From lpsmail@access.digex.netMon Jul 22 18:04:05 1996 Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 11:34:25 -0700 From: Shipment Reply to: Discussion of Government Document Issues To: Multiple recipients of list GOVDOC-L Subject: ADNOTES: DEPOSITORY ADMINISTRATION BRANCH IN TRANSITION: HAUN-MOHAMED THE MESSAGE BELOW IS FROM ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES, VOL. 17, #10 (July 25, 1996) DEPOSITORY ADMINISTRATION BRANCH IN TRANSITION REMARKS BEFORE THE FEDERAL DOCUMENTS TASK FORCE BY ROBIN HAUN-MOHAMED Chief, Depository Administration Branch 1996 Annual ALA Conference New York, NY July 6, 1996 Good morning. I'm pleased to be here addressing you on the activities of the Depository Administration Branch of the Library Programs Service. Most areas of the Federal Depository Library Program fit into nice categories--Cataloging, Depository Services, Distribution, and then there is the Depository Administration Branch (DAB). Many of the long time documents librarians know what we do in this branch, but for those who are not quite sure, let me give a sample list--acquisition and classification of new products, fugitive inquiries, maintenance of the library item selection profile, maintenance and overseeing of the List of Classes, input for many columns found in the Administrative Notes Technical Supplement, conversion of paper products into microfiche titles, maintenance of records for agency direct deals, monitoring of contracts for products delivered to libraries (both direct distribution contracts, such as the Commerce Business Daily, and the microfiche distribution contracts), pulling of claims for direct mail claims, responding to inquiries via fax, e-mail, and traditional mail, inspection of microfiche converted from paper products by contractors, and classification corrections. These are the traditional services DAB has provided over the years for the Federal Depository Library Program. And they are not going to go away any time soon. Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program Now that Library Programs Service (LPS) has been directed to move to a more electronic Federal Depository Library Program, DAB staff have been learning all we can about electronics, the Internet, gopher and FBB sites, and yes, even HTML coding.. Welcome to the wonderful world of electronics. Since our objectives for this arena are much clearer now than at the Midwinter meeting, I'd like to relate some of what we are finding in relation to electronics. First, fugitive products in paper format have been slippery enough in the past. Electronic products often add a whole new dimension to the problems associated with fugitives. Often you will be referred to an online site, only to find out that the product or title is not easily found at the site. Or the product is there, but it is not the complete product, but simply a summary of a product that you may purchase from an agency. An example of this is the School District Atlas. We surveyed for this 40+ CD-ROM set in January 1995 as we were assured by Education that the set would be available through the FDLP. Earlier this spring, due to budget limitations, I was advised the set would not be distributed to the depository libraries because Education did not have the funds to make the copies available for depository distribution. We have been trying to determine a way to make this product available to depository libraries. And when I contacted the agency again week before last I was referred to a Web site where I was told the material was located. But when we checked the site (LPS does not point to any site without verifying its existence and content) we found the site contained summary files, but not the whole product. We will continue to work with Education to find a solution to this problem. Often we are given a site and the material has not yet been loaded at the site, or it is simply a place from which to gain ordering information. I'm sure many of you have encountered this in your searches on the Internet. Another aspect of electronics that proves frustrating is the lack of standardization among sites and even within agencies. Some material is posted in PDF, some in HTML, some in ASCII, and some in different word processing software. Early on GPO determined its responsibility to make products available which comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. It is our intention to have an ASCII or HTML file for all products loaded on the GPO server whenever possible. And when we speak with agencies to discuss their products, we are also emphasizing the need for agency material to also be available in an ASCII format. When dealing with other agencies, we are having to explain the need for retention of older material when the newer issues are loaded onto the agency servers. Often this is not taken as a constructive suggestion, something of importance to all as recognized by the members of the depository community, but is regarded as interference and an assumption of control by GPO over information. We have recently begun conversations with NASA, Treasury, and Agriculture to discuss options when information is routinely overwritten when new issues of specific titles are put up on the Web. And of course we continue to work to try to get notification of title changes and changes in frequency, formats, etc. We now have additional people to work with as the managers of electronic products are usually not the same staff as the project managers of print products. Many of you have seen LPS responses on GOVDOC-L, with my signature line attached. I try to read it every day, not because I have nothing else to do (I do), or because I enjoy the wit and humor often displayed on the list-serv (and I do), but because you are so in touch with changes and patterns in Government documents, especially Federal documents, that I learn a great deal by following the discussions. Recent additions to the FDLP that can be attributed to your discussion on GOVDOC-L include the Tide Tables from NOAA on CD-ROM, and Kickstart and A Nation of Opportunity. I rely on this assistance and hope you continue to send this type of information in my direction. Fugitive Titles As I have a captive audience so to speak, I'd like to relay some of my recent favorites stories concerning changes in publishing arrangements and the efforts by LPS staff to obtain these titles for the program. My personal favorite is Hispanics-Latinos; Diverse People in Multicultural Society. I am also most saddened by this one because it is not in the program, despite our best efforts, and efforts by such as Clark McLean at the University of New Mexico, who notified us almost one year ago that this title was being advertised as available from a private firm and asked us to check on the depository status. We did, at least four times. And we received a yes, a no, a maybe, and then a no. We finally obtained a copy of it in April from the National Association of Hispanic Publications, but it is copyrighted material. I find it interesting that "Current Population Reports, 1995" is printed on the front cover. And on the title page is the Bureau of Census logo next to the logo of the Phillip Morris Companies. Again, this is one of those titles that was long delayed in publishing and referrals were made to the Census home page for the information contained in the report long before the printed report was published. We were able to find some of the statistics, but the report as it is found in the printed version is not available on a Census site that we can locate. Last fall there was an announcement that the title, American Indian Reservation and Trust Areas was being revised. This product was last published 21 years ago and was distributed to depository libraries. I am happy to say we have been promised copies of this title for depository distribution and I checked with the Department of Commerce recently. It still has not been published, but they had the correct number of copies and our receiving address for the depository copies. I think we are getting to be on a first name basis with these folks in this area of Commerce. The demise of the paper Tide Tables left a big hole in some depository collections. Cynthia Teague had an inquiry for the tables that were not met by the information posted on the online site. She raised the question on the listserv and we raised the questions in a Cartographic Users Advisory Council (CUAC) meeting. When a representative from NOAA was at the most recent meeting, we asked how the commercial company obtained the data to produce the printed copies of the Tide Tables. We were advised the agency was supplying a CD-ROM to the company. The following week LPS had a copy of the CD-ROM and it will be distributed to the libraries in the near future. One of the most controversial and not yet completed discussions that we have recently participated in is the FBIS/JPRS on CD-ROM. In early spring we were visited by staff from FBIS advising us they would be discontinuing the microfiche distribution to depository libraries. We asked a series of questions of the agency representatives, a request to have a copy of the database on CD-ROM if we could not obtain access to the online NTIS service. The initial response was negative and this was the information I relayed at Council/Conference in April. But I'll be darned if they didn't listen to our suggestions and very probably your response to the announcement that this material would no longer be available. At this point we have a letter of commitment from FBIS to provide a quarterly CD-ROM to the Library Programs Service to allow depository libraries to continue receiving this material even after the discontinuance of the microfiche. The agency-supplied microfiche material will essentially cease after August of this year. There may be some overlap in some of the series between the microfiche and the material on the CD-ROM which we anticipate to be delivered sometime in November. The software on the product is Dataware, which many of you are familiar with. There are still royalty issues to be resolved as NTIS pays for the royalties for their subscribers, and for FBIS's use of the database. We are awaiting clarification from FBIS on depository coverage for royalty payments if we replicate and distribute the CD-ROM. We will survey for this product later this summer after these issues have been resolved. Kickstart and A Nation of Opportunity are two titles released by the NIIAC that were originally produced and distributed by West Publishing Company in a color format. There was some rather heated discussion on the Internet about the publishing arrangements for these titles, but the upshot was the depository libraries were left off the distribution schedule for the full color versions of these titles. The Joint Committee on Printing heard of the arrangement and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration at the Department of Commerce placed a requisition through GPO to procure additional copies in black and white. FDLP and the Sales program rode this requisition to obtain copies for the depository libraries and for sales copies. In 1994, the U.S. Industrial Outlook was discontinued despite outcry from throughout the library community, not just the depository libraries. I recently heard this title was coming back and called the International Trade Administration to verify the rumor. It was verified and when I asked about the depository copies, I was assured the new agreement with NTIS and McGraw-Hill included arrangements for depository copies. This was verified in a telephone discussion with NTIS. The Industrial Outlook is due to be completed after the first of the year. Stay tuned also on this one. The latest inquiry about a fugitive that proved a "bit sticky" is the Census publication, Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990. Thanks to those who sent a copy of the announcement to LPS for us to check with the agency. The depository copies seemed to have been "forgotten" in some outside arrangements that had been set up to produce this title. The good news is that because of your efforts a copy was obtained and is now being reproduced for distribution to the depository libraries. The bad news is the binding and format of this product may not stand up to the tasks it will see over the years, even though we specified our version have a cover and paper stock in a better grade than in the NTIS version. GPO Sales will carry this title at $15.00, much less than the $35.00 NTIS is charging for this product. OK, enough war stories. Now on to the traditional stuff that we know and love so much. Now that the agencies have identified the available dollars for this fiscal year, some of the suspended series have begun arriving again on a regular basis. An example of this is the Key Officers of Foreign Service Posts. But generally, the number of products is still down for the FDLP. And the products that are coming in are generally smaller in size. We continue to see combinations of titles to maximize space and funds. And some agencies, such as NASA, have essentially changed to an electronic only format. Most libraries will have noticed an increase in the number of electronic shipping lists and products distributed to the libraries each week, especially those libraries selecting the Digital Raster Graphics and the Digital Orthophotoquads by USGS and the Magellan series by NASA. We have changed the procedures in house to make sure the CD's are sent in a timely manner, but we don't ship too many at one time to minimize damage to the jewel cases. Ongoing Projects: List of Classes, Microfiche Backlogs, Congressional Record... One of the projects assigned to DAB in coordination for the transition to a more electronic FDLP is the review of the List of Classes in relation to physically distributed products. Laurie Beyer Hall and Mike Clark have begun this review by running a list of active titles in the List of Classes against a computer report of those titles not used since ACSIS, our online acquisitions system was brought up in 1992. We are doing a random sample of titles to check with the agency to determine the status of the titles. Our assumption is that if the product has not been received in LPS since 1992, then it is probably no longer active, at least not in a paper format. And we will discontinue the class in the List of Classes. Look for large upcoming issues of the Administrative Notes Technical Supplement with information on how this project progresses. Staff in DAB are working on clearing up two backlogs. As has been noted by many librarians, we have a backlog of microfiche that we are working on getting out as fast as we can. Our emphasis is on the FBIS, GAO and NASA microfiche. FBIS has had some classification problems we have been trying to work out with the agency. GAO had problems associated with obtaining a new contractor and thus we recently received several boxes of GAO microfiche at one time. Look for heavy shipments from the contractor for microfiche titles. The area of microfiche conversion has been an active area this past year as we have focused on conversion of the bound Congressional Record. I appreciate the libraries' assistance in identifying problems with the microfiche conversion of the bound Record. Our own inspection of the microfiche indicated severe problems with the original contractor, and with the libraries' review supporting our conclusions, GPO was able to show the contractor was not meeting contract specifications. GPO placed the contractor in default for this program. We have also been trying to work with the regional libraries to fill in any missing older issues of the bound Record under the existing contract. The bound Congressional Record is several years behind in distribution to the libraries. Thus, volume 135 nos. 19 and 21 have not yet been distributed; your library has not missed them. And remember, selective libraries may select the bound Congressional Record in microfiche format only. The other backlog we are attempting to deal with in a systematic manner is the paper inquiry backlog. Remember the backlogs are dealt with by the same staff who acquire and class the publications and who respond to telephone, fax, and e-mail requests. This is also my time to make an appeal for fuller information when you contact LPS. When sending an inquiry, no matter what form the inquiry is sent in, please always include your library number, your telephone number, your fax number, your e-mail address, and your name. Most libraries provide this information on fax and written requests, but e-mail is another story. I have my return address information on my e-mail responses because I use a commercial Internet provider which has a roving IP address. I have learned the hard way not to just allow the machine to use the address the e-mail came from because others also have this problem. And as I like to address my correspondence to someone in particular, a name is very important. New Supervisor in Micrographics LPS now has a new supervisor in the Micrographics Control Section. Many of you have already spoken with Michele Munn who took over the section in early June. She has been with GPO for 9 years and most recently was an inspector of the microfiche in the Micrographics Control Section. She's bright and enthusiastic and I look forward to her input on the general operation. Michele can be reached at (202) 512-1060 by telephone, or by fax at (202) 512-1636. Her e-mail address is lpsmail@access.digex.net. Shipping lists via U.S. FAXWATCH Shipping list retrieval via the U.S. FAXWATCH has been in effect since September 1995. It continues to be a highly used resource in LPS. Remember there is a 60 day limit for shipping lists posted to FAXWATCH. If you need a list older than 60 days, please contact DAB directly by e-mail, fax, or GPO inquiry form. This is my time to plug the wonders of a fax machine. I do not yet have voice mail, but I check the fax on a regular basis. If you try calling and cannot find me, try faxing to one of the two fax numbers that are located in DAB. They are (202) 512-1636 and (202) 512-0877. Annual Item Selection Update Cycle Ends The annual item selection update cycle closed yesterday, July 5, 1996. I want to thank all of you who submitted your green cards on time. And remind those of you who did not, the time has ended. We always breathe a big sigh of relief when the update period ends and we know how many changes we must make (manually at the present time). It looks as if the libraries have not made as many changes as they have in previous years. Superseded List Being Updated Sheila McGarr has been working with many of you in the depository community on updating the Superseded List. I have my own copy for review here while I have some "free time." We thank you for your input and effort and anticipate having the finished project done this fall. Depository Distribution Another reason to read GOVDOC-L is the way the libraries communicate problems and find solutions among themselves on the "net". This spring there has been several discussions including problems with UPS deliveries and the mix-up with the IRS Tax forms vols. 1, 2, and 3. Carl Redd, Chief, Distribution Division sends his thanks for your efforts on communicating these problems to GPO. The "cc" button is a terrific invention. Depository Access to Electronic Products LPS continues to work with other agencies to try to expand access to their services. We are in discussions with STAT-USA to try to increase the number of access points to the online service and also to try to obtain an agreement to allow mounting of the NTDB on a LAN once again. Recently information concerning the restriction of limiting simultaneous use of this extremely popular CD-ROM was relayed to the depository libraries in the documentation accompanying the disc. A notice from Ken Rogers, Director of STAT-USA, was posted on GOVDOC-L and was included in the July 15 issue of Administrative Notes. At the present time, libraries may not put the NTDB on a LAN without making prior arrangements with STAT-USA. And libraries are still limited to one user at a time for the free depository subscription to the online database. We hope to have additional access points in place, possibly by the new fiscal year. Discussions continue with the Census Bureau about depository access to the online "Electronic Subscription Service." According to Census, this service includes all Census Bureau publications printed by the Government Printing Office after January 1, 1996 as well as selected reports released before that date. It is located at http://www.census.gov/prod/www/. At the present time there is no charge for this service, but it will convert to a charge service after the initial preview period has been completed. Census has made a commitment to making this service available to all Federal depository libraries at no charge to the libraries. The specifics of the arrangement have not yet been completed, but we will advise you of the specifics when we are able to do so. While I often envy others in LPS because their areas seem so distinctive and clear cut (which they usually are not in DAB), I also am very pleased to be able to deal with new and exciting projects in a very "hands-on" fashion. It is often exhilarating, and I can usually be found standing on some soap box or other at meetings or conferences. Today I'd like to tell you about two new Pathway Services we have been working on. Actually, one is an expansion of the service proposed at Council/Conference and the other was developed in response to a Council suggestion. Pathways Link to New Electronic Titles The "Browse Electronic Titles" page is located at . This is a listing by agency of new electronic titles in the FDLP. Titles listed include those on the GPO servers and titles that are located at other agency sites. This is essentially a current awareness tool. It is updated once a week. There is a "Recent Additions" listing and the date of the listing has been included in response to suggestions made by librarians. We are hoping to have a hot link established in the near future to the Monthly Catalog entry for monographs, but it is not yet in place. The listings are hot linked to the product sites on the Internet. If you haven't seen the site since the April meeting, please take a look. All material on this site will be cataloged for inclusion in the FDLP. There may be a slight time lag between a listing on the "Browse Electronic Titles" page and inclusion of the bibliographic record in the online Monthly Catalog, but we think this will generally not be the case. I'd like to thank Joe Paskoski, Mike Clark, and all the librarians who have already established Web pages similar to this site. We have freely drawn upon their work to develop this site. Please note that the item numbers and class numbers listed on the "Browse Electronic Titles" page are the same class numbers and item numbers that were assigned to these products in a physical format. Only products that are brand new to the program, that have not had a class or item number assigned before, are given a new class and item number. If the electronic product can be placed under an existing class and item number, we will use those numbers. We have also begun using the ACSIS number in the classification number as proposed at Council/Conference. Test Page for Graphically Intensive Documents Another project we have been working on is the test page for graphically intensive documents. This page can be found at . You may also link to it off the "Browse Electronic Titles" page as identified previously. At the Spring Council/Conference meeting a recommendation was made to investigate alternate formats for scanning of documents. We took eight products that would otherwise be distributed in microfiche and had them converted to JPEG, PDF, and ASCII files. LPS would like your response to these formats, but please do not test the products here over a modem as the JPEG files are very large and take a great deal of time to download the image. Raeann, could you pull up the image You and the Army. These have been loaded onto our machine's hard disk to speed up the retrieval rate, but we urge you to evaluate these formats in your libraries. In looking at these documents, remember we also had ASCII files made to meet ADA compliance. Please advise us of your response via the addresses listed on the Web pages. Electronic Dissemination Project Finally, I would like to address the role of DAB in relation to the projects as identified by Jay Young earlier. I am project manager for Electronic Dissemination of the FDLP Electronic Transition Implementation Plan. The goal of the project is to incorporate in the FDLP Government information products available via Federal agency Internet sites and increase the array of products disseminated to depositories and the general public via GPO Access. DAB staff will be working on eight objectives to try to make this transition as easy and systematic as possible. The objectives include obtaining the source data files from Federal agencies, coordination with Federal agencies to provide FDLP access to Government information products at their sites, maintenance of the "Browse Electronic Titles" page, development of format standards for source data file conversion, reduction of duplication of product content, and identification of agency fee-based services for Government information products. Timelines have been established for each objective with specific tasks identified for completion within a five year time frame. Many of the things I have been discussing are tasks included in the project. We have begun conversations with NASA, Treasury, the Small Business Administration, and Energy Information Administration for acquisition of source files for superseded agency Internet material and for products formerly distributed in paper or microfiche. At present most of this is material discontinued by the agency in paper or microfiche format, not by Library Programs Service. We are also in the process of developing standard language for inclusion in term contracts to have the source files for products delivered to GPO as part of the contractual requirements. And we are in the process of developing communications with agency printing officers and Web masters about the value of participating in the FDLP. Thank you for your time and attention. The next speaker is Tad Downing, Chief of the Cataloging Branch.