Discontinuation of Microfiche Distribution to FDLP Libraries

  • Last Updated: January 08, 2026
  • Published: January 19, 2022

Overview

GPO began distribution of microfiche in the mid-1970s as a cost and space-savings measure for Federal Depository Libraries.

Viability of microfiche as a distribution format has fallen in recent years due to a number of factors:

  • Newer technology has superseded the benefits.
  • Microfiche distributed to depositories is not of preservation quality.
  • End-user format preferences have largely changed over the years.
  • Microfiche distribution lags significantly behind paper distribution and online availability.
  • The number of vendors doing microfiche conversion is shrinking.

The Superintendent of Documents announced at the 2021 Fall Depository Library Conference that the microfiche format would be phased out. The Discontinuation of Microfiche Distribution to FDLP Libraries project managed the transition away from the format.

Timeline

December 2021-January 2022GPO outreach to Federal depository libraries selecting CFR and/or CFR Index in microfiche format
January 2022Items for paper format of CFR and/or CFR Index added to library item selections based on outreach
January 12, 2022GPO meeting with regional Federal depository libraries to discuss discontinuation of microfiche distribution to the FDLP
January-February 2022GPO outreach to individual Federal depository libraries
Early February 2022GPO meetings with regionals in each National Collection Service Area
March 31, 2022Microfiche contract for the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and the CFR Index and Finding Aids ends
mid-April 2022Deadline for libraries selecting microfiche format of titles on microfiche contract ending April 30, 2022 to add desired paper items to DSIMS cart
Late April 2022Paper items in DSIMS carts added to libraries’ item selections
April 30, 2022Microfiche contract for House and Senate Journals, Y1s, and Y4s. ends
September 30, 2022Deadline for libraries to add paper items for bound and/or daily Congressional Record, Federal Register, and/or LSA to their DSIMS carts
September 30, 2022Microfiche contract for bound Congressional Record ends
October 1, 2022Paper items in DSIMS carts added to libraries’ item selections
December 2022GPO ceased acquisition of Federal Register, LSA, and daily Congressional Record in microfiche for FDLP Distribution.
January 2023Distribution of Federal Register and LSA ended with the final 2022 issues.
January 2023Distribution of daily Congressional Record ended with last issues of 117th Congress.
2023 - 2025Distribution of remaining issues delayed for contractor Quality Control review.
December 2025Inactivated remaining microfiche item numbers in the List of Classes

To support our libraries through this transition, GPO:

  • Reached out to regional Federal Depositories to discuss the impact on regional collections.
  • Reached out to selective Federal Depositories selecting titles in microfiche to assist where possible.
  • Recruited Preservation Stewards and Print Selectors to ensure access to these titles.
  • Facilitated collaboration at the National Collection Service Area level.
  • Encouraged collection development collaboration among FDLs:
  • Provided Superintendent of Documents authorization to weed and/or authorization to deselect, as appropriate.
  • Maintained communication with the library community.

Impacted Titles / Series

The List of Impacted Titles/Series below indicates when the relevant microfiche conversion contract ended. For all impacted titles, publications “in the pipeline” when the contract ended continued to be processed by the microfiche vendor. Microfiche distribution continued until all volumes / publications sent to the contractor for conversion were distributed. Some titles were delayed due to issues with the conversion.

Libraries that selected microfiche formats of these publications had the opportunity to add the paper formats to their item selections in 2022.

For reference, these are the final distributed issues of our primary microfiche titles.

  • Code of Federal Regulations: complete edition for 2020
  • CFR Index and Finding Aids: 2020
  • Congressional hearings and reports (Y1/Y4): shipping list 2022-0078-M
  • Bound Congressional Record (proceedings & debate): Vol. 162, Part 11 (114th congress)
  • Bound Congressional Record (index): Vol. 159, Part 14 (113th congress)
  • Bound Congressional Record (digest): Vol. 161, Part 17 (114th congress)
  • Daily Congressional Record: Vol. 168, Issue 204, January 3, 2023
  • Federal Register: Vol. 87, no. 250, December 30, 2022
  • List of CFR Sections Affected: October 2022

List of Impacted Titles / Series

Catalog Record Impact

All GPO bibliographic records for microfiche materials have been created/updated as indicated below.

  • GPO updated more than 500 microfiche-format serial records in OCLC and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) to indicate that FDLP distribution ceased, in accordance with CONSER guidance.
    • If the print continues, LSCM updated the microfiche records to indicate that distribution ceased.
    • If the print ceased, LSCM closed off the print and microfiche records.

GPO has made these MARC records available as a record set in the Discontinuation of Microfiche collection of the CGP Records Maintenance Files GitHub repository.

  • In February 2023 LSCM announced that 37 monographic records were created for materials that were not distributed in microfiche and removed those records from the CGP. In April 2023, it was discovered that seven of those publications were distributed, so LSCM restored the records.
    • Libraries may download an updated Microfiche Records to Delete CSV file to review information about the 30 microfiche records that need to be deleted, as well as the equivalent online-format records.
    • Libraries may now also download a Microfiche Records to Restore CSV file to review the information about the records that were mistakenly deleted.
    • The record sets in the Discontinuation of Microfiche collection of the CGP Records Maintenance Files GitHub repository can be used to match records in your catalog system and mark them for deletion, or to restore deleted records.
    • WEBTech Note entries have been created for each of the affected titles.
  • Also announced in February 2023, four multipart monograph publications were only partially distributed in microfiche format. The CGP and OCLC records have been updated, and the original catalog record may need to be updated in your local catalog system. Download a Microfiche Records to Update CSV file to review information about the records. WEBTech Note entries have been created for each of the affected titles.
  • All Microfiche-format item numbers were deactivated in 2025, to accommodate the distribution of updated bibliographic records and the last remaining microfiche material.