Depository Library Council Seeks Focus Group Participants

The Depository Library Council’s (DLC) Subcommittee on Unique Challenges, Underserved Populations, and Federal Depository Libraries (UCUP) seeks members from the Federal depository library community to participate in focus groups. The purpose of each focus group is to address challenges that limit access to Federal Government information, which depository librarians face every day, and to discuss practices and possible solutions so the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) is better positioned to offer support.

These focus groups will be held over the course of this calendar year: two this spring, two this summer, and two in the fall. The topics that receive the most participation interest will be scheduled first. The focus group areas are:

• Digital Divide: seeks to understand how the digital divide impacts library services for Federal depository patrons and the methods libraries have developed to overcome these challenges.
• Language Barriers: seeks to obtain a more detailed understanding of how language impacts the ability to access the library’s Government Information Resources, and how libraries are addressing these challenges.
• Budget & Administration: explores how libraries are meeting the challenges related to reduction and cuts in budget, administration, and staffing, particularly as it relates to depository library resources and services.
• Mistrust of Government: examines how a mistrust of Government affects the use of depository library collections (and Government information generally) and seeks to learn to what extent this issue is a challenge and how librarians are addressing it to help their patrons with their Government information needs.
• Outreach: seeks information on the difficulties of serving infrequent or underserved library users, and the library’s services or programs designed to overcome those challenges.
• Training: seeks to gather information about the challenges, needs, and preferences of Government information librarians working in underserved communities or with affinity groups, thereby helping GPO understand librarians’ training needs and tailor training programs to their specific requirements.

If you would like to participate in one or more focus groups, please complete the Focus Group Interest Form by April 14, 2024.

UCUP looks forward to discussing these issues and hearing your thoughts and ideas about improving access to Federal Government information.