F e d e r a l D e p o s i t o r y L i b r a r y P r o g r a m ------------------------------------------------------------------------ May 15, 2001 GP 3.16/3-2:22/08 (Vol. 22, no. 08) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Depository Library Council to the Public Printer Spring 2001 Recommendations, Commendations, and Action Items Recommendations 1. Baseline Electronic Proficiencies Program at the Fall 2001 Conference Council recommends that the Government Printing Office develop a program for the fall 2001 Depository Library Conference on suggested baseline proficiencies for public access to Federal electronic resources. Rationale: Council recognizes the widespread uncertainty regarding the proficiency level needed for accessing electronic government resources when providing public services. It is the sense of Council that a program delineating baseline proficiencies would serve the dual purpose of providing practical information of immediate use, as well as opening a dialog on proficiencies that could become the catalyst for more advanced training opportunities. 2. Basic Collection Proposal Council recommends that the Government Printing Office proceed with the "Basic Collection" revision proposal. Council also requests that the Government Printing Office regularly review this list. Council further recommends that the Government Printing Office examine the functions and scope of all collection lists in the Federal Depository Library Manual. Rationale: Council agrees that the Basic Collection list is outdated and in need of revision to reflect the changes in currently available, tangible and online, government products. In order for this to continue as a viable list, Council suggests the list be reviewed for possible revision on a regular basis. Council asks the Government Printing Office to clarify the primary purpose of the Basic Collection and all collection lists in the Federal Depository Library Manual to make sure they are still valid and useful, and that the purpose for each is clearly explained. 3. Clarify the Phrase "select or otherwise make available" in the Basic Collection Proposal Council recommends that the Government Printing Office clarify the phrase "select or otherwise make available" as used in the Basic Collection proposal. Rationale: The electronic environment that we work in makes the concept of "selection" more fluid since libraries can access things that they have not selected. Questions that Council raised include: does each library have to point to all items in the basic collection or is one pointer to GPO Access enough; should the online catalog include each title; and are there reference service implications? Council believes that an articulated range of options for depository libraries would be helpful. 4. Cooperative Cataloging Partnerships Council recommends that the Government Printing Office investigate the feasibility of entering into cooperative cataloging partnerships with depository libraries. The investigation could include the development of criteria and requirements for cooperative cataloging partners. Rationale: Through partnerships, depository libraries would have the opportunity to share the results of local and regional cataloging efforts by contributing records for inclusion in the Government Printing Office's Catalog of U.S. Government Publications and distribution as GPO records. Cooperative cataloging by GPO partners has the potential to add value to other FDLP initiatives, such as the University of North Texas Cybercemetery and the Permanent Public Access initiative. In addition, cooperative cataloging partnerships may enable the Government Printing Office to discover and obtain cataloging for government information products outside the current GPO cataloging workflow. Once developed, cooperative cataloging partnerships could be used to enable depository libraries engaged in a variety of digitization, retrospective conversion, and discovery projects to share cataloging of GPO-distributed products. Commendations 1. Council commends Sheila M. McGarr for her many contributions to the Federal Depository Library Program during her nineteen-year career with the Government Printing Office and congratulates her on her appointment as Director of the National Library of Education. Through her advocacy, leadership in providing training opportunities, and professional activity in the American Library Association Government Documents Round Table, she helped thousands of depository librarians and those whom they serve. 2. Council commends the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and the U.S. Government Printing Office for the development and release of the Davis-Bacon Wage Determinations database now freely available on GPO Access. This partnership creates a valuable resource for those affected by local wage scales and for contractors as they bid on government contracts. Council is especially pleased to see the Government Printing Office reaching out to a variety of government agencies that provide important resources for the public. 3. Council commends the Government Printing Office and partner libraries for the innovative and wide-ranging partnerships that have been forged over the past few years. These service and content partnerships provide examples of good work, experts in new fields, and provide an opportunity for FDLP Libraries to serve both their public and other libraries in new and creative ways. In addition to previously recognized partnerships, Council commends: o University of Central Oklahoma for Browse Topics (Service Partnership) o State University of New York at Buffalo for the Enhanced Shipping List Service(Service Partnership) o Louisiana State University for the List of Federal Agency Internet Sites (Service Partnership) o Library of Michigan's Regional Federal Depository Libraries Pages (Service Partnership) o U.S. Department of State and the University of Illinois at Chicago's Department of State Foreign Affairs Network (DOSFAN)(Content Partnership) o University of North Texas Research Collections a.k.a. the "Cybercemetery" (Content Partnership). 4. Council commends the Government Printing Office for taking a leadership role in developing and implementing a wide range of Web metrics and evaluation methods. These are essential to assuring that GPO Access continues to be as user friendly, useful, and accessible as possible. Action Items 1. Action Item on FDLP Value in the Digital Age Council will send to the new Public Printer appointee a letter welcoming the appointee and articulating the values of the FDLP in the digital age. The letter will emphasize the key role of the FDLP in assuring no-fee public access to Federal Government information and will highlight the defining contribution of the FDLP toward this end. 2. Action Item on Replacement Cost of a Depository Library Collection Council will update the information posted to GOVDOC-L in January 2001 with the latest average cost figures for Government Printing Office sales items and by May 1, 2001 will send the final version to the Government Printing Office for posting on the Depository Library Council Web site. 3. Action Item on Recommendation Number 3 Council will send examples of acceptable options for "select or otherwise make available" to Robin Haun-Mohamed by June 1, 2001.