Academic Libraries in Partnership With the Government Publishing Office

2020 ◽  
pp. 1411-1434
Author(s):  
Barbara Costello
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Government Printing ◽  
Government Information ◽  
National Plan ◽  
Electronic Information ◽  
Information Preservation ◽  
Library Program ◽  
The Government

The implementation of the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-40) brought the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) fully into the digital age. The transition has created expected and unexpected changes to the way the Government Publishing Office (GPO) administers the FDLP and, in particular, to the relationships between the GPO and academic depository libraries. Innovative partnerships, use of emerging technologies to manage and share collections, and greater flexibility on the part of the GPO have given academic depository libraries a prominent and proactive role within the depository program. Newly announced initiatives from the GPO, the National Plan for Access to U.S. Government Information and the Federal Information Preservation Network (FIPNet) potentially could either increase academic depository libraries' collaboration with the FDLP and the likelihood that they will remain in the program, or accelerate the rate at which academic depositories are dropping depository status.

Academic Libraries in Partnership with the Government Publishing Office

2016 ◽  
pp. 87-110
Author(s):  
Barbara Costello
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Government Printing ◽  
Government Information ◽  
National Plan ◽  
Electronic Information ◽  
Information Preservation ◽  
Library Program ◽  
The Government

The implementation of the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-40) brought the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) fully into the digital age. The transition has created expected and unexpected changes to the way the Government Publishing Office (GPO) administers the FDLP and, in particular, to the relationships between the GPO and academic depository libraries. Innovative partnerships, use of emerging technologies to manage and share collections, and greater flexibility on the part of the GPO have given academic depository libraries a prominent and proactive role within the depository program. Newly announced initiatives from the GPO, the National Plan for Access to U.S. Government Information and the Federal Information Preservation Network (FIPNet) potentially could either increase academic depository libraries' collaboration with the FDLP and the likelihood that they will remain in the program, or accelerate the rate at which academic depositories are dropping depository status.

scholarly journals The Federal Dopository Library Program: Anachronism or Necessity

2009 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
David Durant
Keyword(s):  
Vital Role ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Government Printing ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Government Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
Underlying Principle ◽  
Library Program ◽  
Informed Citizenry ◽  
The Government

The rise of the Internet has had an enormous impact on library collections and services, and nowhere has this impact been more apparent than to the 1,250 libraries that participate in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). The FDLP has provided the public with free access to government information since the nineteenth century, playing a vital role in helping to maintain the informed citizenry that is essential to our democracy. The underlying principle behind the FDLP is relatively simple:  documents are distributed by the Government Printing Office (GPO) to participating libraries, on the condition that the public is allowed free access to those materials. Just 10 years ago, the FDLP distributed 100% of its items in tangible format (print, microfiche, and CD-ROMs).

scholarly journals The Federal Depository Library Program in 2023: One Perspective on the Transition to the Future

2009 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-370
Author(s):  
Peter Hernon ◽  
Laura Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Government Printing ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Future Role ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Association Of Research Libraries ◽  
The Future ◽  
Library Program ◽  
The Government ◽  
The One

The Government Printing Office (GPO) administers a depository library program that provides the public with access to government publications, including digital ones. For years, the GPO, its Depository Library Council, and documents librarians have discussed the future role of member libraries. This article explores a different, but critical, perspective: that of directors of university libraries within the Association of Research Libraries. Thirty directors reviewed different scenarios and selected the one they envision their university assuming. The findings have implications for librarians in any depository library program and others interested in the future role of libraries as collection and service centers for government information resources.

scholarly journals What Did Your Library Do During the War? A Look Back at Depository Libraries and the World War II War Effort, with a Brief Bibliography

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Lou Malcomb
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Government Printing ◽  
Government Information ◽  
World War ◽  
Government Documents ◽  
War Effort ◽  
Library Program ◽  
The Government

After some thirty years dealing with the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) as a reference librarian and later as head of Indiana University’s Government Information, Maps, and Microforms Department, I still feel passionate about the role FDLP librarians play in maintaining documents collections and providing easy access to what our governments publish. Throughout my career as a documents librarian, I contended that documents librarians are stuck in the middle: between ensuring access to government information for our researchers and students, and working as an “agent” of the government to protect these collections. I am specifically remembering all the various recalls for specific documents from the Government Printing Office (GPO), a fundamental aspect of FDLP in working with agencies to get depository items. While cleaning up office files in anticipation of retirement a few years ago, I uncovered a few treasures I would like to share with my government documents colleagues.

scholarly journals Cutting through the Fog: Government Information, Librarians, and the Forty-Fifth Presidency

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kian A. Flynn ◽  
Cassandra J. Hartnett
Keyword(s):  
Public Libraries ◽  
First Century ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Educational Programming ◽  
The Public ◽  
Existing Structures ◽  
Turbulent Times ◽  
Library Program ◽  
The Government ◽  
Use Of Social Media

The presidential election of 2016 and the ensuing forty-fifth presidential administration have been marked by an increasingly polarized electorate, concerns about “fake news,” and a greater use of social media. President Trump and his administration have utilized the increased disintermediation of information consumption by communicating directly to the public and going around the “experts.” These phenomena raise issues for government information librarians concerned with the production, distribution, consumption, and preservation of government information, and impact the public’s understanding of—and trust in—government information. The government information issues we see today are not entirely new, as past governmental obfuscation has been well documented, but confronting these issues in the twenty-first century poses unique challenges. Fortunately, individuals, institutions, and libraries across the country are responding to this unique moment with a host of innovative solutions that promise to keep Americans informed in these turbulent times. Current engagement around these issues is reflected in educational programming at universities and public libraries, citizen actions such as the Data Rescue movement, and hybrid projects such as the End of Term Archive. The Government Publishing Office (GPO) is due for modernization, and statutory reform of 44 U.S.C., chapter 19, is being debated by the Committee on House Administration, library associations, and the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) community. To meet the long-term needs of our users, librarians should advocate for the strengthening of existing structures for federal information such as the FDLP, LOCKSS-USDOCS, and the Hathi Trust Digital Library. Future initiatives must ensure that official legal processes remain in place to protect government information, while leaving room for creative nongovernmental collaborations as well.

scholarly journals Basic Project Management for Weeding Government Documents Collections

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Celina McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Government Documents ◽  
Library Program ◽  
The Government

For as long as academic libraries have participated in the federal depository library program, there has been an inherent conflict between their academic and depository mandates. While state and public libraries are tasked with serving the greater public, academic libraries have an imperative to meet the specific needs of their institutions. As institutional priorities have evolved and new needs emerged, many academic depositories have come to face pressures of staffing and physical space that lead to the desire to downsize their physical government documents holdings in favor of digital surrogates. Because the government documents received through the federal depository library program are not the libraries’ property, withdrawing these materials is a time consuming, labor intensive, costly, and complicated undertaking.

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