ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES NEWSLETTER OF THE FEDERAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARY PROGRAM Vol. 19, no. 09 GP 3.16/3-2:19/09 July 15, 1998 LPS PROGRESS REPORT REMARKS BY GIL BALDWIN CHIEF, LIBRARY DIVISION, LIBRARY PROGRAMS SERVICE, GPO Before the Federal Documents Task Force Government Documents Round Table American Library Association Saturday, June 27, 1998 Washington, DC Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the new home of the Stanley Cup! Oh no, there's goes my snappy lead-in, and we're back to business as usual! So once again, welcome to summer in our Nation's Capital. I appreciate the opportunity to come before you today, in the enviable position of being the last speaker before lunch! I'm here to bring you up to date on the activities of the Library Programs Service (LPS). I'll be talking about both the transition to a more electronic Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and our activities with more traditional distributions. It's only been about 9 weeks since our Federal Depository Conference, but we do have a few new developments to report on. Just for interest's sake, how many of you were here in April for the Conference and the Spring Council meeting? OK, you all are excused to go get a latte. We have quite a few members of our LPS team in the audience today, staffing the booth, or hanging out in the lobby. We invite you to get together with any of us, either in the meetings or at the GPO booth (number 2771-2773), if we can answers question or help you in any way. We also have several handouts from the different operating areas within LPS. Finding Tools and Bibliographic Control We have been putting a lot of effort into our family of cataloging and locator services. We have developed an integrated process for providing bibliographic control to Internet resources. Our various tools are working together in a consistent manner, and our use of PURLs, or Permanent Uniform Resource Locators, should reduce the record maintenance burden for libraries which include GPO's cataloging records in their OPACs. LPS is using PURLs to assist with providing permanent access to Government electronic resources listed in our Browse Electronic Titles (BETs) Pathway service and then cataloged by LPS. Our use of PURLs is made possible by OCLC's recent release of enhanced PURL software that includes an integrated URL checker application, the ability to machine generate unique, consecutively assigned accession numbers, and a basic exceptions report module that identifies broken links. PURLs are of critical importance to efforts to provide continued access to electronic titles. When we learn about a new Government product on the Internet, either from an announcement, an inquiry, or from our Web mining efforts, we assign that resource a PURL, and we announce it in our Browse Electronic Titles Pathway service. Then we catalog it and we include the PURL in the cataloging record. That means that wherever that GPO cataloging record is used, whether in our own Web catalog, or in your local OPAC, the user can click on the PURL and move directly to the content. And when the URL changes, we fix the problem for everybody by updating our PURL software. It's like when you move, and you put in a change of address form with the Post Office. Your friends may not know your new address, but you still get your mail. Our PURLs application means that the LPS cataloging staff, vendors, and libraries with OPACs avoid labor intensive work of changing URLs within bibliographic records, no matter where those records appear. When a resource changes its Internet address, we update our PURL resolver table, and no one has to touch the cataloging records or the Pathway services entries. So the bottom line for PURLs is--we do the work so you don't have to. With LPS PURLs, libraries do not need to update records locally when URLs change. PURLs are an essential component of our efforts to bring bibliographic control to products in the FDLP Electronic Collection. Recently there was a lengthy thread of GOVDOC-L messages concerning LPS' use of PURLs and what they are good for. There was an apparent misunderstanding of what our so-called Deadlinks page is and how this page is used. I'm going to engage in some risk-taking behavior and attempt to explain this without a safety net. When LPS' link-checking software is run, and errors are detected, LPS takes action to relocate the product. If we are unsuccessful, LPS attempts to identify a responsible party in the originating agency and we inquire about the location of the publication. If it is determined that the product is no longer available, a note is made on the Browse Electronic Titles page to the effect that the title is "No longer available." LPS hypertext links this to the Deadlinks page. The last known link for the title is left intact so users are still able to see the last known site of the product. The Deadlinks page also provides a way to contact LPS in case you have a lead on the whereabouts of the missing title. The Deadlinks page is not a substitute for the URL for the missing title. But it provides an avenue to alert users to the fact that LPS is aware that a product is missing, that LPS has attempted to locate the title, and a point of contact if the user has any information about the title. The Catalog of United States Government Publications The Web edition of the Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publications now contains nearly 101,000 records produced from 1994 through the present. More than 4,200 of these records contain URLs or, more recently, PURLs. When broken links are detected, we convert URL data to PURLs. When links cannot be re-established, we delete URL/PURL data from the cataloging record and add a note advising users that the resource is no longer available via the Internet. Records are updated in OCLC and in the GPO Web application. In addition, these updated records are provided to the Cataloging Distribution Service (CDS) at the Library of Congress for distribution to commercial vendors. Librarians encountering records with bad links should advise us using or the contact listed on the Deadlinks page. Just one more note on cataloging, concerning our production. We expect to catalog some 4,000 more records this year than we did in FY 1997, as the two new catalogers we brought on board last year are really hitting their stride. Status of GPO Tapes and Monthly Catalog Products The Cataloging Distribution Service of the Library of Congress has distributed GPO cataloging data for the 1998 Periodicals Supplement and data corresponding to the January through May, 1998 issues. We expect that CDS will distribute cataloging data to vendors in a far more timely manner than has been evident in recent months. We have worked intensively with CDS and the various other units within GPO to resolve the problems which slowed the distribution of the cataloging data this spring. Selecting libraries have received January and February issues of paper and CD-ROM editions of the Monthly Catalog. More recent issues will be distributed in the near future, probably within several weeks of each other. Electronic Collection Activities I've appeared before this group several times to talk about the "collection management" concept and the FDLP Electronic Collection. A vast amount of electronic Government information is in scope for the FDLP and it is a critical part of our public access mission. We are developing strategies to ensure permanent public access to electronic Government information products, whether those products are shipped to depository libraries or made accessible via the Web. In our policy and planning discussions we have taken the position that GPO's permanent access responsibility extends to electronic Government information products that we bring under bibliographic control through our cataloging and locator services, but which remain on their originating agencies' servers. As I've said, we're working hard to develop a comprehensive set of cataloging and locator services for the FDLP Electronic Collection. For several months we have been working on a paper called Managing the FDLP Electronic Collection: A Policy and Planning Document. I'm pleased to tell you that GPO's internal review of this paper has been completed, and the paper has been forwarded to Depository Library Council for review and comment. We're getting a number of positive and useful comments from Council, and we expect that a refined version of the paper will be available on GPO Access for wider review and discussion later this summer. We will also be sharing this paper with the National Archives and other interested agencies and institutions. We are also working closely with other GPO organizations to identify the resource implications of our permanent access commitment, so we can include these items in our FY 2000 budget request. FDLP Electronic Collections Web Pages One of our first collections web pages was the "Core Documents of U.S. Democracy: An Electronic Collection," which we created over a year ago. CoreDocs of Democracy is one of only two Internet resources included in the May 1998 Library Journal/ALA Notable Government Documents list. CoreDocs is also included in a site compiled by the G7 Group of Industrialized Nations that includes information about the U.S. and other democracies. But we're also breaking into the K through 6 community. An obviously progressive elementary school near Nashville, TN, includes CoreDocs in their cool site links, right in there with Worm World. FDLP Electronic Collections A new series of pages will bring the FDLP Electronic Collection to the Web. Developed by Cynthia Etkin of the Depository Services staff, the site is "FDLP Electronic Collection: Bringing Government Information to You," and is based on components of the Collection. The new pages include full text resources from GPO, FDLP partner sites, and other Government agencies. A collection of finding tools will assist users in locating tangible electronic products in depository libraries, as well as products published on other agency Internet sites. There's a handout here showing the FDLP Electronic Collections home page and the "About" page. The URL is: . Of course a major electronic collection is the "DOE Information Bridge," developed by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and rolled out during the April depository conference. This gateway provides a public view to the more than 15,000 reports processed by DOE/OSTI annually, with coverage beginning with January 1996. During its first month, Information Bridge was a "Pick of the Week" from Yahoo!, the Web navigation and indexing site. This project is a model of outstanding cooperation to expand public access, and I want to thank Dr. Warnick and the OSTI staff for all of their efforts. I've worked with the OSTI folks on depository projects since 1984 and they're great! The initial libraries in the FDLP/ERIC Digital Library Pilot Project have received their authorizations and passwords and are ready to make public domain ERIC reports available free via the OCLC FirstSearch interface. Reports from January 1997 forward previously provided to the FDLP in microfiche will be converted to TIFF image format and stored at OCLC. This pilot will provide the project participants with useful information on managing a large, high-demand electronic collection. The remaining libraries in the pilot group of approximately 300 will be online in July. We are talking with the National Library of Education and OCLC about expanding the number of participating libraries, so we can get broader participation in the project. You can see a demonstration of this project at the OCLC booth. NCLIS Assessment You've been hearing progress reports for some time on the agreement between GPO and the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) to conduct an "assessment of electronic government information products." The assessment should be very useful in identifying medium and format standards that are the most appropriate for permanent public access. The negotiations have been lengthy, but NCLIS has now contracted with Westat, Inc., to undertake research and data collection from a select number of Federal agencies in all three branches as well as solicit opinions from selected knowledgeable experts. We have established a firm project time line, and expect to have a preliminary report of findings presented at the October Council meeting. I appreciate the efforts many of you made to recommend agency information products to be included in the data gathering phase of this project. This effort was very helpful in establishing which agencies will be the focus of the Assessment, and in developing our initial list of products to be examined in depth. We will meet with the key individuals in the target agencies later this summer, and data collection will take place in the early fall. We plan to include an update and preliminary report on this study at the October Council meeting. Self-Studies In October 1998, depository librarians and their directors whose depository operations were last inspected in 1993 will be requested to prepare and submit a mandatory self-study. The states include California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia. The due date for the self-studies will be January 15, 1999. Based on the evaluations from the spring Conference, we plan to include self-study workshops in upcoming events. The next one will be held at the fall Council meeting in San Diego. Cost Study and Biennial Survey The Depository Library Council's Statistical Measurement Committee has identified two tasks. One sub-committee will develop questions to elicit basic cost data of being a depository including salaries, computer equipment, storage cabinets, purchases of supplementary indexes, databases, cataloging and shipping list services, etc. LPS anticipates these cost-related questions being incorporated into the 1999 Biennial Survey. A second sub-committee will recommend changes in the other questions for the 1999 Biennial Survey. Volunteers from the depository community will be working with Council members and GPO on these issues. Preliminary reports will be presented at the fall Depository Library Council meeting in San Diego. We hope to get a draft Biennial Survey out to you late this year, so you'll have advance notice of any new data collection requirements. Selection Update Activities The 1999 Item Selection Update Cycle is being conducted electronically on the Web. So far fewer than 300 depositories have used this service. Libraries should enter their amendments to selections using the Web site "Amendment to Item Selections" on the FDLP Administration page. This Web site has been redesigned to make your item selection changes as easy and simple as possible. You will need your depository library number and your new FDLP internal password to submit your additions or deletions. All submissions for additions must be made during the Update Cycle, which is open through July 31. Remember, your new item selection additions do not become effective until October 1, 1998. But deletions can be made at any time, and take effect immediately. If your library does not have Web access, please contact Laurie Hall or Yvonne Washington at LPS, using the e-mail or phone number in the handout, to put yourself on report. New FDLP Passwords Each library has been assigned a new, unique password for internal FDLP administrative functions. The new internal password was mailed to each library in late May as part of the 1999 Update Cycle information packet. If you have lost your password, or did not receive the new password, please contact us. Your previously assigned password is not valid for the "Amendments to Item Selections" process. But do not destroy the old password. This is now your library's external password, to be used to access databases and services provided by agencies and FDLP partnerships. We have gone to the two-password system to address concerns about using the same password for public service applications and FDLP administrative activities. Address Changes We plan to publish a new depository library directory this fall, so it's important that you advise us of any changes in address, personnel, and telephone and fax numbers, no matter how small. When address information on shipment labels is unclear, the package delivery service charges an additional fee per package to verify the correct street address before the shipment can be delivered. When telephone area codes change, it is difficult for patrons using the "Locate Libraries" function on GPO's Web site, or other resources such as U.S. Fax Watch and Federal Depository Library Directory, to contact the depository library. Using their new internal password, depository libraries may update their directory information using the Library Directory module from the FDLP Administration Web page. askLPS I hope that you all know about and are using askLPS, our Web-based inquiries and announcements service. In April LPS began accepting inquiries and questions from depository librarians and the public via askLPS. askLPS is an automated inquiry service to make filing of inquiries and directing e-mail to the appropriate LPS staff member easier. There is an askLPS Web page or you can e-mail your question to . Users are encouraged to check the WEBTech Notes and the FAQ & News sections before submitting a question to askLPS, as the question may already have been researched and the answer posted to the database. Remember to always include your name, your library's name and depository number on your inquiries, whether they are sent via askLPS, telephone, fax, or mail. For the months of April and May, LPS received 5838 inquiries and responded to 5288, leaving a balance of 645 inquiries. Although LPS strives to answer all askLPS inquiries within ten days, it is a challenge to research fugitive documents inquiries within this time frame. Of the 645 inquiries still on hand, 517 are fax inquiries, most related to questions concerning item numbers for documents not received in several years. Some of the fugitive documents inquiries are quite old, so we must devote our first attention to the more recent products, where there is still a reasonable opportunity to obtain the product for the FDLP. We are moving through all of these inquiries systematically and posting information in the Administrative Notes Technical Supplement. Potomac Business Center As you no doubt know by now, our distribution work is now being handled by a small startup company called Potomac Business Center, or PBC. PBC uses United Parcel Service (UPS) as a subcontractor, so nearly all depository shipments should be arriving in the familiar brown trucks. We are working closely with GPO's contracting office and PBC to iron out the typical kinks that occur during the startup period of any new contract. But if you continue to experience any kind of shipment difficulties, missing shipments, obscured labels, etc., please contact us via askLPS or call Vicki Barber directly. Shipping List Label Program In late May through early June most of the services associated with the label program of the Enhanced Shipping List Service were unavailable for use because of a computer virus on a University of Texas--Arlington computer. The service again became available, on June 15, 1998. LPS continues to work with the State University of New York, Buffalo and the University of Texas--Arlington to improve the processes for this extremely helpful and popular service. This service was the first service partnership, and as such wasn't created using the more rigorous contractual partnership agreement we use today. We will be taking the necessary steps to establish a formal partnership agreement for the shipping list service. Microfiche Distribution LPS has 15 full-service microfiche contracts. Five different companies provide service under these contracts. During the first eight months of FY 1998, LPS has distributed over 16,800 microfiche titles, which is more than were distributed during all of FY 1997. There is no backlog of paper documents awaiting conversion to microfiche format at this time, and we are on a pace to distribute more than 25,000 microfiche titles this year. However, we do see a continuing slight decline in paper titles, and expect to finish the fiscal year about 600 titles short of last year's 13,200 paper titles. Take the Tour It's hot and humid here, and no doubt your days are full. So I invite you to relax, stay cool, and when you get home, and take the LPS Virtual Tour at our Web site. Thank you for coming today!