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

  

                             ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES

             Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program

                      
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                               November 15, 2001
                                Vol. 22, no. 16
                               (Vol. 22, no. 16)

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                   Public Printer Responds to NTIS Proposal

                                   [Handout]

September 13, 2001

Mr. Walter L. Finch
Associate Director for Business Development
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161

Dear Mr. Finch:

This letter transmits the Government Printing Office's (GPO) comments
regarding Docket No. 010719182-1182-01, RIN 0692-XX08; "Information
Dissemination Activities; New Method of Disseminating and Information
Product," published at page 42631 in the Federal Register, August 14, 2001.
These comments also incorporate the views of the Depository Library Council
to the Public Printer (Council), a body of Government information
professionals and users that advises GPO on the administration of the Federal
Depository Library Program (FDLP) and other information access issues.

As you know, the FDLP is the Nation's oldest public information access
program, and disseminates a wide variety of published U.S. Government
information through the network of over 1,300 depository libraries across the
country. In addition, GPO provides current and ongoing free public access to
Government electronic information for millions of users through our GPO
Access system.

GPO supports the Department of Commerce's initiative to increase access to
Government information without cost to libraries and citizens. GPO has long
been supportive of efforts to increase access to scientific and technical
information (STI) from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
collection. In recent years a limited number of STI products have been made
available electronically to selected depository libraries under the auspices
of an NTIS-GPO partnership.

Concerning the NTIS database, GPO recommends that NTIS make the entire
bibliographic and abstracts database available for no-fee searching rather
than limiting free access to the portion representing "technical reports
entered into its collection since 1997." Providing access to the entire
database free of charge would be a positive step in providing public access
to Government-funded STI reports. GPO further believes that making the entire
NTIS database open to the public will increase sales of paper copies.

GPO also recommends that NTIS make the electronic version of the reports
available for free. Under the proposal the electronic version will only be
available free from the publishing agency. Given the size of the report
files, and NTIS' already low rate of sales for such reports, we do not
believe that such access would have a depressing effect on the sale of hard
copy versions of the reports.

We are also concerned about permanent, no-fee, public access to the reports.
As proposed by NTIS, an electronic file will only be available for free as
long as it is still available online from publishing agency's site. If the
agency opts to take the report down from its online site, an electronic
version will then only be available for a fee from NTIS. If NTIS or the
publishing agency would work with GPO, we could develop a partnership that
would keep this content available to the public at no cost to the user or the
agency. GPO already has a permanent public access program in place, archiving
agency electronic publications for continued no-fee public access. These
measures may involve a partnership with a Government agency, depository
library, or other institution, or utilize GPO's own electronic storage
facility; a capability that is authorized by 44 U.S.C. 4101.

In conclusion, GPO must point out that publishing agencies' and NTIS' own
responsibilities to provide their publications to GPO for inclusion in the
FDLP are in no way altered or diminished by participation in an NTIS free
dissemination effort.

I appreciate the opportunity to comment on this proposal, and I commend NTIS
for a significant first step in expanding no-fee public access to the
Nation's STI resources. If you would like to discuss these comments, please
contact Mr. Francis J. Buckley, Jr., Superintendent of Documents, at
202-512-0571, or by email at fbuckley@gpo.gov.

Sincerely,



MICHAEL F. DiMARIO
Public Printer