Using Item Lister, libraries can access their current item selection profiles, showing selected item numbers, non-selected item numbers, or both. Libraries can also examine the selection profiles of other libraries for collaborative collection development or for information referral purposes.

The Item Lister is available at: http://www.fdlp.gov/collections/selection/itemlister.

Updated List of Classes files and Union-L files are undergoing final testing and will be released in the near future.

In her column, Superintendent of Documents, Mary Alice Baish provides updates on FDsys training and the FDLP Forecast Study, and shares some GPO news. Meanwhile, your colleagues, Lori Smith (Southeastern Louisiana University) and Rachael Elrod (The Citadel) write about social media to spread awareness of Government information and the unique environment of a military library.

May features include:

*  Depository Selection Information Management System (DSIMS) benefits to depositories;
*  Preliminary data from the 2011 Biennial Survey of Depository Libraries;
*  Identifying new FDLP content through GPO’s Document Discovery program;
*  Depository Library Council members reach out to public libraries;
*  Library Spotlight;
*  And more!

Sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. The theme for the June issue is "Collections" and in July the focus will be "Promotion ".

Share your expertise, unique services, and other items of interest with fellow colleagues throughout the library community by contributing to future issues of FDLP Connection.

For submissions or questions, use askGPO and choose "Federal Depository Libraries" as the category and "FDLP Connection" as the subcategory.

Cynthia Etkin & Kelly Seifert
Co-Editors, FDLP Connection
U.S. Government Printing Office

She has substantial experience managing complex projects, including the development of databases and Web sites, at the U.S. Department of Justice Libraries, the History & Culture Libraries at the Smithsonian Institution, and BNA (now Bloomberg BNA). In her past management positions, Sánchez has excelled at ensuring strategic organizational goals and customer satisfaction.

Learn more about GPO's new director. Please join us in giving Jane a warm welcome!

This new system replaces the Depository Distribution Information System (DDIS), which was a legacy mainframe system that was used to manage List of Classes data, library item selections, and distribution information since 1982.

With the launch of DSIMS, libraries can now add publications at any time. There will no longer be an Annual Item Selection Update Cycle. 

As part of this system migration, approximately 900 new item numbers have been created as part of the effort to move toward a one-to-one relationship been item numbers and SuDoc stems. This now allows libraries to select publications more precisely by format.

We recommend that libraries consult the updated List of Classes, which will be released in the coming weeks, the spreadsheet of the newly-created item numbers, and WEBTech Notes in order to re-evaluate your library's item selection profile.

This is a preliminary release of the system. More advanced features and other materials will be released in the near future.

Read Amending Your Library’s Item Selection Profile in order to access the system, access the tutorial, view the newly-created item numbers, and more.

In her column, Superintendent of Documents, Mary Alice Baish announces a new director for Library Services and Content Management and provides an update on GPO’s FY 2013 appropriations request. Meanwhile, your colleagues, Beth Harper (University of Wisconsin, Madison) and Caitlyn Cook (Ocean County College) write about digitizing to increase access and using Twitter to stay informed.

April features include:

• USPTO depository library network’s transformation;
• Depository library staff member for a day;
• FDLP acquisitions from GPO’s regional offices;
• GPO's team of administrative assistants;
• Library Spotlight;
• And more!

Sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. The theme for the May issue is "Services" and in June the focus will be "Collections".

Share your expertise, unique services, and other items of interest with fellow colleagues throughout the library community by contributing to future issues of FDLP Connection.

For submissions or questions, use askGPO.

Cynthia Etkin & Kelly Seifert
Co-Editors, FDLP Connection
U.S. Government Printing Office

The FDLP State Forecast builds on the responses of individual depository libraries in your state and it should represent a consensus of opinion at the state level. Individuals with primary responsibility for FDLP collections in your state are encouraged to discuss the state and library forecast answers, and to collaborate to produce a state-level response. Only one FDLP State Forecast per state should be submitted to GPO no later than June 30, 2012.

A copy of the FDLP State Forecast questionnaire and the link to the online survey are available from the FDLP Forecast Study project page.

After ushering GPO into the online world 16 years ago, GPO Access has been archived and taken off line. As part of the transition process, no new content has been added to GPO Access since November 2011.

In December 2010, FDsys was named GPO’s official system of record for online Government information. As such, FDsys provides free access to nearly 50 different collections of Government information ranging from Public & Private Laws to United States Court Opinions to the U.S. Budget.

FDsys boasts key enhancements to GPO Access that allow users to:

• Easily search across multiple Government publications.
• Perform advanced searches against robust metadata about each publication.
• Construct complex search queries.
• Refine and narrow searches.
• Retrieve individual Government documents and publications in seconds directly from each search result.
• View more information about a publication and access multiple file formats for each search result.
• Access metadata in standard XML formats.
• Download content and metadata packaged together as a single ZIP file.
• Browse FDsys alphabetically by collection, by Congressional committee, by date, and by Government author.
• Utilize extensive help tools and tutorials.

Please update your bookmarks and Web pages so they point to FDsys!

You won't want to miss the article by our special guest author, Acting Public Printer Davita Vance-Cooks, as she shares her goals for technology innovation at GPO.  In her column, Superintendent of Documents, Mary Alice Baish announces new Council members and reviews FDLP Forecasting Project activities.

Other March features include:

• Mobile MedlinePlus;
• Mobile Budget of the U.S. Government for FY13;
• Cataloging Record Distribution Project;
• Our newest Federal depository library;
• GPO's Depository Distribution Team;
• Partners and Spotlights on libraries;
• and more!

Sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. The theme for the April issue is "Access" and in May the focus will be "Services".

Share your expertise, unique services, and other items of interest with fellow colleagues throughout the library community by contributing to future issues of FDLP Connection.

For submissions or questions, use askGPO.

Cynthia Etkin & Kelly Seifert
Co-Editors, FDLP Connection
U.S. Government Printing Office

On this day, one-to-one redirects will be activated that will direct users from GPO Access URLs to the FDsys equivalent. In the event that an exact equivalent could not be provided, users will be directed to the best available resource or the FDsys homepage. Read the GPO Access to FDsys Transition project page for more information.

Please update your bookmarks! These redirects will be enabled for at least one year; however, the exact timeframe has not yet been determined.

Use the thread on the FDLP Community forum for questions about the shutdown.

The DSIMS application will be released to the FDL community in March after final system testing is complete.  

For additional updates on this migration, please see the DSIMS project page.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work to improve services to FDLP libraries.

GPO is reaching out to work collaboratively with the FDLP community to create a shared vision for the future. In order to preserve the foundational goals of the Program (permanent public access to authenticated information in all formats) yet move into a more robust digital future, we need to survey the community on a broader and deeper level than has been previously done.

Your participation in this project is crucial to the successful creation of a shared vision. A statistically relevant sampling of the community and documentation of community viewpoints and initiatives is needed to support new future roles and opportunities. A PDF version of this questionnaire will soon be available on the FDLP Desktop to assist you in preparing your library’s responses. Please submit electronically no later than June 30, 2012.

We thank you for your time, knowledge, and support of this important initiative.

In this issue, Mary Alice Baish provides her insights as Superintendent of Documents for the need to collaborate to develop a national strategy for the future of the FDLP. Meanwhile, your colleagues, Linda Spiro (Rice University) and Lynda Kellam (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) write about new ways to promote their depository and virtual collaborative training.

Also in this issue we feature collaboration of:

• Shaping the future of the FDLP;
• FDsys;
• Digitization guidelines;
• GPO’s ILS team;
• Partners and Spotlights on libraries;
• and more!

Sign up to receive our newsletter via e-mail. The theme for the March issue is "Going Mobile" and in April the focus will be “access”.

Share your expertise, unique services, and other items of interest with fellow colleagues throughout the library community by contributing to future issues of FDLP Connection.

For submissions or questions, use askGPO.

Cynthia Etkin & Kelly Seifert
Co-Editors, FDLP Connection
U.S. Government Printing Office

Due to the implementation of the new system, libraries will no longer be able to use the “Amendment to Item Selections” web form at <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/amendment.html> to drop item numbers after 11:59pm February 7, 2012. A new item selection management tool is expected to go live and be available for library use on February 27, 2012. During this three week transition period, libraries’ item selections will remain unchanged. Additional information about this project and the “Amendment to Item Selection” replacement tool will be available in the coming days on the FDLP Desktop.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work to improve services to FDLP libraries.

Recently posted threads include information regarding:

1. Screenshots of the proposed final template designs for both fdlp.gov and Ben’s Guide.
2. Screenshots of proposed responsive templates for Ben’s Guide (fdlp.gov is forthcoming).
3. Calls for volunteers to develop lesson plans based on Ben’s Guide concepts.
4. Request for feedback on a proposed games-based certificate incentive for educators.

In order to expedite the relaunch of both sites, coding must begin very soon. The goal is to relaunch Ben’s Guide in the spring in order to take advantage of the remaining school year. The relaunch of fdlp.gov relies on tool integration and content finalization, which is dependent on the site design.

Comments on the proposed designs for Ben’s Guide must be received as soon as possible. Discussions related to lesson plans, game concepts, et cetera are on-going. Participate in the Ben’s Guide discussion.

Comments on the proposed designs for fdlp.gov should be submitted by Wednesday, February 8. Participate in the fdlp.gov discussion.

See you on the forums! Feel free to start threads on other topics.