In accordance with 44 United States Code §1912, "libraries designated as regional depositories may permit depository libraries, within the areas served by them, to dispose of Government publications which they have retained for five years after first offering them to other depository libraries within their area, then to other libraries". While this is one of the more flexible provisions of Chapter 19, it has also resulted in processes that are cumbersome and time consuming for both selective and regional depository libraries.

GPO is addressing the many disposition process concerns expressed by the depository community through various data gathering and strategic planning discussions. This is on the Library Services and Content Management list of priority projects as well as a recommendation from the Spring 2009 Depository Library Council meeting.

LSCM has taken a two-pronged approach to addressing this issue:

1. Best practices and education
   The procedures vary from regional to regional and over time common practices have come to be viewed as requirements in some instances. Sharing current practices and conducting educational sessions on what is permissible, and what is not, will eliminate any misunderstandings of the requirements. Additionally it will offer regionals other alternatives, which may prove to be more appealing than their current practices.
2. Automated processes
   The development of a tool that handles the workflow of the disposition process.

Actions Taken

Best practices and education

• Collecting regional discard procedures
  • Web links to procedures
  • Procedures to download
• Presented best practices and legal requirements at a Fall Council session (10/2009).
• Conducted an OPAL session based upon the Fall Conference presentation (12/2009).

Automated processes

• Created a forum on the FDLP Community site for discussion of the requirements for an automated tool (7/2009)
• Solicited input for requirements for an automated tool at a Fall Council session (10/2009)
• Conducted an OPAL session, based upon the Fall Conference presentation (12/2009)
• Released Concept of Operations (ConOps) draft document (4/2010)

Joint presentations for best practices and soliciting for feedback for automated tool:

• Fall 2009 Council Session Presentation: The Future Opportunities of Disposal and Discard in the Depository Program
  • Slides
  • Transcript of Presentation
• FDLP Community Forum: Disposition of Depository Materials

Automated Tool Project Documentation

• Concept of Operations (Draft)
• Requirements Document (v1.0)

A meeting of experts was convened in March 2004 to discuss the future of the GPO Sales Program. The basic objective of this meeting was to get advice and feedback on how to build a sustainable economic model for the GPO Sales Program that will generate $30 to $50 million in additional revenue for GPO annually. The model must be one that is acceptable to publishing agencies, complements free public access to government information through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), and avoids inappropriate competition with commercial publishing.

Comments on the Summary

After completion of the first report on the meeting on the Future of the GPO Sales Program, the report was posted and opened for comment through GPO Access and via e-mail. GPO has received and reviewed all comments and appreciates the effort that was made to assist us in planning for the future of the Sales Program.

It was apparent in both the meeting and the subsequent comments that it was difficult to provide general advice about the Sales Program in the absence of specific examples of new products and services that might be offered. However, GPO will take the advice that was received into consideration in planning for future products and services, and there will be further opportunity for interested parties to react to the specific initiatives that GPO pursues.

Please note that very few changes were made to the actual document, as it is a record of a meeting that occurred in the past. There were two changes of note made to the document. First, the language that previously appeared at the top about submitting comments has been omitted. Second, in all instances in which the word "free" was used in the report, the words "no fee" were substituted. This change was made in response to concerns expressed by a number of the participants that "no-fee" more accurately reflected the fact that there are costs to libraries and other consumers to use "free" services such as GPO Access.

• Original Document, March 16, 2004
• Revised Document, June 17, 2004