Superintendent of Documents Public Policies, Guidance, and Reports | FDLP

Public Policy Statements

Superintendent of Documents (SOD) policies support the U.S. Government Publishing Office’s (GPO’s) mission of “Keeping 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
2022-1	Regional Depository Libraries Selecting Solely Online Materials	11/15/2022
2022-2	Government Publications Authorized for Discard by Regional Depository Libraries	11/15/2022
2020-2	Authentication of Publications in GPO’s System of Online Access	09/01/2020
2019-3	Access to U.S. Government Information within Scope of the Public Information Programs of the Superintendent of Documents	09/26/2019
2019-2	Redaction of Personally Identifiable Information from GPO’s System of Online Access by the Superintendent of Documents	09/24/2019
2019-1	Scope of Government Information Products Included in the Cataloging and Indexing Program and Disseminated Through the Federal Depository Library Program	04/10/2019
2016-5	Harvesting Digital Federal Government Information Dissemination Products for GPO’s Superintendent of Documents Programs	12/19/2016
2016-4	Permanent Public Access to U.S. Government Information through Preservation	07/05/2016
2016-2	Content Scope for GPO’s System of Online Access	03/29/2016

Draft Superintendent of Documents Public Policy Statements

SOD-PPS #	SUBJECT	COMMENT

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

Draft Depository Guidance Document (SOD-DGD)

SOD-DGD #	SUBJECT	EFFECTIVE

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	09/01/2021
W-1	West National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Code of Federal Regulations and CFR Index and Finding Aids	02/01/2023
MW1	Midwest National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Code of Federal Regulations and CFR Index and Finding Aids	02/13/2023
NE-1	Northeast National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Code of Federal Regulations and CFR Index and Finding Aids	02/13/2023
S-1	South National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Code of Federal Regulations and CFR Index and Finding Aids	02/13/2023
S-2	South National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Select preliminary prints of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set	03/13/2023
MW-2	Midwest National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Select preliminary prints of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set	03/27/2023
NE-2	Northeast National Collection Service Area Regional Online Selections Authorization, Select preliminary prints of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set	04/10/2023

Correspondence

Print Distribution Titles (PDT) Questionnaire (Letter to depository library coordinators, December 4, 2023)
Transformation to a Digital Depository (Letter to depository library directors and coordinators, August 17, 2023)
Depository Libraries and Public Access (Letter to depository library coordinators, January 10, 2023)
Change in Restricted Item Selections (Letter to depository library coordinators, March 29, 2022)
Access and Reopening During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Letter to depository library coordinators, May 21, 2020)

Reports and Plans

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)
Draft National Collection of U.S. Government Public Information Strategic Plan for FY 2023 — FY 2027 (June 2022)
Regional Depository Libraries Online Selections Policy Post-Implementation Analysis: Final Report (May 20, 2022)
Regional Depository Libraries and Selection of Online Materials: Regional Depository Libraries Survey Findings (February 16, 2021)
State of the Federal Depository Library Program, 2018 – 2019: Executive Summary and Full Report (February 2021)
United States Code Annual Supplements Survey of Federal Depository Libraries: A Report of the Findings (December 2020)
National Collection of U.S. Government Public Information: A Strategy Framework for Building, Preserving and Providing Access to the National Collection Handout, 10/2020
National Plan for Access to U.S. Government Information: A Framework for a User-Centric Service Approach to Permanent Public Access
(02/2016)
Disseminating and Preserving Digital Public Information Products Created by the U.S. Federal Government: A Case Study Report
(08/2016)
Federal Information Preservation Network | Report of a National Dialogue
(06/2015)