1. Digitization of the Federal Depository Library Program
Judith C. Russell
Superintendent of Documents &
Managing Director, Information Dissemination
“Electronic Publishing and the International Exchange of Government Documents: End of an Era”
LC’s Digital Future & You Briefing Series
November 2, 2005

2. Historical Perspective
1813 – Authorization for distribution of Congressional
materials by the Secretary of State
1814 – American Antiquarian Society designated the 1st
depository library and received the Journals of the Senate and the House of Representatives
1861 – Government Printing Office (GPO) opened its doors
1886 – Brussels Convention authorizes IES
1889 – President directs distribution of US government
documents to IES partners
1895 – Printing Act of 1895 transfer FDLP to GPO
1993 – Government Printing Office Electronic Information Enhancement Act of 1993
Authorization for distribution of Congressional materials first came in 1813 and was under the purview of the Secretary of State. In 1814 the American Antiquarian Society was designated the first depository library and received the Journals of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Thus the Federal Depository Library Program actually predates the existence of the Government Printing Office (GPO), which did not open its doors until March 4, 1861.
The Printing Act of 1895, the direct antecedent of Title 44, United States Code, collected and organized all of the extant printing laws. This landmark legislation, the most recent, comprehensive, and substantive revision of the public printing laws, was passed in order to eliminate wasteful and disorderly distribution practices of the day. Each agency looked out for its own special interests, maintained mailing lists for its own publications, and distribution was haphazard. There was no organization of material or bibliographic control.
Depository Library Act of 1962 – Doubled number of congressional designations per district, provided for regional libraries, provided for distribution of non-GPO publications
Major impacts of this Act were the centralization of printing, the transfer of the office of Superintendent of Documents to GPO from the Department of the Interior, the addition of executive department publications to depository distribution, and the addition of libraries from the executive departments and military academies. The Monthly Catalog first appeared in Back then the Superintendent of Documents had to remind each agency about the requirement to provide copies of their publications for entry into the Monthly Catalog. Today, we still face this problem.

3. Permanent Access
GPO, through the depository library program, has the responsibility for permanent public access to Federal publications that are within the scope of the FDLP.
This ensures permanent access for IES partners as well.

4. Electronic Transition
GPO Access Act, 1993
Study required by 1996 Appropriations Act
5% of titles distributed to depositories were electronic – at the time of the “Study”
Electronic Collection Plan, 1998
In 1996, when GPO published the report entitled “Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program,” only about 5% of the titles that GPO distributed were electronic and at that time we “guesstimated” – that is word used frequently in my family - and that is really what it was, a guess, not a prediction, estimate or a goal – we “guesstimated” that the FDLP distribution would be 95% electronic by (From Judy’s fall 2004 conference remarks)
Public Law , Government Printing Office Electronic Information Enhancement Act of 1993, more commonly known as the GPO Access Act.
Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program
5% of titles distributed to depositories were electronic – at the time of the “Study” – mostly floppy diskettes and CD-ROMs
Managing the FDLP Electronic Collection: A policy and Planning Document
The electronic transition created new roles for GPO:
Managing an electronic collection
Brokering for depositories to access information directly from Federal agencies
Providing permanent public access to electronic Government information
Developing locator and other services

5. Current Situation
By the end of FY 2005, only 8% of the new tangible titles were available to depository libraries only in tangible form. The FDLP distribution was already 92% electronic. 95% by 2005 is looking amazingly accurate for a guess made 9 years ago.

6. Tangible Distribution
Essential Titles List
Titles to remain available for selection in paper (tangible) format, so long as they are published in that form by the originating agency
Fluid list, created and reviewed in consultation with the depository library community
ID 71: Dissemination/Distribution Policy for the Federal Depository Library Program
Essential titles list needed for International Exchange libraries?
As directed by Congress, the primary method of making publications available to the FDLP is in online format. There are, however, specific titles that are to remain available for selection in paper format, so long as they are published in paper by the originating agency. These titles contain critical information about the activities of the U.S. Government or are important reference publications for libraries and the public. Maintaining the availability of these titles for selection in paper format has been deemed essential to the purposes of the FDLP.

7. Items Available
International Exchange Service Libraries have always received a subset of what is available to Federal depository libraries
As FDLP publications are mostly online, it follows that more publications are accessible to IES libraries

8. http://www.gpo.gov/ congressional/pdfs/ 04strategicplan.pdf
A New Vision for GPO
“To deliver Federal information products and services from a flexible digital platform.”
congressional/pdfs/ 04strategicplan.pdf

9. ID Mission
The Information Dissemination organization (ID) has the primary responsibility for carrying out two of GPO’s key mission elements:
To provide, in partnership with Federal Depository libraries, … for the perpetual, free and ready public access to the printed and electronic documents, and other information products, of the Federal government.
To distribute, on a cost recovery basis, copies of printed and electronic documents and other government information products to the general public.

10. A Vision Objective
“digitize and authenticate all known Federal documents … to allow the entire collection to be searched on the Web and viewed over the Internet from a home, office, school or library.”
The collection will date back to the beginning of U.S. Government printing (pre-GPO)
The strategy calls for GPO “to complete 70% of this task by the end of 2007.”
Conversion will begin in Fall 2005 with print publications, but will eventually include microfiche and other tangible formats.
Digital Conversion Services (DCS) is doing (has done?) scanning pilot projects in order to develop workflow and establish procedures.

11. Digitization Initiative
The goal is to digitize a complete legacy collection of tangible U.S. Government documents to make sure that these materials are available, in the public domain, for permanent public access.
The legacy collection, for the most part, mirrors what has been distributed to depository libraries over the years and materials currently being shipped.

12. Assumptions
GPO’s Digital Conversion Service will scan publications to produce “converted content packages” — TIFF images and the associated metadata.
The digital preservation masters (TIFF images) and the metadata will be preserved in the GPO electronic archive, along with text files resulting from the OCR process, and press optimized fully searchable PDF files, combining the page image and the text.
“Converted content packages” and the associated text will be used to develop derivative files for no-fee public access on GPO Access, including searchable, screen-optimized PDF files.
“Converted content packages” also will be used to develop Print on Demand (POD) master files for suitable publications.

13. Preservation
Digitization is an excellent means to provide broad public access to Federal publications now available only in print or other tangible form.
Traditionally, high resolution microfilm or microfiche has been the used to reformat publications for preservation.
In June 2004, the Association for Research Libraries endorsed “digitization as an accepted preservation reformatting option for a range of materials.”
“Many approaches are possible, but digital reformatting should now be considered a valid choice among various methods for preserving paper-based materials.”

14. Preservation Key benefits of digital preservation:
Increased accessibility.
Increased functionality.
Output to other media.
Capture and display of materials that are not easily reformatted using other technologies  (e.g., color items, oversize materials and other complex graphic materials)

15. Related Activities GPO’s Future Digital System (FDsys) Authentication
Disaster Recovery/WAIS Replacement
LOCKSS
Web Discovery and Harvesting
ILS and OPAC Implementation
Retrospective Cataloging
Refer to recommended readings for more info on these initiatives. URL on later slide.

16. Authentication
By using digital signature technology to add the Seal to a PDF document, GPO attests that the document has not been altered since it was authenticated and disseminated by GPO.
For sample documents and more information on authentication:

17. End of an Era?
Perhaps we are near the end of deposit of tangible documents, but this does not mean the end of the International Exchange Service
Change in relationship between GPO, LC, and participating libraries
Shift in emphasis from collections to accessing materials and providing services

18. For More Information … About GPO’s digital initiatives please visit:
GPO’s Digitization and Preservation Initiatives
Recommended Readings
GPO – Future Digital System (FDsys)

19. Superintendent of Documents
Contact Information
Judy Russell
Superintendent of Documents