GPO general counsel visits library
Photo by Lane McLaughlin November 15, 2016
Drew Spalding learns what depository libraries need to provide access to public information
Drew Spalding, general counsel of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO), visited the Morris Library on Friday, Oct. 28, and met library staff and administrators relating to the library’s participation in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP).
Spalding’s visit was “reflective of the commitment his agency director, Davita Vance-Cooks, has for the depository library program.”
The FDLP has provided free access to federal government information to the public in partnership with congressionally-designated libraries throughout the nation since the early 1800s.
With the support of Congress, GPO has recently been able to replace “Printing” with “Publishing” in its name to reflect its growing role in disseminating information in electronic formats for all three branches of the federal government.
Library users may be familiar with GPO’s online services, including FDsys, for Federal digital system, which will soon be known as “govinfo” a replacement platform currently in beta testing.
The University of Delaware Library was congressionally designated as a depository library in 1897 and is the largest and longest serving depository library in the state of Delaware.
Historically, depository libraries received printed copies of documents from the GPO and are required to provide public access to the documents. Over its 119 years in the FDLP, the UD Library has curated the largest federal documents collection in the state.
In addition to the state’s most complete run of printed volumes of the Congressional Record and United States Congressional Serial Set, the library makes thousands of online and printed federal documents, maps and other publications freely available to the public through DELCAT Discovery.
During the visit, Spalding met with Trevor A. Dawes, vice provost for libraries and museums and May Morris University Librarian, and other UD Library staff, including depository librarian John Stevenson, an associate librarian in the Multimedia Collections and Services Department; Jeffrey Boys, a library assistant II in the Acquisitions Department; Maggie Ferris, an associate librarian and coordinator, Monographic Acquisitions and Technical Processing Unit in the Acquisitions Department; and Rebecca Knight, an associate librarian in the Reference and Instructional Services Department.
In his visit, Spalding learned more about how the UD Library provides services to depository users and how GPO might support the library better.
In 2012, GPO created an FDLP Library Forecast by surveying participating libraries to learn how they were changing their services to better meet users’ needs.
UD Library responses included many suggestions that are being implemented. Among these, that an ideal FDLP would offer online access to a wealth of current and historical federal government information content. This FDLP would collaborate with other federal agencies to digitize legacy publications for permanent no-fee public access and encourage libraries to participate in this effort.
An ideal FDLP would deliver information in formats preferred by today’s users, many of whom regularly access online information via smartphones, tablets and other portable electronic devices. Making official content accessible in appropriate formats accommodates users with disabilities as well as users who only view information on a small screen.
During his visit, Spalding was able to learn how well GPO is meeting the needs of its library partners in the program and identify areas in which GPO’s support of the public’s right to know could be improved.
Spalding learned of the UD Library’s concerns and its commitment to make official information available to users online. He left with current insights into the challenges facing large academic libraries and confirmation that the University of Delaware is committed to this long-standing program that provides federal information to the people in the state of Delaware.
While in Delaware, Spalding also visited the Legal Information Center of the Widener University Delaware Law School. The Legal Information Center was congressionally designated as a depository in 1976 and is Delaware’s only law library participating in the FDLP.
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