Institutions that have a project or a resource that would benefit the public and the depository community are encouraged to form partnerships with the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO).
Many Federal agencies and Federal depository libraries have developed unique or innovative services for both the public and Federal depository libraries. GPO provides and guarantees access to these services for the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) through partnerships.
Generally, partnerships with Federal agencies and Federal depository libraries provide the following benefits:
- Permanent public access to electronic content.
- Access to services that allow Federal depository libraries to enhance their collections.
- Access to services and resources that connect the public to its Government's information.
- Access to resources that assist Federal depository libraries to manage their collections.
- Preserve tangible Federal depository collections.
Download this list of current partnerships.
Partner Categories
Preservation Steward: Preservation Stewards make a commitment to retain specified tangible depository resources for the length of the partnership agreement. They also take on the additional responsibilities for preserving that material. This includes both preventive maintenance and conservation treatments.
Digital Preservation Steward: Digital Preservation Stewards make a commitment to retain and make publicly accessible at no fee digital resources within scope of the FDLP. They also take on the additional responsibilities for preserving those resources. GPO directs users to these resources via bibliographic records in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) and persistent URLs (PURLs). GPO does not archive resources under digital stewardship. In the event the steward is no longer able to retain or make the resources publicly accessible, the steward will transfer copies of the digital resources and any associated metadata to GPO.
Digital Content Contributor: Digital Content Contributors provide digital content to GPO for ingest into GovInfo. The Contributors provide content that meets GPO specifications for ingest into the repository. GPO provides ongoing access and preservation of the digital content.
Digital Access Partner: Digital Access Partners make a commitment to make publicly accessible digital resources within scope of the FDLP at no fee. GPO directs users to these resources via bibliographic records in the CGP and PURLs. In the event the Digital Access Partner is no longer able to retain or make the resources publicly accessible, the Partner will transfer copies of the digital resources and any associated metadata to GPO.
Cataloging and Metadata Contributor: Cataloging and Metadata Contributors assist GPO with providing bibliographic data or serial holding information for historic and unreported publications that are not currently available in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) or for which there are only minimal records. No publications, either digital or tangible, are exchanged in this type of partnership.
Other/Specialized: Partnerships are not limited to the categories listed above. GPO will consider all partnership proposals from a Federal depository library, Federal agency, or interested institution that supports free public access to U.S. Government information.
Partnerships are not limited to these categories. GPO will consider partnerships that fall outside of these categories.
Benefits
In partnering with GPO, your institution can take advantage of the following benefits:
- Credibility
- The United States Government is the largest publisher in the world and GPO is the largest distributor of Federal Government information. Partnership with GPO and the FDLP brings greater credibility to your institution and service.
- Recognition
- Bring positive attention to your institution and service.
- Permanency
- In the event that a partner is unable to provide permanent public access, GPO will make arrangements to provide access to the resource.
- Awareness
- GPO will promote the partnership and add cataloging records and bibliographic access through the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP).
Requirements
While each partnership is different, the purpose of these partnerships remains the same, to provide enhanced access to U.S. Government information. Therefore, the following points are important considerations when thinking about entering into a partnership.
- Public Access
- Partners agree to provide the public with unrestricted, no-fee access.
- No Restrictions on Reuse
- It is critical that the partner(s) impose no restrictions on re-dissemination, which may impede the public's ability to use the information.
- Preservation
- Partners commit to preventive preservation or other activities that prevent (or delay) tangible materials from degrading or becoming damaged.
- Ownership
- Government information provided through the partnership must remain the public domain. Partners retain intellectual property rights to any value-added software.
- System Admin/Security
- Provisions must be taken to ensure the uptime and integrity of the service (e.g., failover, backups, and firewalls).
- Communication
- Partners must remain in regular contact (as defined by the agreement) with GPO.
Process
The following describes the process involved in developing FDLP partnerships:
- Proposal
- Send us your proposal if you wish to pursue a partnership and your library has an affiliation with a Federal agency or Federal depository library. There is no need to wait until a project is near completion before contacting us.
- Review
- GPO evaluates all partnership proposals by using a set of general criteria and criteria related to the proposal’s specialization. GPO considers internal costs and other factors, such as staffing resources and current project priorities, when reviewing a partnership proposal.
- Discussion
- Throughout the process, the GPO partnership coordinator will interface with the prospective partner and will coordinate between GPO and your institution.
- Finalization
- The partner institution(s) and GPO usually formalize their partnership through a Letter of Agreement (LOA). While GPO and the partner institution(s) will determine the exact requirements for the LOA based on the nature of the project, LOAs for content and service partnerships have a similar structure.
Logos
Prominently display your official partnership status with GPO on your website, social media, or in printed educational and public relations materials. It’s a great way to promote your library and convey its important role as an official GPO partner.
The graphics are available in various sizes and in both .jpg and .png formats. Files have been compressed in zip format for easier download.
Prominently display your Preservation Steward status on your website, social media, or in printed educational and public relations materials. It’s a great way to promote your library and convey its important role as a steward of official information from the U.S Government to your patrons.
The graphics are available in various sizes and in both .jpg and .png formats. Files have been compressed in zip format for easier download.