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This article was downloaded by: [Stony Brook University] On: 30 October 2014, At: 09:37 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK The Reference Librarian Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wref20 The Depository Library Community and Collaborative Participation in E-Government Melody Specht Kelly a & Cathy Nelson Hartman b a School of Library and Information Science , USA b Digital Projects Department , Texas Center for Digital Knowledge both at the University of North Texas , Denton, TX, USA Published online: 20 Oct 2008. To cite this article: Melody Specht Kelly & Cathy Nelson Hartman (2006) The Depository Library Community and Collaborative Participation in E-Government, The Reference Librarian, 45:94, 19-32, DOI: 10.1300/J120v45n94_03 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J120v45n94_03 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.

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Page 1: The Depository Library Community and Collaborative Participation in E-Government

This article was downloaded by: [Stony Brook University]On: 30 October 2014, At: 09:37Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK

The Reference LibrarianPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wref20

The Depository LibraryCommunity and CollaborativeParticipation in E-GovernmentMelody Specht Kelly a & Cathy Nelson Hartman ba School of Library and Information Science , USAb Digital Projects Department , Texas Center forDigital Knowledge both at the University of NorthTexas , Denton, TX, USAPublished online: 20 Oct 2008.

To cite this article: Melody Specht Kelly & Cathy Nelson Hartman (2006) TheDepository Library Community and Collaborative Participation in E-Government, TheReference Librarian, 45:94, 19-32, DOI: 10.1300/J120v45n94_03

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J120v45n94_03

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all theinformation (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform.However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness,or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and viewsexpressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of theContent should not be relied upon and should be independently verified withprimary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for anylosses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages,and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of theContent.

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This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes.Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan,sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone isexpressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found athttp://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

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The Depository Library Communityand Collaborative Participation

in E-Government:AskUS (FDLP Librarians)

and We Will Answer!Melody Specht Kelly

Cathy Nelson Hartman

SUMMARY. The continuation of the Federal Depository Library Pro-gram’s historic information dissemination, access, and preservationroles are now dependent upon multi-agency e-government collabora-tion. The collections and research expertise of Federal Depository librar-ies are the critical features missing in current e-government servicemodels. The authors propose that the public service and resource discov-ery features now available at FDLP libraries be coordinated nationallyvia an AskUS-FDLP Library Portal. [Article copies available for a fee fromThe Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address:<[email protected]> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com>© 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]

Melody Specht Kelly is Associate Dean and Adjunct Professor, School of Libraryand Information Science (E-mail: [email protected]); and Cathy NelsonHartman is Head, Digital Projects Department, and Associate Fellow, Texas Center forDigital Knowledge (E-mail: [email protected]), both at the University ofNorth Texas, Denton, TX.

[Haworth co-indexing entry note]: “The Depository Library Community and Collaborative Participationin E-Government: AskUS (FDLP Librarians) and We Will Answer!” Kelly, Melody Specht, and Cathy Nel-son Hartman. Co-published simultaneously in The Reference Librarian (The Haworth Information Press, animprint of The Haworth Press, Inc.) No. 94, 2006, pp. 19-32; and: The Changing Face of Government Infor-mation: Providing Access in the Twenty-First Century (ed: Suhasini L. Kumar) The Haworth InformationPress, an imprint of The Haworth Press, Inc., 2006, pp. 19-32. Single or multiple copies of this article areavailable for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service [1-800-HAWORTH, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.(EST). E-mail address: [email protected]].

Available online at http://www.haworthpress.com/web/REF© 2006 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1300/J120v45n94_03 19

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KEYWORDS. Federal Depository Library Program, future, Internetportal, Ask a Librarian

INTRODUCTION

This article examines the federal Executive Branch and Congressionalvision of e-government and the role of the Government Printing Office’s(GPO) Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) to demonstrate howthe FDLP can effectively participate in existing e-government initiatives.The continuation of the FDLP’s historic information dissemination,access, and preservation roles is now dependent upon multi-agencye-government collaboration. The collections and research expertise re-siding in Federal Depository libraries are the critical features missing incurrent e-government service models. The authors propose that the pub-lic service and resource discovery features now available at FDLP li-braries be coordinated nationally via an AskUS-FDLP Library Portal.The AskUS Portal would include an enhanced FDLP participant direc-tory, interactive e-mail reference, chat services, and a searchable data-base to enable discovery of locally digitized collections. To encourageparticipation and collaboration, the active involvement of professionalorganizations such as the American Library Association’s GovernmentDocuments Round Table and the American Association of Law Librari-ans is important to the success of an AskUS Portal. The authors alsopropose that these enhanced services be integrated into the “Ask a Li-brarian” feature offered by FirstGov.gov and the Library of Congress.Furthermore, the authors encourage the Depository Library communityto form collaborative partnerships to digitize historical documents col-lections for discovery through the AskUS Portal.

BACKGROUND

Stakeholders within the Federal Depository Library Program envi-sioned the future of federal government information during the spring2003 meeting of the Depository Library Council. In the summary of thisendeavor, Council members outlined a vision for the future FDLP. Theynoted the following elements:

• “The Government Printing Office [GPO], in partnership with fed-eral depository libraries, meets the needs of the public for no-feeaccess to official government information;

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• The new era of partnership between GPO and federal depositorylibraries should retain the best aspects of the existing system whileincorporating new technologies and services to provide a higherdegree of dispersion of government information to the public;

• A more flexible internal organizational structure for FDLP mustbe developed to meet institutional missions of partner libraries [forexample: flexibility would allow different institutions to focus onelectronic collections only or to share the normal Regional Libraryservices when institutional missions limit full participation];

• GPO should become an aggregator for federal information;• Partner libraries should become facilitators in the federal informa-

tion dissemination process rather than repositories of printed gov-ernment publications; and

• The traditional library role of facilitator to no-fee public access tofederal information remains key.”1

The group also envisioned that GPO would:

• “Expand its partnerships with the Library of Congress, the Na-tional Archives and Records Administration, and other federalagencies that can help it achieve its goals in the centralized man-agement of federal government information;

• Explore information product development that is focused on value-added services [such as enhanced no-fee GPO Access databasessearching features];

• Provide services for varied communities of users; and• Focus on marketing and training the use of government informa-

tion services.”2

For these stakeholders, the role of FDLP libraries is that of ServiceProviders and Facilitators who share knowledge about information ser-vices with government agencies and the public.3 But it remains for thoseindividuals concerned with free and open access to government infor-mation to translate the principles, not the outdated methods of the tradi-tional FDLP libraries, into a new Service Provider/Facilitator Role.

The challenge is how to incorporate this collective FDLP Libraries’Service Provider/Facilitator Role within the broader context of existinge-government information initiatives. Success will require the accep-tance by both GPO and its potential partners of the reality that no onegovernment agency, publisher, or service provider can achieve the goalof broader access to government information by acting alone. Public

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managers and elected officials seek to build and sustain a process thatensures fairness, accountability, privacy, security, and efficiency, aswell as preservation of the public record.4

It is evident from The Information Dissemination Annual Report,Fiscal Year 2003 that GPO and the Superintendent of Documents arewell aware of these realities. The Annual Report highlighted theprogress made in the transition to a more electronic Federal Deposi-tory Library Program and that “. . . the Information Disseminationorganization [Superintendent of Documents] joined or increased par-ticipation in a number of significant groups during FY2003” to betterposition themselves to “assume a leadership role in the information in-dustry.”5 The Superintendent of Documents now participates in theBook Industry Study Group (http://www.bisg.org/) which sets industrystandards and the National Information Standards Organization (NISO)(http://www.niso.org/) which engages in interagency work on elec-tronic resource management, digital reference services, performancemeasures/statistics for libraries, reference linking, controlled vocabu-laries and thesauri, interoperability, best practices for electronic jour-nals, and scientific and technical reports.6

In the Annual Report, the Superintendent of Documents also reportedprogress on three important initiatives. First, the implementation of aPublic Key Infrastructure to allow the use of digital signatures ensuringthe protection of publication data against unauthorized modification andguaranteeing authenticity of information downloaded from GPO Access.Secondly, GPO signed an agreement with the National Archives andRecords Administration (NARA) to become an official archival affiliate,which now makes GPO Access databases official information archivesand allows GPO to continue permanent public access of the contents.Thirdly, a draft collection plan was prepared which establishes a PublicInformation Collection (print and digital) that will become the collec-tion of last resort for all Federal Depository Libraries. Progress was alsomade on an Integrated Library System procurement to create and main-tain bibliographic information, and GPO partnered in the creation ofRegulation.gov, the online rulemaking initiative.7

Librarians from the last century understood the essential element re-quired in working with the publishers to ensure future access. They em-bedded their bibliographic structures into the process of publishing andediting. Their success resulted in the standard Twentieth-Century bib-liographic resources we came to rely upon for cataloging and indexing.GPO has worked aggressively to bridge the chasm that divides the Ex-ecutive and Legislative Branches to create a cooperative system that

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will embed structures for bibliographic organization, access, and pres-ervation to ensure free, permanent public access to government publi-cations.

Significantly, GPO reached an agreement for a pilot project with theOffice of Management and Budget (OMB) that allows GPO to coordi-nate contracting for Executive Branch printing under Title 44 of theU.S. Code. Under the agreement GPO will receive two print copies andone electronic copy of each publication, thus ensuring bibliographiccontrol and public dissemination.8 The importance of the pilot projectand its successful completion can not be overstated. A continuationand expansion of this agreement to include all federal agencies wouldensure that GPO and the FDLP could continue their historic missionsof organization, dissemination, access, and preservation of govern-ment information within the current Executive Branch Citizen-Cen-tered E-government environment.

THE VISION OF CITIZEN-CENTEREDE-GOVERNMENT SERVICES

E-Government services trace their beginnings to the early years ofthe Clinton Administration with the implementation of a few agencyWeb sites. Then with an Executive Memorandum issued December1999, President Clinton directed agencies to receive and respond to citi-zens via e-mail. This was followed six months later on June 24, 2000with the announcement of FirstGov.gov (www.firstgov.gov) as a singleInternet portal to government agencies. President Clinton promised thatFirstGov.gov, a project of the President’s Management Council, admin-istered by the General Services Administration and cooperatively spon-sored with private partnerships, would allow users to search all 27million federal agency Web pages at one time. The FirstGov.gov portalwas a premiere initiative of the Clinton Administration’s ReinventingGovernment and Access America e-government visions.

Taking advantage of technology advances, the Bush Administrationannounced in 2002 that FirstGov.gov would be re-launched as an inter-active site to not only link citizens with government agencies but alsoprovide improved government services and referrals. Included on theFirstGov.gov site are direct links to Federal Executive, Legislative,and Judicial agencies as well as states, local government, and tribal au-thorities. Visitors may search by broad topic or browse sites designedfor specific functions, governmental programs or audiences, including

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searching the database (http://draco.aspensys.com/fcic/public/searchpub.htm) used by the Federal Consumer Information Center (FCIC) person-nel to answer direct inquiries.

To achieve this redesign of FirstGov.gov and upgrade customer ser-vices, it was necessary for the General Services Administration to firstcombine three existing citizen information programs–the National Con-tact Center (1-800-FED-INFO); FirstGov.gov; and Publications OrderFulfillment (better known as the Federal Consumer Information Centerof Pueblo CO) under the Office of Citizen Services and Communica-tions (OCSC). Then in July 2003, the OCSC announced the creation ofUSA Services as the new centerpiece of Citizen-Centered Governmentand the umbrella for FirstGov.gov and the other OCSC customer ser-vice programs. USA Services pledged to provide citizens with re-sponses to all Internet, e-mail, and telephone inquiries within twobusiness days or less. Under the USA Services program, federal agen-cies are encouraged to form partnerships to utilize personnel in the Fed-eral Citizen Information Center who are trained to manage customerinquiries using the Searchable Knowledgebase (http://draco.aspensys.com/fcic/public/searchpub.htm).

During a pilot project with the Interior Department’s Fish and Wild-life Services, FCIC staff answered approximately 95 percent of thequestions referring the remainder back to Fish and Wildlife. Currentlytwelve agencies have signed agreements with USA Services.9

These improvements to FirstGov.gov and the creation of USA Ser-vices implement the Congressional vision of e-government (PublicLaw 107-347, the E-Government Act of 2002) as one of interagencycooperation–an improvement of government performance and out-comes within and across agencies. Under the mission of USA Services,FirstGov.gov is a leader in the Office of Management and Budget’se-government strategy to simplify the delivery of services to citizens10

and meet President Bush’s primary goals to expand e-government to:

• Make it easy for citizens to obtain services and interact with thefederal government;

• Improve government efficiency and effectiveness; and• Improve government’s responsiveness to citizens.11

Are FirstGov.gov and USA Services fielding inquiries successfully?Peter Meyers of the Wall Street Journal endeavored to evaluate theirservices and reported his findings in his column “Personal Finance–Cranky Consumer: Trying to Reach Uncle Sam by E-mail.” Summa-

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rizing his experience posing a half-dozen questions ranging from taxdeductions, disease statistics by city, and travel restrictions, Meyerscomplimented the speedy responses he received to his inquiries, butnoted that the strength of the service is in finding information “buried onother agencies’ Web sites” rather than answering questions that mixedfederal, state, or city issues. When Meyers contacted the agency aspokeswoman responded that “. . . its answer was sufficient since theirrepresentatives aren’t researchers but rather guides to other agencies.”12

This last comment clearly identifies a future role for librarians andother information professionals in the e-government future of FirstGov.gov. Because the vision of FirstGov.gov’s Citizen-Centered E-govern-ment Services is anchored to specific government programs and Websites, this e-government vision does not duplicate the existing ServiceProvider/Facilitator Role already performed by the Federal Deposi-tory Library Program participants. Among these services are: qualityresearch assistance across geographic and governmental agencies,one-on-one information literacy instruction, specialized digital collec-tions, and the ability to assist users to place information within an his-torical context.

AN FDLP LIBRARIES’ SERVICES GATEWAY–THE AskUS PORTAL

“USA Services, and its FirstGov.gov, is the official multi-channelfront door to federal information and services for citizens offering a sin-gle point of contact where information for all federal agencies can be re-fined, consolidated and disseminated.”13 Therefore, to bring the FDLPinto this cooperative e-government vision, the Service Provider/Facili-tator role of the FDLP librarians and their library collections must beplaced in a prominent position within the FirstGov.gov referral system.

Currently “Libraries” are listed on the FirstGov.gov site under thesidebar “Reference Center” menu along with such categories as “Ab-breviations and Acronyms,” “Contacts and Directories,” “Data andStatistics, etc.” Under the “Libraries” heading are links to the Libraryof Congress’s (LC) “Ask a Librarian” feature (http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/), FDLP’s “Locate a Federal Depository Library” directory(http://www.gpoaccess.gov/libraries.html), and links to specific federallibraries along with directories for public and state libraries. Other thanthe LC’s “Ask a Librarian” link, no direct interactive library servicesare offered and this is an obvious void in FirstGov.gov’s ability to actu-

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ally be the official multi-channel front door to federal information andservices for citizens.

Individually, the members of the Depository Library community al-ready bring skilled research expertise to their local clientele and to theworld through online reference forms and e-mail. Yet our “MotherShip,” GPO, has not harnessed this collective wisdom and energy to ad-vantage. The FDLP community remains a hidden talent buried on locallibrary Web sites. The FDLP librarians comprise an important resourcenow missing in the current Executive Branch Citizen-Centered E-Gov-ernment Vision. GPO can change this by expanding the concept ofFDLP Library Partnerships to include interactive reference and re-search discovery services and then reach out to other agencies.

The GPO, supported by creative and organizational Partnershipswith the FDLP library community, the American Library Association’sGovernment Documents Round Table, and the American Associationof Law Libraries must fill this identified “Cooperative Service Pro-vider/Facilitator” void by first restructuring and then redesigning the li-brary services featured on its GPO Access Web site (http://www.access.gpo.gov) to become a true FDLP Library Services Gateway–theAskUS Portal.

This AskUS Portal must include an “Ask a Librarian” feature–AskFDLP Librarians offering first, e-mail reference services by geographicarea and/or subject expertise, and later, an online chat service bytime-zone/region/state. To support the Ask FDLP Librarians’ services,the current “Locate a Federal Depository Library” directory databaseshould be redesigned to enable the user to not only locate a local library,but identify specific reference and collection strengths and then pose aquestion to a specific library or group of libraries. Responses to ques-tions provided by librarians could be included in the “knowledge base”that GPO is creating as a resource for librarians and other users.

Having established an Ask FDLP Librarians service, GPO shouldexplore a partnership with the Library of Congress (LC) that will en-hance the existing “Ask a Librarian” service via the FirstGov.gov Ref-erence menu to include the new Ask FDLP Librarians service; workwith LC to bring these services to a more prominent position on theFirstGov.gov site; and with the assistance of ALA GODORT andAALL take the lead in cooperating with such statewide reference initia-tives such as the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries LegalReference, AskaLibarian: UK’s Electronic Reference Library, the Cal-ifornia State Libraries’ 24/7 Reference, AskColorado, AskFlorida, and

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the nascent AskTexas project. These services parallel the state and localgovernment links already available on FirstGov.gov.

INFORMATION RESOURCES TO SUPPORTTHE AskUS PORTAL E-GOVERNMENT VISION

In addition to the online Government Publications Catalog (MoCat),GPO Access databases, and other online finding aids, an “access ele-ment” for the AskUS Portal should be created to support resource dis-covery for born digital and digitized copies of government publicationson FDLP Libraries’ servers. The Portal would then bring centralized ac-cess to the primary resources that document America’s heritage and cul-ture by providing broadcast searching of born digital and digitizedfederal documents collections in depository libraries.

Depository libraries hold the most extensive record of U.S. historicalpublications intended for public use, positioning them uniquely to con-tinue with the creation of digital copies of these historical publications.FDLP libraries around the country began digitizing their collectionsseveral years ago, now resulting in a significant, combined Internet re-source for the public. However, at this point, the user must searchbroadly across the Web to determine if the needed resource is digitizedand available. The AskUS Portal would bring centralized access tothese disbursed collections for search and retrieval by users, a majorbenefit for the public and for librarians providing reference services.The Portal should also link these resources to the digital collectionssponsored by the Library of Congress, the Institute of Museum and Li-brary Services (IMLS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), andother government agencies that assist with funding for digitization ofhistorical, government information collections.

Furthermore, FDLP librarians concerned about continued local ac-cess to electronically published government information often chooseto build their own electronic collections of publications considered im-portant for local users. Sophisticated software that harvests publicationsfrom Web sites is commercially available and enables libraries to selectand capture publications, store them locally, and provide access to themon their servers. These collections should also be indexed by the AskUSPortal. This local collection development activity for born digital publi-cations, in combination with the digitized historical collections, wouldstrongly supplement the already existing FDLP Electronic Collection14

hosted by GPO.

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SUCCESSFUL INFORMATION ACCESS SERVICEDEPENDS UPON COLLABORATION

The success of an access service on the AskUS Portal to search andretrieve both born digital and digitized historical publications fromFDLP servers depends on strong collaborative relations among theFDLP libraries, professional organizations such as ALA GODORT andAALL, GPO and other federal agencies. Together, these stakeholdersmust digitize collections that compliment rather than duplicate, createproject standards that ensure interoperability, address issues of authen-ticity, and plan for long-term preservation.

Projects to digitize historical collections of government publicationsincur significant costs for institutions. To maximize the number of pub-lications made available to the public for the costs incurred, duplicationof effort must be minimized. In 2000, the American Library Association(ALA) Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) membersshowed strong interest in digitization of government publications andpossible collaborative projects by charging an ad hoc committee to in-vestigate these issues. The Ad Hoc Committee on Digitization of Gov-ernment Information presented its report to the GODORT SteeringCommittee at the ALA Annual Conference in 2002. Recognizing thehigh level of interest expressed by many in the depository library com-munity, the Ad Hoc Committee report recommended that GODORTtake a leadership role in organizing collaborative projects to digitizelarge collections of government publications.15 GODORT is the appro-priate group to spearhead collaborative efforts because of its nationalmembership and long-held relationship with GPO and other federalagencies.

The Ad Hoc Committee report recommended that GODORT create aclearinghouse for digitization projects involving government publica-tions, including international, federal, state, and local government pub-lications. Institutions could register their projects so others would knowthat digitization of specific publications or series was in progress. Theclearinghouse would also allow institutions to find collaborators for proj-ects.16 The Ad Hoc Committee launched the clearinghouse in 2002 andturned over responsibility for its continuing operation to GODORT’sGovernment Information Technology Committee (GITCO). At the 2004ALA Midwinter meeting, GITCO began exploring ways to move thisclearinghouse to GPO to broaden its impact and to increase the level ofparticipation by including federally funded projects.

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Moreover, GODORT’s GITCO, in collaboration with GPO, is uniquelysituated to play a leadership role in bringing the stakeholders together tocreate project specifications to enable interoperability and support suc-cessful search and retrieval of government publications stored on manyFDLP library servers. Well-defined project specifications could alsoease concerns about authenticity of electronic copies of governmentpublications and facilitate planning efforts for the long-term preserva-tion of the digital copies.

CONCLUSION

As 2004 begins, a defining moment is at hand for the GovernmentPrinting Office (GPO), the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP)libraries, the American Library Association’s Government DocumentsRound Table (ALA GODORT), the American Association of Law Li-braries (AALL), and other institutional stakeholders concerned with thefuture preservation of free and open, permanent public access to gov-ernment information. Together these groups must seize the opportunitynow available to clearly define the future role of the FDLP and its part-ners within an e-government environment. Unless we agree to work co-operatively and extend this cooperation to the Executive Branch, theeffectiveness of our efforts will be limited and the FDLP may graduallybecome an anachronistic program consisting of legacy collections. Therich knowledge base currently residing with experienced FDLP librari-ans will be lost as these professionals retire or move into other special-izations.

In the past, cooperation across the Legislative and Executive Branchhas come at a territorial price and the perceived and/or actual loss ofcontrol and funding sources. The creation of an FDLP libraries’ AskUSPortal linked to Firstgov.gov and other Executive Branch e-governmentservice initiatives does not pose the same risks. On the contrary, theAskUS Portal will bring to the forefront the long hidden FDLP’s librari-ans’ Service Provider/Facilitator role and the FDLP libraries’ valuableResearch and Digital Collection Services. Included in the AskUS Portalwill be:

• Ask FDLP Librarians–enhanced directory, e-mail, reference forms,and chat services organized by geography, time zones, and spe-cializations. Involve FDLP librarians, GPO, ALA-GODORT, and

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AALL and partner with the Library of Congress, Firstgov.gov, andother agency portals in their Ask a Librarian services.

• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (MoCat), GPO Accessdatabases, and other finding aids–located within the FDLP Librar-ies’ AskUS Portal these resources will then be visually connectedto the Ask FDLP Librarians’ feature and facilitate one-on-one in-struction and reference services.

• Search Across FDLP Libraries’ Digital Collections–centralizedaccess to the primary resources that document America’s heritageand culture now scattered across numerous individual FDLP li-braries.

• Facilitate the digitization of collections that compliment ratherthan duplicate–work cooperatively with funding sources, the Li-brary of Congress, the Institute of Museum and Library Services(IMLS), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

• Create digital project specifications that ensure interoperability,address issues of authenticity, and plan for long-term preservationthat meet international norms.

Our time is short to make an AskUS Portal a reality. We must set asidepast differences and embrace our cooperative e-government future.

NOTES

1. Depository Library Council. Envisioning the Future of Federal Government In-formation: Summary of the Spring 2003 Meeting of the Depository Library Council tothe Public Printer. [Online] Available: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/council/EnvisioningtheFuture.html.

2. Depository Library Council.3. Depository Library Council.4. Shuler, John A. “Libraries and Government Information: The Past Is Not Nec-

essarily Prologue.” Government Information Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 1, 2002: 1.5. U.S. Government Printing Office. “Information Dissemination Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2003.” Administrative Notes, vol. 24, no. 12, October 2003: 3.6. U.S. Government Printing Office: 3-5.7. U.S. Government Printing Office: 7-8.8. Russell, Judith C. “The Federal Depository Library Program: Current and Fu-

ture Challenges of the Electronic Transition.” Administrative Notes, vol. 24, no. 9, July15, 2003: 18-19.

9. Hardy, Michael. “GSA Launches Citizen Information Services.” Federal Com-puter Week, August 4, 2003. [Online] Available: http://www.fcw.com.

30 The Changing Face of Government Information

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10. Forman, M. A. E-government strategy, implementing the president’s manage-ment agenda for e-government-simplified delivery of services to citizens. Washington,D.C.: Office of Management and Budget, 2002: 1.

11. Forman: 1.12. Meyers, Peter. “Personal Finance–Cranky Consumer: Trying to Reach Uncle

Sam by E-Mail.” Wall Street Journal (Easter Edition), August 12, 2003: D2.13. PRNewswire. “GSA Launches USA Services.” EETimes: The Industry Source

for Engineers & Technical Managers Worldwide, July 30, 2003. [Online] Available:http://www.eetimes.com/story/90720.

14. Federal Depository Library Program, U.S. Government Printing Office. Man-aging the FDLP electronic collection: A policy and planning document at GPO. Wash-ington, D.C.: GPO. [Online] Available: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/ecplan.html.

15. Hartman, C. N., ed. Report: Digitization of government information. Chicago:American Library Association, Government Documents Round Table, Ad Hoc Com-mittee on Digitization of Government Information. [Online] Available: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/GODORT/dgi/report.pdf: 7-9.

16. Hartman, 8.

REFERENCES

Depository Library Council. Envisioning the Future of Federal Government Informa-tion: Summary of the Spring 2003 Meeting of the Depository Library Council to thePublic Printer. [Online] Available: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/council/EnvisioningtheFuture.html.

Federal Depository Library Program, U.S. Government Printing Office. Managing theFDLP electronic collection: A policy and planning document at GPO. Washington,D.C.: GPO. [Online] Available: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/ecplan.html.

Forman, M. A. E-government strategy, implementing the president’s managementagenda for e-government–simplified delivery of services to citizens. Washington,D.C.: Office of Management and Budget, 2002.

Hardy, Michael. “GSA launches citizen information services.” Federal ComputerWeek, August 4, 2003. [Online] Available: http://www.fcw.com.

Hartman, C. N., ed. Report: Digitization of government information. Chicago: Ameri-can Library Association, Government Documents Round Table, Ad Hoc Commit-tee on Digitization of Government Information. [Online] Available: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/GODORT/dgi/report.pdf.

Meyers, Peter. “Personal Finance–Cranky Consumer: Trying to Reach Uncle Sam byE-Mail.” Wall Street Journal (Easter Edition), August 12, 2003: D2.

PRNewswire. “GSA Launches USA Services.” EETimes: The Industry Source for En-gineers & Technical Managers Worldwide, July 30, 2003. [Online] Available:http://www.eetimes.com/story/90720.

Russell, Judith C. “The Federal Depository Library Program: Current and Future Chal-lenges of the Electronic Transition.” Administrative Notes, vol. 24, no. 9, July 15,2003: 16-24.

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Shuler, John A. “Libraries and Government Information: The Past Is Not NecessarilyPrologue.” Government Information Quarterly, vol. 19, no. 1, 2002: 1-7.

U.S. Government Printing Office. “Information Dissemination Annual Report FiscalYear 2003.” Administrative Notes, vol. 24, no. 12, October 2003: 3-9.

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