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Documents for a Digital Democracy: A Model for the Federal Depository Library Program in the 21st Century Interim Summary

In June 2009, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA) retained Ithaka S+R to propose a comprehensive framework for the Federal Depository Library Program ("FDLP" or the "Program") in response to changes in the environment for information dissemination and usage. New approaches must take advantage of the opportunities presented by today's digital and networking technologies to deliver services to users more effectively, more broadly, and at lower cost. For this project, Ithaka S+R staff interviewed more than 80 individuals from 30 libraries, the Government Printing Office (GPO), and a number of other key organizations. The FDLP serves a variety of needs across a number of communities, and in this project Ithaka S+R has taken a systemwide perspective in an attempt to understand the needs of all stakeholders. This summary presents a high-level overview of the project's interim findings and recommendations.

pdf summary-ithaka-fdlp-09.pdf

 
                   

White Paper: Strategic Directions for the Federal Depository Library Program

White paper concerning the future of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). ARL argues that the FDLP strategic planning process should lead to a flexible, sustainable, reconfigured program that reflects the needs and interests of users of government information and participating libraries; embraces the digital networked environment; and importantly, encourages collaborative network-based services while ensuring a smooth and orderly transition to a new program framework.

pdf fdlp-strategic-directions-april09.pdf

 
         

Memorandum re: Removal or Destruction of Federal Depository Library Documents (Mar. 13, 2002)

In October 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey requested that the Government Printing Office instruct Federal Depository Libraries that received a CD-ROM on characteristics of large surface-water supplies in the United States to destroy their copies. Shortly thereafter, the Superintendent of Documents ordered those libraries participating in the Federal Depository Library Program to withdraw this item and immediately destroy it. Subsequently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation visited several Federal Depository Libraries to determine whether that order had been carried out. This occurred without consultation with the GPO or the Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.). This series of events, and the prospect that in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack there may be additional requests for removal or destruction of federal materials by Federal Depository Libraries (FDLs), raises a number of questions of interest and importance to librarians. This memorandum sets forth below, in a question-and-answer format, the answers to many of those questions.

pdf susman_fdlp_march02.pdf

 
   

Letter to NARA re: NARA Agreement with iArchives (Sept. 10, 2007)

This letter provides comments by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) on the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) agreement with iArchives. Under terms of the agreement, iArchives will digitize selected NARA records. While ARL appreciates that the agreement will result in more public domain federal resources becoming accessible, the manner in which NARA entered into the agreement and some provisions in the agreement raise a number of concerns.

pdf nara-iarchives-10sep07.pdf

 
         

Presentation for ARL Directors on the Survey of ARL Depository Libraries: The Likert Scale

This survey was sent to all ARL Selective Depository Libraries and to all Regional Depository Libraries (the majority of which are also ARL Libraries). It was designed to enable ARL to study the current problems, successes, and future of the Federal Depository Library Program with a total concentration on research libraries. The Likert scale discussed here provides us with a current snapshot of both types of Depository Libraries.

pdf speckit-fdlpsurvey-likert.pdf

 
           

Future of Government Documents Symposium Presenters October 2005

This document lists presenters for the October 2005 symposium, The Future of Government Documents in ARL Libraries, which brought together practitioners and administrators to address this important issue and was sponsored by ARL.

gov-docs-symposium-presenters-oct2005.pdf

 
 
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