From lpsmail@access.digex.netMon Aug 12 19:41:03 1996 Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 16:18:57 -0700 From: Shipment Reply to: Discussion of Government Document Issues To: Multiple recipients of list GOVDOC-L Subject: ADNOTES: LPS UPDATE, REMARKS BEFORE AALL THE MESSAGE BELOW IS FROM ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES, VOL. 17, #11 (August 15, 1996) LPS UPDATE Remarks by Greta Boeringer Before the American Association of Law Libraries Government Documents Special Interest Section Indianapolis, IN July 21, 1996 As a Federal Depository Library Inspector for 4 years, I have inspected 300 depository libraries including 50 law libraries. I am a law librarian by trade with both law and library degrees, three years of professional experience, and have worked in 4 law libraries. I am dedicated to our profession, and I also hold a high standard for who we are and what we can do. I think law libraries can be the best depositories. But I also think we sometimes fall short. Electronic Depositories When I'm "on the road," documents staff constantly ask me about the electronic depository. When will it be here? The "Basic Collection" consists of 22 key titles that the Depository Library Council determined every depository should have. These titles comprise the heart and soul of every depository collection. All but one of these titles is now available electronically, all except the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents. The electronic depository is here! By way of illustration, in fiscal year 1993, 20,755 paper titles (9.66 million copies) were distributed by the Library Programs Service (LPS). Between October 95-June 96, 11,081 paper titles were mailed (4.5 million copies) On an annualized basis, we estimate that 14,000 titles (6 million copies) will be shipped this fiscal year. For many years, microfiche was two-thirds of our total distribution. In nine months of this fiscal year, it is 44%. It's here. What does this mean for law libraries? Some law libraries are attracted to the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) because it appears to offer expensive paper titles for "free." While the information products, whether in tangible or intangible format, are without cost to you until they reach your door, library funds are required for equipment, staffing, cataloging, etc. A few of these core primary legal resources will remain in paper even though they are also available electronically, including the United States Code, U.S. Reports, CFR, Federal Register, Statutes at Large, Treaties and Other International Acts of the U.S., and Treaties in Force. (If you want further details, see pages E 17-18 of the strategic plan included in the final report of the Study to Identify Measures Necessary for the Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program, SuDocs GP 3.2:EL 2/3/FINAL, or online at our Web site). Participation in the FDLP remains relevant in the online environment because GPO is negotiating no-fee access for depository libraries to online government resources that are otherwise paid databases. A law depository will be able to provide these resources at no cost to the public. In the course of inspecting all types of depositories, I have noticed that some law libraries are among those depositories that have not yet embraced electronic resources. This troubles me. I believe it is our obligation to bring no-fee law resources to the attention of our law students so that when they go out to practice they can offer their clients lower research costs than searching using commercial sources. So let me take a moment to introduce you to our latest "hot" products. I recommend that any of you who haven't seen these stop by the GPO booth in the exhibit hall and do a test run. GPO Web Site First of all, see our Web site, the GPO home page and the SuDocs home page. From there you can search congressional bills, the Federal Register, Congressional Record, and other databases--so easy even I can do it! Soon the CFR will be added, title by title! The Monthly Catalog is also on the Web site back to January 1994 containing 66,000 titles. The Monthly Catalog contains cataloging for a growing number of electronic titles with hot-linked URLs. Records appear on the Web site two days after production at OCLC. Most exciting of all, we have hot linked the URLs to the Monthly Catalog so you can go right to the site from the Web Monthly Catalog! All of GPO's cataloging should be available on the Web site within two weeks of your receipt of the item. Speaking of the Monthly Catalog, we expect the CD-ROM version to be produced in July. It will cover January-June 1996 and contain the 1996 Periodicals Supplement records. Subsequent issues of the CD-ROM will cumulate each month. In case you haven't heard, Pathway Services is a suite of software tools being developed to direct librarians and the public to Federal Government information on the Internet. It contains "Browse Topics" which is Government Internet sites arranged by topic. "Browse Titles" is Government information products available on the Internet. The Pathways Indexer, which provides a keyword search of Federal Web sites, is up and running. The address is: . You begin by clicking on "Search the Web." This prototype service uses the Harvest web crawler and currently indexes a seed list of 400 .gov and .mil sites. We know this is not all government sites and GPO staff will expand the seed list of sites. The crawler accepts boolean searches. TRY IT! The other test product is found on the "Browse Electronic Titles." For graphically intensive titles that we have shipped in microfiche, we have put them on the Web. They can be viewed in any of three ways: text only to support ADA compliance, a PDF file using Adobe Acrobat, and JPEG which is a full color viewer. This is our first venture into full color electronic distribution and it is a test to elicit feedback on user preferences. Let us know what you think. To help you keep track of new electronic titles, the "Browse Electronic Titles" page also has a "New Additions" page. This page is dated and lists all the new electronic titles that have been sent for GPO cataloging. You may want to make it a habit to check this site weekly. Classification for electronic titles uses the ACSIS database identification number after the colon. Soon the titles display will have a hot link to Monthly Catalog cataloging. NTDB You must have seen the announcement on GOVDOC-L from Ken Rogers, Director of STAT-USA, that the National Trade Data Bank (NTDB) must not be mounted on a LAN. His letter will also appear in the July 15 issue of Administrative Notes (v. 17, #9). Please place NTDB on a single access work station or otherwise make it accessible by only one person at a time or purchase multi-user privileges from STAT-USA (recently announced by Ken Rogers on GOVDOC-L). We are actively negotiating with the Commerce Department to pay for additional access to this vital title as well as to expand depository access to the online STAT-USA.. We are also negotiating with the Bureau of the Census for subscriptions to the electronic Data Access and Dissemination System for depositories. Acquisitions I think you would be impressed with the work LPS' Depository Administration Branch is doing to obtain electronic resources for depository libraries. Currently the focus is on retaining information content historically present in the Program. I am looking forward to when we can expand and begin including electronic Government information products beyond what has been available in the Program. The potential for the electronic depository library program is really quite grand. Be sure to look in the "Study" for the work being done on EDGAR and Federal District and Circuit Court reports. Let me just reiterate the point I most want to make: get online with documents. Get yourself a connection and a Web browser and start learning about what is available from GPO's Web site. Get a publicly accessible Internet work station as soon as possible. Be sure to include our Web site in all your legal research training. Recommended Minimum Specifications The "Recommended Minimum Specifications for Public Access Work Stations in Federal Depository Libraries," published in the May 15, 1996 issue of Administrative Notes (v. 17, #7), are intended to assist depository librarians who are planning purchases of new public access work stations capable of using most text-based FDLP electronic information products. Depository libraries are encouraged to adapt these specifications to fit their local situations. We cannot prescribe the best access for every library. Most law schools will probably be using some sort of a LAN, I imagine. So their equipment will be different. The public service requirement, however, must be met by October 1, 1996. Justice Department Memorandum I want to touch on another interesting issue that has recently developed. Historically, GPO has relied heavily on the ability of the Federal Depository Library Program to automatically obtain material as it was printed or procured through GPO. With the growing emphasis on electronic dissemination, and decreasing compliance with statutory requirements for agencies to print through GPO, identifying and obtaining information for the FDLP is becoming increasingly difficult. This problem has escalated significantly within the past few months with a May 31, 1996 Justice Department legal opinion taking the position that there are constitutional separation of powers issues with the legislative branch establishing requirements for the executive branch with respect to printing. This opinion appears to have the effect of encouraging executive branch agencies to bypass GPO for their printing services. This opinion seems to contradict the White House Memorandum signed by Leon Panetta on April 11 directing the executive branch agencies to maximize use of the capabilities of GPO for printing and duplicating services. Beyond the obvious impact of the Justice Department position on fugitive Government information, it potentially has a very serious impact on GPO's financial situation. At its annual meeting in New York, the American Library Association's Government Information Subcommittee and the GODORT Legislation Committee endorsed a resolution to "urge agencies to continue to procure printing and high volume duplicating" through GPO; "to express concerns of the library community over the May 31, 1996, Dellinger memorandum that encourages non-compliance with existing laws;" ..."urge the Department of Justice to issue a revised memorandum requiring full participation and compliance with laws" relating to the FDLP; and finally "urge Congress to revise Title 44 U.S.C. to enact adequate enforcement mechanisms for agency participation and compliance in order to ensure continued identification, dissemination, and public access through the FDLP for government information products produced by all branches and agencies of the federal government." In addition, there must be effective means for all three branches of Government to notify GPO of the intent to initiate or publish a new information product in any format, or eliminate products and services. Inspections The "FDLP Information Dissemination and Access Strategic Plan, FY 1996 - FY 2001" (pp. E 1-14 in the final Study document) includes a change in depository library inspections. Currently we inspect all depository libraries in chronological order, with adjustments for climate, speaking engagements at meetings, and geography. The basis for inspections will revert to that specified in Title 44 U.S.C.1909 which states in part "for which need is indicated." Self-study As more Government information becomes available solely in electronic media, a rearrangement of the traditional obligations shared by GPO and the libraries has occurred. For instance, libraries or patrons are responsible for more of the printing function in the electronic world, while GPO is taking more responsibility for permanent access. Conducting depository library inspections is a resource issue as well. Some of the work performed in the course of on-site inspections will be shifted to the depository librarians in the form of a required self-study document. We received the Depository Library Council endorsement for this approach in October 1994 and published a draft self-study in the November 25, 1994 issue of Administrative Notes. Throughout 1995 and 1996, we have asked librarians to voluntarily complete the self-study. While the text is not finalized yet, we have discussed an approach to implementing the self-study that goes like this: 1. GPO will request self-studies from a group of libraries in chronological order from date of last inspection. 2. Inspectors would read and evaluate the self-studies. 3. A telephone interview of the librarian would take place to clarify any issues. 4. Based on the self-study, the interview, consultation with the Regional library, and specific criteria including recent staff changes, facility changes, past inspection history, and complaint history, GPO would determine whether an inspection is warranted. 5. If so, an inspection would be scheduled. Please do not think of this process as punitive or as a pre-judgement of your operation. Inspections are really about supporting you, helping you get the resources you need to do your job well, and fulfilling the requirements of the law. 6. We are also open to the depositories requesting an on-site inspection. Those libraries which voluntarily completed self-studies found the self-assessment process invaluable to their operation. In many cases, procedures were tightened up, weeding and promotion initiated, computer equipment purchased, etc. I would recommend that any of you whose depository operations were evaluated before 1991, review for background only the draft self-study text from Administrative Notes or from the GOVDOC-L archives. It can be a good tool for anyone wanting to examine their depository operation in tandem with the Instructions to Depository Libraries, Superseded List, and the Federal Depository Library Manual and Supplements. A final version of the self-study will be completed later this summer in print and electronic form. We are also putting together an FDLP administrative Web page that will have our official program communications on it, including Administrative Notes, the Instructions, self-study, etc. It's not "ready for prime time" yet. We have more coding and testing to do before we publish the Web address.