The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 program created to make U.S. federal government

Federal government of the United States

The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...

 publications available to the public at no cost. As of June 2008, there are 1,252 depository libraries in the United States and its territories. A "government publication" is defined in the U.S. Code

United States Code

The Code of Laws of the United States of America is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal laws of the United States...

 as “informational matter which is published as an individual document at Government expense, or as required by law” (44 U.S.C.

Title 44 of the United States Code

Title 44 of the United States Code outlines the role of public printing and documents in the United States Code.- Chapters :The title contains 41 chapters:-External links:*, via United States Government Printing Office*, via Cornell University...

 1901).

History

The groundwork for the FDLP was established by an 1813 Congressional Joint Resolution ordering that certain publications be distributed to libraries outside of the federal government. Initially, the librarian of the Library of Congress

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...

 was responsible for running this program, but the responsibility shifted to the Secretary of the Interior

United States Secretary of the Interior

The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...

 in the 1850s.

The Printing Act of 1895 revised public printing laws and established the roles of the FDLP and the Government Printing Office

United States Government Printing Office

The United States Government Printing Office is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, the Executive Office of the President, executive...

 (GPO) in distributing government information. This act also assigned leadership of the program to the Superintendent of Public Documents, who would be under the control of the GPO and added executive documents to the distribution list.

The Depository Library Act of 1962 (DLA) created the present-day FDLP as codified in Title 44, Chapter 19 of the U.S. Code. The DLA allowed two depository libraries in each Congressional district

Congressional district

A congressional district is “a geographical division of a state from which one member of the House of Representatives is elected.”Congressional Districts are made up of three main components, a representative, constituents, and the specific land area that both the representative and the...

, eliminated postage charges to depository libraries receiving material, provided for the distribution of non-GPO documents, permitted independent federal agencies

Independent agencies of the United States government

Independent agencies of the United States federal government are those agencies that exist outside of the federal executive departments...

 to be eligible for depository designation, and created regional depository libraries.

The Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-40), codified in Title 44, Chapter 41 of the U.S. Code, requires the Superintendent of Documents to maintain an electronic directory of federal electronic information, provide online access to the Congressional Record

Congressional Record

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...

, Federal Register

Federal Register

The Federal Register , abbreviated FR, or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains most routine publications and public notices of government agencies...

 and other select publications, and operate an electronic storage facility. The electronic service now includes over 2,200 databases and is available via GPO Access (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/).

Structure

The Government Printing Office (GPO) is responsible for printing and distributing government documents and overseeing the FDLP. There are several important individuals in charge of maintaining the link between GPO and the FDLP:

• The Public Printer is responsible for overseeing the FDLP and for designating certain depository libraries. His nomination
  Nomination
  Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
  
   must be approved by the Joint Committee on Printing.
• The Superintendent of Documents is responsible for monitoring policy creation and the operations of the FDLP. He may designate depository libraries, and he supervises the GPO sales program. The Superintendent may also ask depository libraries to destroy a certain publication to or return it to the GPO.
• The Director of Library Services and Content Management (LSCM) is responsible for staffing the FDLP and for providing interested parties with up-to-date communications.
• The Depository Library Council to the Public Printer (DLC) was created in 1972 and serves as an advisory committee to the Public Printer and the Superintendent of Documents. The DLC addresses such issues as improving public access, optimizing resources, indexing and classification, format, storage and administration. The Council consists of fifteen members who are appointed by the Public Printer, and they serve three year terms, with five members retiring and five new members stepping in each year. The Council meets at least twice per year.

Types of depository libraries

There are two types of depository libraries:

1. Regional depository library. Each state may have a maximum of two regional libraries, though most states have one. It is the responsibility of regional libraries to retain a copy of all government publications received and provide services such as interlibrary loan and reference to selective depository libraries it serves. Regional libraries must also assist selective libraries in disposing of unwanted items. The majority of regional depository libraries are academic institutions. As of 2008, there are 52 regional depository libraries, with six states being served by regional libraries in other states. Wyoming and Alaska are not served by a regional library.
2. Selective depository library. There may only be two selective depositories per Congressional district; there may be more only in the event that a Congressional district has been reconfigured after a decennial census
   United States Census
   The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
   
   . Selective depositories choose to receive certain classes of documents from the government, which are chosen from the List of Classes. Selective libraries choose materials which will best serve their clientele.

Attaining FDLP status

There are two ways in which a library may qualify for FDLP status:

1. Each member of Congress may delegate two qualified libraries if his or her district is not already being adequately served by a depository library. The governor of American Samoa and the governor of Guam may each designate one library if vacancies exist. The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands may designate two libraries if vacancies exist (one each for Saint Thomas
   Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
   Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
   
    and Saint Croix
   Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
   Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly the Danish West Indies, they were sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of...
   
   ). The mayor of the District of Columbia
   Mayor of the District of Columbia
   The Mayor of the District of Columbia is the head of the executive branch of the government of Washington, D.C. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Council of the District of Columbia...
   
    may also designate two libraries if vacancies exist.
2. A library may be given FDLP status via "by-law designations" (Title 44 of the U.S. Code). Any library that meets the following criteria automatically qualifies for FDLP status:
   1. Land-grant colleges and universities (44 U.S.C. 1906)
   2. Libraries of federal agencies, i.e. executive departments
      United States Federal Executive Departments
      The United States federal executive departments are among the oldest primary units of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States—the Departments of State, War, and the Treasury all being established within a few weeks of each other in 1789.Federal executive...
      
      , service academies, independent agencies (44 U.S.C. 1907)
   3. Highest appellate court
      State supreme court
      In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the state court system ....
      
       of a state (44 U.S.C. 1915)
   4. Accredited law schools (44 U.S.C. 1916)

Responsibilities and maintaining depository status

Libraries with depository status are required to provide the documents received at no cost to their patrons. Though they receive the publications free of charge, depository libraries are responsible for the costs of processing the items and making them available. All depository libraries must make their collections of these documents available to the general public, and the services provided for government documents must be on par with the services offered to the primary users of a library. Circulation policies for government documents, however, are established by each library itself. Libraries may house the materials however they like; for example, they may separate the government documents from the rest of their collection or they may integrate them. A library cannot filter

Content-control software

Content-control software, also known as censorware or web filtering software, is a term for software designed and optimized for controlling what content is permitted to a reader, especially when it is used to restrict material delivered over the Web...

 Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 search results at public access stations as access to health or biological science articles may be infringed upon.

Depository libraries must maintain collections of at least 10,000 book

Book

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...

s, not including the collection of government documents. A depository library may voluntarily resign from its position as a depository library, or it may be stripped of its depository status by the Superintendent of Documents if it does not carry out its responsibilities as enumerated in the U.S. Code. In either case, the library must properly dispose of the government documents it acquired while part of the program as these publications are the property of the U.S. Government. The documents would generally be returned to the state regional library and then redistributed to selected libraries within the state.

FDLP collections

Libraries are required to maintain a series of titles known as the FDLP Basic Collection. Beyond this, libraries order the materials that best suit the needs of their patrons; there is no selection percentage criterion that must be met. The FDLP offers the opportunity to order several kinds of material for libraries’ collections, including maps, Braille, large print documents, foreign language items, and audio.

Core Collection

The Core Collection was established in 1977. Every depository library is required to have certain publications available for use. These include, among others:

• Budget of the United States Government
• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
• Code of Federal Regulations
  Code of Federal Regulations
  The Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States.The CFR is published by the Office of the Federal Register, an agency...
  
  
• Congressional Directory
  Official Congressional Directory
  The Official Congressional Directory is the official directory of the United State Congress, prepared by the Joint Committee on Printing and published by the United States Government Printing Office since 1888...
  
  
• Congressional Record
  Congressional Record
  The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
  
   (daily)
• Federal Register
  Federal Register
  The Federal Register , abbreviated FR, or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains most routine publications and public notices of government agencies...
  
   (daily)
• Statistical Abstract of the United States
  Statistical Abstract of the United States
  The Statistical Abstract of the United States is a publication of the United States Census Bureau, an agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
  
  
• United States Code
  United States Code
  The Code of Laws of the United States of America is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal laws of the United States...
  
  

Selecting items

Libraries select the documents they wish to receive from the List of Classes of United States Government Publications Available for Selection by Depository Libraries and the Union List of Item Selections. This is a document listing all of the classes of items available for selection through the program and their associated item numbers. Each item with an item number is available through the FDLP program. Because of the large amount of documents published by the government each year, the documents are arranged into categories of related classes from which to choose. By selecting a class, the library receives all of the documents within that class. A selection can only be added during the annual update cycle, occurring during June or July, and these changes take effect on October 1. The Union List of Item Selections updates the titles in the List of Classes on a semiannual basis.

Deselecting items

Unlike adding items, selections may be removed at any time; the library stops receiving the documents within 72 hours.

Retention of documents

Depository libraries must keep government documents in their collections for five years minimum, after which time the item can be removed from the collection but only with the approval of the regional library. Items marked for disposal must be offered first to the regional, then to other depository libraries (44 U.S.C.

Title 44 of the United States Code

Title 44 of the United States Code outlines the role of public printing and documents in the United States Code.- Chapters :The title contains 41 chapters:-External links:*, via United States Government Printing Office*, via Cornell University...

 1912). All depository libraries, including regional libraries, may dispose of items that have been superseded or issued later in bound form (44 U.S.C. 1911). If an item has been deselected, the library must still retain the publications it possesses from that item number for five years before it can be disposed of. Libraries cannot benefit financially from the disposal of a record.

Documents approved for disposal are available via the Needs & Offers list.

Electronic documents

After 1996, government publications increasingly shifted to online formats; in addition, most Federal publications now originate online. Regional libraries still continue to collect information in a wide variety of formats, but nowadays many government documents are published exclusively online. Electronic documents positively impact issues such as storage, length of retention, and access, which can be enhanced with library networking.

Libraries may substitute electronic documents for tangible documents as the only copy of the item in the collection, long as the electronic document is complete, official, and permanently accessible. Access to electronic documents is provided through Persistent Uniform Resources Locators

Persistent Uniform Resource Locator

A persistent uniform resource locator is a Uniform Resource Locator that is used to redirect to the location of the requested Web resource. PURLs redirect HTTP clients using HTTP status codes...

(PURL) and is facilitated by GPO Access and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP).

GPO Access is currently undergoing a renovation and will eventually become FDsys (GPO’s Federal Digital System), which will allow digital information to be handled more effectively and will help GPO manage documents from all branches of the Federal government. Main goals for the system are to allow Congress and Federal agencies to submit requests for publications online, manage version control and authentic government information, and provide for the preservation of Federal information through future technological changes.

Recently, federal agencies have been bypassing the GPO in lieu of publishing documents directly online. These documents, known as “fugitive documents,” are not published through GPO, and hence are not part of the FDLP program.

External links

Essential titles list: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/estitles.html

List of Classes: http://fedbbs.access.gpo.gov/library/class/listclas.txt

List of Classes: http://www.fdlp.gov/component/weblinks/67-gpoaccess/74-list-of-classes

Locate a federal depository library: http://catalog.gpo.gov/fdlpdir/FDLPdir.jsp

N&O List: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/needs_of/index.html

U.S. Government Printing Office: Working with Libraries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRSalwvVSnA