-------- Original Message --------
Subject: FDLP Electronic Collection Plan - Comment Period Extended
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 11:15:11 -0400
From: Etkin, Cynthia L. <[log in to unmask]>
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This message was cross-posted.  Please excuse any duplication.
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Below is a summary of Managing the FDLP Electronic Collection: A Policy and
Planning Document. Development and implementation of this plan will benefit
from public comments.  GPO is seeking comments from the Federal depository
community and from those who rely upon Federal depositories as a source of
information.  So that a broader audience might be reached, please feel free
to share this message with colleagues or forward it to other appropriate
discussion lists.

The comment period has been extended until September 7, 2004.  Comments on
this document may be sent to me, Judy Russell, Superintendent of Documents,
[log in to unmask]



Managing the FDLP Electronic Collection: A Policy and Planning Document, 2nd
ed., June 18, 2004, on GPO Access at
<http://www.gpoaccess.gov/about/reports/ecplan2004rev1.pdf>.

This is the first major revision of the FDLP Electronic Collection plan
since it was originally issued in 1998.  Several themes in this edition are
new and their development will benefit from public comments.  These include:

*       How the FDLP Electronic Collection (FDLP EC) relates to the
Collection of Last Resort.
*       What GPO means by "dark archives" for preservation and access
collections for public use.
*       New category of content in the EC: Digital files created by GPO's
partners, including depository libraries
*       GPO's view of the official status of EC content contributed by
partners.


SYNOPSIS

The FDLP EC provides permanent public access to U.S. Government publications
in digital formats. This edition incorporates advances in the theory,
technology, and practice of managing digital collections, and recognizes the
reality of a program in which over 65% of titles are online, and the
expectation that every title in FDLP will be available in digital format
within five years.  The EC consists of preservation copies in dark archives
and access copies maintained by GPO or its partners in light archives for
the convenience of reference.


NEW ASSUMPTIONS

*       Information included in the FDLP EC is public information published
by an official source, i.e. the publishing agency or other trusted source.
*       GPO will certify EC digital content with varying levels of
authentication dependant upon provenance, chain of custody, and level of
quality assurance in the digitization process.


OFFICIAL STATUS OF EC CONTENT

Information included in the FDLP EC is U.S. Government public information
published by official sources.  While all FDLP EC content is official
information, the level of confidence in individual digital publications can
vary.  GPO provides EC digital content with varying levels of authentication
dependant upon provenance, chain of custody, and level of quality assurance
in or type of output from a legacy digitization process.

In order to be certified as authentic EC digital content must be obtained
from or its data origin verified by the publishing agency.  Typically this
will be born digital content for which GPO has been directly involved in the
publication process.

The next level of certification will be for content obtained from trusted
sources, such as digital publications harvested from publishing agency Web
sites or created from source data files used to create print publications.
Partner institutions creating digital preservation masters in accordance
with accepted program specifications are also trusted sources.

Other EC digital content, for example content derived from print
publications distributed through the FDLP, may be accepted from unofficial
sources such as institutions creating digital access copies that do not
conform to the accepted specifications for preservation masters.  Acceptable
unofficial sources also include non-Governmental Internet archives from
which GPO may obtain a digital access copy.  Low confidence access copies
thus acquired may be replaced with preservation quality files when an
opportunity to do so occurs.



Judy

Judith C. Russell ([log in to unmask])
Managing Director, Information Dissemination (Superintendent of Documents)
U.S. Government Printing Office
Phone: 202-512-0571
Fax: 202-512-1434