In 2004, in an effort to make Federal Government information more widely available to the American public through commercial book dealers, the Government Printing Office (GPO) adopted the use of ONIX (Online Information Exchange) as a metadata format for delivering publication information for U.S. Government information products in the GPO Sales Program. ONIX has become the publishing industry's standard electronic format for sharing product data and GPO's use of ONIX enables U.S. Government publications to be listed, promoted and sold by all mainstream commercial book dealers worldwide.
By using ONIX, GPO is adopting a recommended best practice of the publishing industry. ONIX allows GPO to partner with book trade industry leaders in the promotion and dissemination of U.S. Government publications. The use of ONIX to promote U.S. Government information products through the GPO Sales program is consistent with GPO's strategic vision for greater access to U.S. Government information products.ONIX is an accepted industry standard and its use improves the process of metadata delivery, with the goal of providing U.S. Government information to the public through commercial book outlets.
Staff in LSCM create the bibliographic metadata for items in the GPO Sales Program. They follow the ONIX standards as prescribed by Book Industry Study Group (BISC) and the international group EDitEUR, ONIX for Books version 2.1. The staff utilize an ONIX software generator available from a third party vendor, who in turn delivers the ONIX metadata to various booksellers.