Alternate Views: Outside Comments and Reviews of the FDLP (2012-2014)

1. Alternate Views: Outside Comments and Reviews of the FDLP (2012-2014) Kate Tallman: University of Colorado-Boulder Janet Fisher: State Library of Arizona Chris Brown: University of Denver 8/8/2014

2. Reports & Context • ALA Final Report and Recommendations Committee on Legislation, FDLP Task Force June 23, 2014 • FDLP: Issues for Congress CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report March 29, 2012 • Born-Digital U.S. Federal Government Information: Preservation and Access James A. Jacobs Leviathan Conference, CRL [Center for Research Libraries] April 24-25, 2014 • Rebooting the Government Printing Office National Academy of Public Administration January 2013 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

3. ALA Final Report • The ALA Committee on Legislation formed the Task Force in 2012 to: Examine a set of questions and issues to guide the committee on current aspects of the FDLP and options for the future. After submitting their 2013 report, they were asked to select one issue as a focus- getting input from all parts of the American Library Association • Made 21 recommendations (2013) and 4 recommendations (2014) 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

4. ALA Final Report From Recommendation B of the Final Report (2014)… The relationship between ALA and its unit, specifically GODORT for FDLP issues, should be a collaborative and respectful relationship drawing on strengths of ALA for advocacy and national policy while utilizing specialized units for expertise on processes and implementation of ALA policies. This balance is possible through mutual respect and strong, frequent communication 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

5. ALA Take-Away A Comprehensive National Preservation Plan… • Is required before collections are destroyed for digitization and the basic structure of the FDLP is altered • Requires: coordination by GPO, collaboration with ALA and other entities, education for libraries on the value of federal information, and flexibility within Title 44 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

6. CRS Report: Issues for Congress The transition to digital information raises a number of issues of possible interest to Congress. This report discusses those possible concerns as they affect FDLP Access, Preservation, Authenticity, Cost 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

7. CRS Report: Main Issues • Tangible Preservation • Born-Digital Retention • Access • Authenticity • Robustness of the FDLP Electronic Collection • Cost of the FDLP 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

8. CRS Take-Away To develop a more contemporary FDLP, Congress must consider… • Social, political, and technical concerns/context • Providing a more inclusive definition of materials to be included in FDLP collection (government publishing that occurs outside of the GPO) • Expanding the Federal Depository Library Program by encouraging other institutions to take on information management activities like preservation, digitization, authentication, and/or cataloguing 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

9. NAPA Report • A broad operational view of the GPO mandated by Congress …it is likely that the “new” FDLP will provide more flexibility for depository libraries and have an increased focus on the provision of service… …some of these changes will be costly to implement and may require libraries to shift resources from current FDLP activities… (p.40) 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

10. NAPA Take-Away • Recommendations GPO should try to expand services to executive branch agencies GPO should work with FDL’s and other libraries to develop a comprehensive plan for preserving the print collection GPO should explore alternative funding models for FDsys (controversial) GPO should collaborate with FDL’s to develop a national strategic plan for a program that gives libraries the flexibility and tools they need to provide permanent access 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

11. Born-Digital: Leviathan Report • James A. Jacobs: prepared for CRL Global Resources Collections Forum While libraries played an essential role in preservation of government information in the print era, most born-digital government information is not held, managed, organized, served, or preserved by libraries (p.1) 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

12. Born-Digital: Leviathan Report • Three General Conclusions We lack the means to identify what is being produced and preserved Knowing what we do know, the scope of born-digital government information being produced far outpaces what is being preserved There is no unifying approach to identifying and preserving born-digital information (Pg.13) 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

13. Leviathan Take-Away Who bears the responsibility for collecting and preserving born-digital content? 3 Models of Preservation 1) Government assumes sole responsibility for preservation (ex. NARA) 2) Government partnerships with non-government institutions (ex. GPO/LOCKSS-USDOCS) 3) Non-Government projects (ex. Internet Archive) 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

14. Bringing it all together Born-Digital Government Information …is growing …is not all managed by the GPO …needs to be located, authenticated, and preserved Tangible Collections …are maturing …are still important …require significant retrospective cataloguing and preservation The GPO …is experiencing growing pressure to expand services …while dealing with budget issues …and working within an outdated Title 44 The FDLP …is shrinking …needs flexibility …must be willing to collaborate with the GPO, library organizations, and others 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

15. Discussion Questions 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

16. Which of the issues within these “alternate views” or outside commentaries on the FDLP concern you the most? • Growth and scope of born-digital government content? • Lack of a unified approach to managing digital government information? • Preservation and retrospective cataloguing of tangible documents? • Lack of funding for the GPO, the FDLP, your own institution? • All of the above and more? 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

17. In yesterday’s discussion of the new National Plan, one attendee made an interesting point that: “…we (may) not have a national consensus on the 'need' and 'value' for an 'authoritative, national collection.” Does this feel like the case from where you are sitting? Related to this, how do we get input or buy-in from institutions and colleagues outside of our own documents community? 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

18. It has often been said that Title 44 of the US Code (44 USC) is no longer relevant in the age of digital government information. Additionally, if the National Plan were ever to become compulsory, Title 44 would face some pretty dramatic changes. If you had the opportunity to rewrite Title 44 tomorrow, what changes would you make to accommodate the FDLP, the GPO, and access to government information for the general public? 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

19. The ALA Final Report talks a great deal about collaboration and communication between depositories, the GPO, ALA, and other entities. It is obvious, however, that the solution to many of the issues mentioned in these reports are going to require much more than what one organization or group has to offer. How do we bring all of these entities together to create solutions without the results becoming too disjointed? 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference

20. Each report has a slightly different take on the role of the GPO in digitization projects and web harvesting. It is acknowledged by each report, however, that the GPO should play some role but that the agency is already overextended. Looking at Jim Jacob’s 3 existing models of preservation, which do you think would work best? What are some of the pros and cons? Can you think of a suitable, alternative model? • Government assumes sole responsibility for preservation • Government partnership with non-government institutions • Non-government projects 2014 Western States Government Information Virtual Conference