ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program -------------------------------------------------------------------- April 15, 1999 GP 3.16/3-2:20/07 (Vol. 20, no. 07) -------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPOSITORY LIBRARY COUNCIL TO THE PUBLIC PRINTER, FALL 1998 RECOMMENDATIONS WITH GPO RESPONSES RECOMMENDATIONS 1. GPO to fill the position of electronic collection manager. Council recommends that GPO direct additional resources to building and managing the Electronic Depository Collection, including establishing and filling the position of Electronic Collection Manager described in Managing the Electronic Collection: A Policy and Planning Document. Rationale: Council believes it is imperative that GPO allocate sufficient resources, both financial and personnel, to assure the effective coordination of activities directed toward building the Electronic Collection described in Managing the Electronic Collection: A Policy and Planning Document. Council recognizes that various activities and functions associated with the electronic collection are currently distributed among various GPO units, e.g. collection development criteria, outreach, marketing, locator tools, metadata, etc. Council believes that the establishment of the position Electronic Collection Manager would provide the most effective means to coordinate and use this expertise present in GPO. (Please see Action Item at end of document for additional information.) Response: GPO is taking several steps to allocate additional resources to managing the FDLP Electronic Collection. The Library Programs Service (LPS) has established an ongoing Electronic Collection (EC) Team that includes personnel from the Depository Administration Branch, the Cataloging Branch, the Electronic Transition Staff, and the Office of the Director. The purpose of the EC Team is to develop, document, communicate, test, and, when necessary, modify work procedures and related policies for the FDLP Electronic Collection. The scope of EC Team's effort include the full range of activities for products in the Electronic Collection, including (but not limited to) identification, evaluation, selection, classification, bibliographic control, persistent naming, archiving, and communication with stakeholders. The EC Team is also the focal point in LPS for tracking such related issues as persistent naming, digital archiving technology, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) policies, and other emerging issues. Actions are underway to establish and fill the Electronic Collection Manager position in LPS. As with any new position there are numerous steps in the process. We have developed a position description, it has been classified and graded, and we plan to proceed with advertising the vacancy soon. Managing the FDLP EC is a cross-organizational effort that involves many offices and individuals both within GPO and at partner libraries and agencies. Within the Superintendent of Documents organization, the Office of Electronic Information Dissemination Services (EIDS) has several vital EC roles. EIDS has a major role in the identification, evaluation, selection, archiving, and communication with FDLP stakeholders, and participation in these activities will continue. More specifically, EIDS manages the training and user support functions for GPO Access, coordinates the development of Documents' Web pages, and works closely with publishing agencies to bring new electronic products into the FDLP and Documents Sales Programs. In addition, EIDS acts as the Documents liaison with GPO Production Department on GPO Access developments. At LPS' request the Production Department has designated a staff member to work with our EC Team on developing an FDLP EC archive, and also has provided server space for our archiving development work. On the financial side, GPO has requested an additional $1 million for our FY 2000 appropriation for purposes of increasing the resources allocated to managing the FDLP EC. The outcome of the FY 2000 appropriations process is not finalized at this time. 2. Microfiche contracts. Council recommends that GPO evaluate and resolve problems with the current microfiche contractor procedures and performance to identify other options which would better serve the needs of the depository community. Council further recommends that GPO take additional steps to bring microfiche processing procedures and requirements to the attention of the depository libraries. Rationale: Since the distribution and claiming of depository microfiche has moved from GPO to full service microfiche contracts with independent contractors, microfiche processing has become more complex for depository libraries. Some contractors' inability to fulfill all elements of GPO contracts, including shipping list and claims delivery, continue to be ongoing problems. Options which might be considered include: multi-year contracts; return of microfiche to GPO for distribution; use of additional resources for shipping list preparation, contract compliance, and quality control; and a link from the microfiche shipping list web page to an information page on current microfiche shipment practices and procedures. Response: LPS and the Term Contracts Division of GPO's Printing Procurement Department have identified several specific steps to improve contractor performance. We have: * Instituted more rigorous pre-award testing of new vendors bidding on FDLP work. * Changed from tape cartridges to FTP transfer for selection and library address data so contractors can respond more quickly to changes in libraries selection profiles. * Designed and staffed a more strenuous review of the administrative contract receivables, such as the microfiche masters, shipping lists, and associated electronic data files. * Requested hiring a second microfiche inspector who would focus more specifically on contract compliance issues. These changes have improved LPS' ability to address and correct performance problems with the microfiche contractors, as in the recent situation with the nearly opaque headers on the microfiche produced by CRS, Inc. For the longer term, we are taking active steps to identify titles currently distributed in microfiche for which reliable, official electronic versions are available. As we announced at the 1999 Midwinter meeting of the American Library Association, we will migrate the depository library distribution version of certain titles from microfiche to an agency-issued online resource. This direction is in accordance with the plans for the transition to a more electronic FDLP. The specific criteria for identifying candidate titles were published in the February 15, 1999 issue of Administrative Notes (v. 20, no. 4, pp. 4-6). In addition, we have reviewed the other suggestions from Council for possible implementation. With the current staffing level and allocation of resources in LPS it is simply not feasible to bring the microfiche distribution activity back in-house. Our efforts are focussed on strengthening contract compliance and quality review, and on enhancing the administrative and record-keeping infrastructure required to support effective action against a deficient contractor. 1. Discontinue or consolidate "traditional" LPS products and services in tangible formats. Council recommends that GPO, in consultation with the depository library community, decrease the frequency of publication of the paper editions of GPO administrative tools that are available online and are more frequently updated. Some titles with a strong sales history should remain in the sales program in print editions as long as sales justify the cost of production. As an example, since the online List of Classes is updated monthly, Council recommends that the print version of the List of Classes be updated, published and distributed (via FDLP and sales) only annually, and that each library receive only one depository copy. Council further recommends that, provided the annual publication date is flexible, GPO consult with the depository community to determine the most appropriate time of year to produce the print version. Rationale: Frequently updated online tools are more useful than print editions that are often dated by the time they are printed and distributed. All program libraries should have access to the FDLP web site and the ability to download. The online version of the List of Classes is updated monthly and can be manipulated to serve multiple purposes. However, libraries may need time to learn how to exploit this FDLP electronic resource. During the transition period, some titles may need to remain in print even if less frequently updated. This issue should be revisited. Response: LPS has changed the production schedule for the List of Classes from quarterly to semiannual, and reduced the number of copies distributed free of charge to each depository from two to one. The next issue is expected to be available in April 1999, prior to the annual selection update cycle. In addition, LPS will examine other administrative publications currently issued in both print and electronic format for migration to solely electronic availability. Some potential candidates for this migration are the Administrative Notes Technical Supplement, the Inactive or Discontinued Items from the 1950 Revision of the Classified List. In the longer term, LPS will determine on a case-by-case basis whether new or existing administrative publications require a print analog. In general our direction will be to use the online information services and reserve the production of new printed products for exceptional cases. 2. Structure of Council meetings, amount of time, location. Council recommends that the fall Council meeting be held permanently in the Washington, DC area, sometime between the Columbus and Veterans Day holidays, and that the annual Federal Depository Library Conference coincide with the fall DLC meeting in Washington. The spring DLC meeting would be held in the field, rotating around the country, as it was prior to 1992. Council further recommends that the fall DLC meetings begin on Sunday evening and end on Wednesday afternoon, instead of beginning on Monday morning and ending on Thursday afternoon. Sunday evening would be reserved for Council's organizational meeting, open to observers. The full Conference would begin on Monday morning and conclude on Wednesday afternoon, with the Regionals' session continuing to be held on the Sunday immediately prior to the Federal Depository Library Conference. The spring DLC meeting schedule would be modified in similar fashion. Council also recommends that GPO continue to monitor attendance at DLC meetings and FDL conferences to determine whether changing meeting structure, locations, and dates has an adverse affect on depository library participation. Rationale: A fall meeting in Washington will produce fewer conflicts with other library-related meetings and a wider range of choices for hotel accommodations. This change will also restore the opportunity for newly appointed Council members to visit the GPO facility. The change to Sunday through Wednesday reduces meeting space rental and other FDLC expenses, such as an extra day's use/rental of meeting rooms at the hotel, A-V equipment, and coffee breaks. Potentially, per diem expenses for DLC members would be reduced. Response: GPO has implemented this recommendation, and the revised sequence of meetings and use of the Sunday through Wednesday meeting structure will begin in 2000. The upcoming sequence of Depository Library Council (DLC) meetings and Federal Depository Conferences (FDC) is: Month/Year Event Location 10/1999 DLC Kansas City, MO 04/2000 DLC Providence, Newport, or Warwick, RI 10/2000 DLC/FDC Arlington, VA 04/2001 DLC To be determined 10/2001 DLC/FDC Washington, DC area We will monitor the effects of these changes on event attendance and participation and, in the event that any adverse impacts are found, will recommend other changes for consideration by the Council.