Administrative Notes Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program Vol. 19, no. 02 GP 3.16/3-2:19/02 January 15, 1998 The FDLP in Transition POISED FOR CHANGE The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is two years into a multi-year transition from an exclusively print environment to a mixed environment. The FDLP now includes tangible Government information products disseminated to depository libraries and online databases and locator services provided via the Internet from GPO Access. PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES It is our goal that the FDLP ensure that the public has equitable, no-fee, dependable, local public access to Government information products through a centrally managed, statutorily authorized network of geographically-dispersed depository libraries. We will continue to administer the transition of the FDLP from paper to electronic formats, consistent with the needs of users and the intended usage. We will further develop the suite of locator services and cataloging initiatives to enable the public to locate Government information regardless of format. And we will develop a management plan for the FDLP Electronic Collection, in order to ensure permanent public access to Government information products at or through depository libraries. 1997 HIGHLIGHTS LPS' 1997 highlights include: * Permanent access initiatives, including the "collection management" concept for the FDLP Electronic Collection; * Expanded continuing education activities, including sponsoring the Regional Librarians Conference; * Developing new GPO Access Web applications and services for depository librarians, such as: * Adding the Council Web pages to the FDLP Administration Web page; * Creating "Core Documents of U.S. Democracy: An Electronic Collection;" * Using the Web to conduct the Biennial Survey and the Item Selection Update Cycle; * Developing the Item Lister, putting up the electronic version of the Shipping List, and partnering with the creators of the Shipping List label service. * Raising awareness of the serious issues surrounding the privatization of important Government information products, and the copyright-like restrictions that often accompany these arrangements. More detail on LPS' FY 1997 activities is available in our annual report, located on the FDLP Administration Page at . The report will be printed in the January 15, 1998 issue of Administrative Notes. FDLP ELECTRONIC COLLECTION The developing FDLP Electronic Collection will be managed using many familiar library collection management policies and techniques, such as selection, acquisition, bibliographic control, access, organization, maintenance, deselection, and preservation for access. The Collection includes core legislative and regulatory GPO Access products, as well as other Federal Government information products, maintained for permanent public access either by GPO or by other agencies under formal agreements with GPO. A position paper on Managing the GPO Access Collection appeared in Administrative Notes, v. 18, # 15 (11/25/97), and is available at . We intend to publish the Collection Plan in draft form for review and comments early this year. U.S. SUPREME COURT DATA BASE GPO is developing a searchable WAIS database for Supreme Court opinions that are part of the Project Hermes initiative. Project Hermes encompasses the time period from 1992 to present. Until now, this information has only been available through a browsable index on the Federal Bulletin Board (FBB), in either Word Perfect 5.1 or ASCII text format. Beginning in the 1997/98 term, these files will be available on the FBB in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) and tagged ASCII format. We are also working on a WAIS application, so users will be able to perform full-text searches and retrievals of this information, including multiple field searching. GPO expects to be able to provide some specific features for this application, including a field for conducting a full-text search; and the ability to search by case name; citation number; year; justice's name; and docket number. ASKLPS We are working on AskLPS, a Web-based inquiry and answer module to send inquiries, and get answers and news from us about the FDLP. We expect to have this operational in February, and we hope once it's up you will use AskLPS as your preferred channel to get in touch with us.