ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES
Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program
 
 
 
Vol. 18, no. 04 GP 3.16/3-2:18/04       February 28, 1997
 
 
 
 
MICHAEL F. DIMARIO
PUBLIC PRINTER
 
PREPARED STATEMENT BEFORE THE 
SUBCOMMITTEE ON LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ON
APPROPRIATIONS ESTIMATES FOR FISCAL YEAR 1998
 
February 11, 1997
 

        PERMANENT CONGRESSIONAL RECORD AND
        U.S.  CONGRESSIONAL SERIAL SET
 
        Last year, House Report 104-657 directed GPO to develop CD-ROM
versions of the permanent or bound edition of the Congressional Record and
those parts of the U.S.  Congressional Serial Set for which suitable
electronic data have been made available, beginning with the 105th
Congress, for distribution to depository libraries.  Under the Report's
direction, no paper copies of the bound Record are to be distributed in
the FDLP.  The Report also directed that paper copies of the Serial Set
are to be distributed only to regional depository libraries and one
depository in each state that has no regional depository.
 
        We have drafted plans to achieve this directive and have submitted
them to the staff of the Joint Committee on Printing for review.  However,
I have to inform this Subcommittee that we have been advised of serious
concerns within the depository library community about the discontinuation
of the paper format bound Record, and the limitation on the distribution
of paper copies of the Serial Set, in the FDLP.  Depository librarians
view these documents as essential reference resources and as core
documents of our democracy which should, at a minimum, be preserved in
paper format for the free use of the public in every State.  There are
also legitimate questions about the permanency of the CD-ROM format, from
an archival media standpoint, as well as issues concerning computer
hardware and software obsolescence.