The Office of the Superintendent of Documents produces a variety of public policy statements, as well as FDLP guidance documents, reports, and plans.
Public Policy Statements
Superintendent of Documents (SOD) policies support the U.S. Government Publishing Office’s (GPO’s) mission of America Informed and the mission, vision, and priorities of the GPO’s public information programs. Policies provide guidance for and assist with decision-making, which is primarily operational in nature. That is, guidance that affects the operations of Library Services and Content Management (LSCM). Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are developed to implement policies.
Superintendent of Documents Public Policy Statements (SOD-PPS)
| SOD-PPS # | SUBJECT | EFFECTIVE |
|---|---|---|
| 7-2025 | Print Distribution and Access to Government Publications in a Digital Federal Depository Library Program | 3/31/25 |
| 8-2024 | Withdrawal of Federal information products from the National Collection of U.S. Government Public Information and GPO's online U.S. Government Bookstore | 7/8/24 |
| 2022-1 | Regional Depository Libraries Selecting Solely Online Materials | 11/15/22 |
| 2022-2 | Government Publications Authorized for Discard by Regional Depository Libraries | 11/15/22 |
| 2020-2 | Authentication of Publications in GPO's System of Online Access | 9/1/20 |
| 2019-3 | Access to U.S. Government Information within Scope of the Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents | 9/26/19 |
| 2019-2 | Redaction of Personally Identifiable Information from GPO's System of Online Access by the Superintendent of Documents | 9/24/19 |
| 2019-1 | Scope of Government Information Products Included in the Cataloging and Indexing Program and Disseminated Through the Federal Depository Library Program | 4/10/19 |
| 2016-5 | Harvesting Digital Federal Government Information Dissemination Products for GPO's Superintendent of Documents Programs | 12/19/16 |
| 2016-4 | Permanent Public Access to U.S. Government Information through Preservation | 7/5/16 |
| 2016-2 | Content Scope for GPO's System of Online Access | 3/29/16 |
Depository Guidance Document (SOD-DGD)
| SOD-DGD# | SUBJECT | EFFECTIVE |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-1 | Federal Depository Libraries Relinquishing Their Designation | Strategic Disposition of Depository Materials in Support of the National Collection | 08/16/2021 |
| 2018-1 | Guidelines for Establishing Shared Regional Depository Libraries | 10/22/2018 |
Regional Discard Eligibility (SOD-RDE)
| SOD-RDE # | SUBJECT | EFFECTIVE |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-2 | Invite to Discard Additional Volumes of the Public Papers of the Presidents | 10/01/2020 |
| 2020-1 | Invite to Discard Statues at Large Letter - Signed by the Superintendent of Documents effective today | 02/07/2020 |
| 2019-1 | Invite to Discard Public Papers Letter - Signed by the Superintendent of Documents | 08/05/2019 |
Regional Online Selections Authorization (SOD-ROSA)
SOD-ROSA authorizations allow regional depository libraries to select online versions of specified titles without having to select a corresponding tangible version, in accordance with SOD-PPS-2022-1.
| SOD-ROSA # | SUBJECT | EFFECTIVE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regional Online Selections Authorization, Congressional Record (daily) and Federal Register | 9/1/2021 |
| W-1 | West National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Code of Federal Regulations and CFR Index and Finding Aids | 2/1/2023 |
| MW1 | Midwest National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Code of Federal Regulations and CFR Index and Finding Aids | 2/13/2023 |
| NE-1 | Northeast National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Code of Federal Regulations and CFR Index and Finding Aids | 2/13/2023 |
| S-1 | South National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Code of Federal Regulations and CFR Index and Finding Aids | 2/13/2023 |
| S-2 | South National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Select preliminary prints of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set | 3/13/2023 |
| MW-2 | Midwest National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Select preliminary prints of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set | 3/27/2023 |
| NE-2 | Northeast National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Select preliminary prints of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set | 4/10/2023 |
Reports and Plans
- Implementing a New Print Distribution Framework: A Report for the FDLP Community (August 12, 2024)
- Evolution of a Digital Federal Depository Library Program: A Transition Timeline(August 3, 2023) PDF document | Web page
- National Collection of U.S. Government Public Information Strategic Plan for FY 2023 – FY 2027 (Final: September 1, 2022)
- Feasibility of a Digital Federal Depository Library Program: Report of the GPO Director’s Task Force (December 2022)