Librarians Conference in the future.

Council comments:

Tom Andersen said this would become a recommendation.

Council commends the Public Printer on his appointment of Robert T. Mansker as Deputy Public Printer, and Andrew M. Sherman as Director of Legislative and Public Affairs as well as his intention to appoint Francis J. Buckley, Jr. as Superintendent of Documents. Council is pleased and impressed by all of their qualifications and with the timeliness in which these appointments were made.

Council comments:

Julia Wallace said this would be clarified and completed. Mary Alice Baish suggested that more information may be added to Francis Buckley’s background.

Council commends Susan Dow and Joe Paskoski for their extraordinary efforts in the development of the Depository Library Council’s home page.

Council comments:

None.

Council commends the Library Programs Service for resuming the fulfillment of paper claims to LPS. The prompt fulfillment of claims is important to depositories, and the Government Printing Office will be able to provide more efficient service, and to monitor problems more accurately by managing this service in-house, rather than relying on an outside contractor.

Audience comments:

The audience applauded on the return of paper claims to LPS. A concern was voiced that the West coast was still receiving few claims filled and requested GPO to consider the time frame when filling claims.

Council commends the Electronic Transition Staff (ETS) for the role they have played in implementing goals outlined in the GPO Strategic Plan. Council recognizes that ETS was directly responsible for the Pathway Indexer and the FDLP Administration pages, and has been intimately involved in the development of various other electronic products on the Superintendent of Documents web site. Council also recognizes the important role ETS has played in establishing content and service partnerships with FDLP libraries and Federal agencies, and in supporting GPO’s work with NCLIS to initiate the Assessment of Standards.

The Depository Library Council commends the Government Printing Office for making significant progress in providing GPO Access training for depository librarians and others. The high-quality training sessions conducted by the staff of the Office of Electronic Information Dissemination Services, with scheduling coordinated by the Depository Services Staff, have been highly praised by participants. The successful completion of the first cooperative "train the trainers" workshop will also lead to a broadening of efforts which will benefit even more end users.

Members of the audience encouraged others to take the "train the trainers" and that it was an excellent project.

Council commends Wayne P. Kelley for his service as Superintendent of Documents for his professional and personal commitment to the Federal Depository Library Program and the GPO Sales Program. Since his appointment as Superintendent of Documents in 1991, Mr. Kelley has provided strong leadership within the Government Printing Office and the depository library community. We appreciate his substantial role in the development of and enhancements to the highly acclaimed GPO Access system, its User Support team and the Superintendent of Documents home page. Mr. Kelley’s commitment to the broad principles of public access to Government information are further evidenced by his chairmanship of the GPO Study group and his willingness to bring all interested constituencies, including the library community, into the process.

We especially commend Mr. Kelley for his dedication and firm resolve to keep Government information in all formats in the public domain. This is perhaps best exemplified in his eloquent speech regarding the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that so impressed Senator John Warner that it was attached to the Senator’s remarks in the Congressional Record.

Council comments:

Chair Watts noted that this commendation would be expanded.

Audience comments:

The audience showed its appreciation of Wayne Kelley through hearty applause.

Chair Watts explained that Council had a number of activities and that these were "action items."

Assigned to Mary Alice Baish.

Would be continued by Diane Eidelman on the Gateways listserv. Diane Eidelman said there had been discussion on the role of Gateways on the listserv and at a meeting the previous day. One opinion was that Gateways were no longer needed and another opinion was that these Gateways did serve a political purpose. Ms. Eidelman indicated they were not ready to make any recommendations at this time.

Chair Watts noted this involved a number of issues including passwords, etc. The entire Council would work on this topic. It was announced that GODORT’s Federal Documents Task Force would have a work group on this issue at ALA Midwinter.

A criteria group has been established to work with GPO. The GPO Operations Committee consisted of Diane Eidelman, Chair Carol Bednar, Peggy Walker, Julia Wallace, Tom Andersen and Lynn Walshak.

GPO has asked for feedback from Council and the depository community.

Diane Garner requested all to provide input on criteria for selection of products and agencies to be included in the NCLIS study to Woody Horton at <woody@cni.org> by Monday, November 27, 1997.

Chair Anne Watts announced that committee assignments have been made and would be posted to the Council web page and also to GOVDOC-L. Chair Watts listed the Council’s committees and memberships. She also told the audience that some committees have non-Council members. Those in the audience interested in being on a committee should communicate their interests to Chair Watts.

Chair Watts raised the issue of the location of future Council meetings. The Public Printer had approved Council recommendations for location for two years in advance this time. After which Council would recommend one year in advance. This provides GPO staff with more lead time in arrangements.

Suggestions for the 1998 list include the following cities: Houston, Denver, Cleveland, Austin, St. Louis, San Antonio, Cincinnati, Dallas/Ft. Worth. Suggestions for 1999 included the following: Kansas City, Sacramento, Seattle, Albuquerque, Denver, Reno, San Diego, San Francisco.

Chair Anne Watts and Council expressed their appreciation to William Thompson for his arrangement of the Clearwater Beach site.

A question from the audience concerned the lack of comment from Council on Title 44's revision. Chair Watts responded that there was no bill yet on which to comment, and that Council recommends to the Public Printer (not to Congress). Chair Watts further stated that this should never be interpreted that Council did not care.

Another suggestion from the audience was that a communication be sent to the director of each depository library with an update on the status of the transition plan. Chair Watts reported that a letter was being drafted.

Chair Anne Watts remarked that John Blodgett, who was at the Missouri State Data Center and was now at the Census Bureau working on the Census 2000, had reported to the Chair that she had been quoted that the Census 2000 could be done entirely electronic. Chair Watts corrected that impression by stating that she would "never have said that."

Chair Anne Watts expressed Council’s appreciation to Sheila McGarr, GPO, and the speakers as well as to the Council’s secretarial team: Denise Davis, Carol Bednar, and Peggy Walker.

The Spring Conference would be April 20-23, 1998 at the Washington National Airport Hilton.

Chair Anne Watts adjourned the meeting at 9:45 a.m.