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THE FOLLOWING IS BEING POSTED ON GOVDOC-L, MAPS-L, AND LAW-LIB.
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| 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 |
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CONTENTS: * Open Letter to the Depository Community
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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
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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!
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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
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