----------------------------Original message---------------------------- THE FOLLOWING IS BEING POSTED ON GOVDOC-L, MAPS-L, AND LAW-LIB. ----------------------------------------------------------------- | T H E D U P O N T C I R C L E R E P O R T E R | | | | An Informal Newsletter for the Federal | | Depository Library Community | | May 5, 1993 No. 2 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS: * Open Letter to the Depository Community ----------------------------------------------------------------- OPEN LETTER TO THE DEPOSITORY COMMUNITY Dear Colleagues: In two years we will witness the 100-year anniversary of the Printing Act of 1895 -- the law which established the Depository Library Program (DLP) under the U.S. Government Printing Office. Today, however, a new national information infrastructure is rapidly developing. Access to both public and proprietary information is increasingly available in digital, image, and voice formats via networks that too often do not include libraries. Unless bold action is taken soon to ensure the survival of the DLP in the electronic age, there may not be anything left to celebrate in 1995. In the past few months, developments have been unfolding that could have a profound effect on depository libraries. First, there is new leadership in Washington, including a new Vice President who is committed to developing information technology; the office of the Public Printer is in transition, and there is a new chair of the Joint Committee on Printing. Moreover, the new Congress is undertaking a self-study and reexamining the entire Congressional committee structure. And both the Executive and Legislative branches seem committed to cost reductions. Second, several bills currently being considered in Congress directly relate to electronic information and depository libraries. The GPO Access bill (H.R.1328 and S.564) would require the Government Printing Office to provide an online Congressional Record and Federal Register free to depository libraries and at incremental costs of distribution to others. It also permits federal agencies to voluntarily disseminate their electronic publications through the same system. The NREN Implementation bill (S.4) would provide funding for those schools and libraries not yet connected to connect to the Internet/NREN. The Electronic Library bill (S.626) and the High Performance Computing and High Speed Networking Applications bill (H.R.1757) would provide funding for demonstration projects and applications for educational and library use of the Internet/NREN and access to government information. Likewise, bills reauthorizing the Paperwork Reduction Act have been or will be introduced which would impact depository libraries. Further, the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), working under the provisions of the American Technology Preeminence Act of 1991, is moving ahead to gather copies of all government electronic databases and developing a locator system, in addition to the FedWorld bulletin board gateway already being run by NTIS. Third, structural and operational problems with the present Depository Library Program and access to government information have been identified by various groups with proposals for change. The FY 1993 budget crisis at GPO and the resulting cuts in services, titles, and format changes have served to highlight some of these problems. The Depository Library Council has devoted considerable attention to the structure of the DLP and has issued a report, "Alternatives for Restructuring the Depository Library Program." (See also Administrative Notes, 12/15/92). The Government Documents Roundtable (GODORT) of the American Library Association has also been addressing structural and operational concerns of the program. In addition, groups such as the Association of Research Libraries, the Coalition for Networked Information, and the Information Industry Association have suggested alternative models for disseminating government information. All of these efforts are based on the same assumption -- the system developed during the 19th Century in a print-based world will be unable to deliver the kinds of information services required in the 21st Century. At the 1993 ALA Midwinter Conference in Denver, some of these developments began to converge. In his address to the Government Documents Roundtable, Gary Cornwell, chair of the Depository Library Council, voiced concern for the future of the DLP. He spoke of a number of difficulties facing the program and of the inevitability of change (see Administrative Notes, 2/28/93). He called on the depository community to take an active role in determining the future viability of the Depository Library Program. At that same January conference, Julia Wallace, on behalf of ALA/GODORT, received a challenge from the Joint Committee on Printing asking librarians to acknowledge a downward trend in funding and to identify cost-saving alternatives for the program. With the subsequent change in leadership at JCP, the original challenge as it was formed by then-chair Rep. Charlie Rose was no longer in effect. However, the chairs of Council and GODORT jointly decided to take this as an opportunity to begin to examine and reevaluate the mission, goals, and structure of the DLP, in an effort to organize discussion on the future of the depository program. A small independent group of volunteers was put together and charged with the task of getting something down in writing which might serve as the starting point for community-wide discussion of the issues and problems facing the DLP. This group (referred to as the Dupont Circle Group) did extensive background work between January and April, looking at this complex array of issues and the various efforts underway. Their goal was to prepare a draft paper that would be available for discussion at the Federal Depository Conference in April. The group's draft statement on the mission and goals of a depository library program and various scenarios for an effective system for disseminating government information were shared with the librarians gathered at the April conference. These materials were offered as an attempt to begin focused discussion on the issues and to solicit input from the entire depository community. In order to give all depository librarians an opportunity to participate in this process, Regional Depository Libraries and leaders in the various library organizations have been asked to distribute background materials and to coordinate discussion and feedback in their areas. Each of us in the depository community has unique insights and important contributions which are vital to this process. We encourage you to participate in the discussions of these issues and to provide suggestions, reactions, and feedback on the problems and proposals facing the program and the community. Our ultimate goal is to develop a document that articulates the goals, benefits, and structure of an improved depository library program, all the while building support for and strengthening the public's right to government information. In his opening remarks at the Depository Library Conference on April 21, Superintendent of Documents Wayne Kelley said that, in these rapidly changing times, answers are worthless unless you ask the right questions. The draft documents developed by the Dupont Circle Group ask a lot of hard questions. Now we all must work together to find the answers and solutions to ensuring a healthy and meaningful depository system for another century to come. - Dupont Circle Group ***************************************************************** STATE AND LOCAL MEETINGS OF DEPOSITORY LIBRARIANS WILL BE UNDERWAY SOON. FOR INFORMATION ON THE TIME AND PLACE OF THE DISCUSSION MEETING(S) IN YOUR STATE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REGIONAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARIAN OR A DCG MEMBER, * * OR * * VOLUNTEER TO WORK WITH YOUR REGIONAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARY TO HELP PLAN A MEETING IN YOUR AREA TO TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES! ***************************************************************** The members of the Dupont Circle Group are: Gary Cornwell, University of Florida, and Chair, Depository Library Council [log in to unmask] Julia Wallace, University of Minnesota, and Chair, ALA Government Documents Roundtable (GODORT) [log in to unmask] Duncan Aldrich, University of Nevada, Reno [log in to unmask] Tom Andersen, California State Library [log in to unmask] Diane Garner, Harvard University [log in to unmask] Carol Gordon, Milwaukee Public Library [log in to unmask] Steve Hayes, Notre Dame University [log in to unmask] Sally Holterhoff, Valparaiso University School of Law [log in to unmask] Linda Kennedy, University of California, Davis [log in to unmask] Ridley Kessler, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill [log in to unmask] Melissa Lamont, University of Connecticut [log in to unmask] Sandee McAninch, University of Kentucky [log in to unmask] Kay Melvin, Patent and Trademark Office 703-308-4472 Daniel O'Mahony, Brown University [log in to unmask] John Shuler, Colgate University [log in to unmask] Jack Sulzer, Pennsylvania State University [log in to unmask] Susan Tulis, American Association of Law Libraries [log in to unmask] Carol Watts, NOAA/National Envir. Satellite & Data Info. Services [log in to unmask] Dupont Circle Reporter/Number 2/May 5, 1993 ###################################################################