Work to implement a digital FDLP is ongoing at GPO. The table maps recommendations of the Task Force on a Digital FDLP to action items with status updates. Action items and progress updates are reviewed and modified quarterly.
| Action | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Assess the LSCM business unit for organizational and staffing changes to support digital initiatives. | In Progress | Internal consultations are ongoing and will be implemented as vacancies occur. A staffing plan was submitted to GPO executives, and LSCM is investigating organizational realignment to support digital public information programs. Supervisory Training Manger hired March 2025, A Metadata Initiative Team was developed in Metadata and Collections Serivces. |
| Examine current workflows and processes and determine what needs to be transformed to create a primarily digital content and services organization | Complete | The Limited Print Distribution Framework has been implemented. A public report, Implementing a New Print Distribution Framework: A Report for the FDLP Community, is available, detailing the process and implementation. The workflow for FDLP distribution at the Laurel, MD Distribution Facility has been redesigned and implemented. The workflow for Special Selection Offers has been modified and implemented. Other support and collaboration models are being documented in NCSA service framework. LSCM will continue to monitor and assess the workflows and processes. |
| Develop a strategic plan and service framework for the National Collection Service Areas | In Progress | NCSA plan expected summer 2025 after a community needs assessment in spring 2025. A major first step, print reduction, was completed in winter 2023-24. NCSA Steering Committees began meeting and delivered plans for limited print reallocation in fall 2024 and are working on print retention commitments now. |
| Develop a comprehensive preservation plan for both tangible and digital resources of the National Collection of U.S. Government Public Information | In Progress | The Superintendent of Documents approved the formation of the Preservation Services Working Group and the Digital Imaging and Repository Services Working Group. Both of these groups are developing important organizational infrastructure for key service portions of the Comprehensive Preservation Plan. The overall plan will be completed during the summer of FY25 for approval and implementation during FY26. New Disaster Preparedness Planning and Collection Assessment services will be developed as pilots in FY25. |
| Continue to seek and obtain feedback and comments on the next generation CGP | In Progress | LSCM launched DiscoverGov in winter 2024-25 as one public-facing interface to the CGP and a multitude of other sources of Government information. LSCM is investigating the backend systems that support this service and is planning the sunset of older systems like MetaLib. GPO will continue to consult FDL stakeholders as systems are implemented. |
| Foster program partnerships with depository libraries | In Progress | More than 90 collaborations (including LSCM Pilot Projects and Preservation Stewards) are underway. LSCM’s priority is entering into Preservation Steward agreements to cover Limited Print Distribution Framework titles, and LSCM will investigate new outreach approaches to increase FDL participation in partnerships and models for mentorship, building communities of practice, and networking for FDLs. |
| Develop and implement an outreach strategy for Federal agencies, and improve contact with agency publishers beyond receiving printing orders. Discussions about how best to distribute their information to the public will be part of this outreach. | Complete | Agency outreach is ongoing, with the goal of increasing compliance with the statutory requirement for Federal agencies to provide publications to the Superintendent of Documents. The Congressionally Mandated Reports initiative provides a systematic approach to managing agency contacts, which will be leveraged for other outreach to agencies. LSCM collaborated with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make the FCC Record available on GovInfo, the first time the publication has been made available online in compiled form. LSCM is working with other Federal agencies to expand the reach of their agency publications by publishing on GovInfo. |
| Develop a multi-year strategy to secure and expand appropriations funding | Complete | GPO staff have been working to maintain an open dialogue with internal and external stakeholders to convey needs and priorities and the funding required for both. LSCM is investigating ways to reduce and offset current costs. |
| Develop flexible, custom metadata, which is needed for discovery and access, and investigate new options for delivery of metadata and bibliographic records | In Progress | LSCM staff are conducting an analysis of user needs for types and kinds of metadata and analyzing potential solutions and platforms to meet user needs. A successful example is underway to generate MARC records for House and Senate bills and resolutions from the metadata of the GovInfo Congressional Bills Collection. LSCM has now created record sets based on geographic terms. Our intention is to provide a product to assist Federal depository libraries with the development and management of their collections and the GPO records in their catalogs and systems. The development of record set types will continue as needs arise. LSCM will develop a process for customers requesting sets and how LSCM determines a path forward. Work on intake requirements will be based on community needs. LSCM will review usage metrics and refine the workflow. The recently released FDLP Data Manager (FDM) provides records based on selection profile. LSCM will develop a system to allow for the selection of records based on other criteria and work to deposit metadata where it is needed, such as central discovery indexes. |
| Increase efforts to digitize, and ingest into GovInfo, at risk titles from the historical tangible collections in depository libraries | In Progress | Upcoming Releases
Recently Completed Projects
Ongoing Multi Year Projects
Miscellaneous publications from multiple executive agencies |
| Develop an inventory strategy for tangible publications held in the National Collection | In Progress | With the increasing number of Preservation Steward partners and their submitted inventories, LSCM has made significant progress in inventorying those shared print collections. LSCM is investigating a variety of options for estimating the size of the tangible National Collection and inventorying historic depository collections. |
| GovInfo repository certifications: ISO 16363:2012 and CoreTrustSeal | Complete | Maintaining ISO 16363:2012 certification for GovInfo is part of LSCM’s ongoing work. In 2025, GPO joined the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC), an international charitable foundation that supports digital preservation. GPO is now a part of the growing DPC community with over 170 members in 24 countries worldwide. |
| Develop a strategy and standard operating procedures for managing at-risk depository library collections | In Progress | LSCM has formed working groups to develop preservation services for depository libraries and support the National Collection. Steering Committees were created for each of the NCSAs, and they began collection management planning by establishing PDT reallocation plans and defining retention commitments, in coordination with LSCM. LSCM is currently working to adapt established strategies and standard operating procedures to serve as the basis for providing depository coordinators with plans and guidance to manage their collections in a way that serves local, regional, and national access and preservation goals. |
| Evaluate LSCM web harvesting activity, and recommend strategies to improve the capture of born digital Federal agency content | Complete | Evaluated operation and completed staffing changes. Increased web archiving capacity. LSCM has established on ongoing workflow for adding monograph titles to GovInfo on a quarterly basis. Evaluation of serial titles migration is underway. |
| Investigate the print-on-demand landscape and provide options for delivery of this service | On Hold | Consulted with experts in the publishing, library, Government documents, FDLP, and GPO communities, including GPO Plant Operations; Delivered internal white paper. This is on hold, pending GPO executive review. Policy framework to allow creation of replacement print volumes from digitized versions in place. |
| Explore and test non-print centric content for ingest into GovInfo. | Complete | Ex: eBook, Audio-Visual, Interactive Digital Objects, Datasets, Websites. Audiovisual materials are now available in GovInfo. Implementing additional formats for download is pending the ingest of USLM (United States Legislative Markup) marked-up content and production use of XPub system. |
| Share records after conducting CGP bibliographic record comparisons with the catalogs of depository libraries | Complete | Test sample set (UVA/CGP) being evaluated. Share findings and develop next steps and approach for similar actions. Plan to include: develop and procure tools and processes to analyze, evaluate, and update records and specific metadata elements in records, especially access points. Lessons learned are being evaluated in comparing records used in other workflows. Ongoing development and analysis is planned. |
| Conduct a collection and bibliographic assessment pilot to determine if user needs are met by the depository library collection | On Hold | This effort is on hold until the LSCM Pilot Projects underway conclude and lessons learned can be assessed. |
| Investigate how LSCM can better support the relocation of depository materials to Federal depository libraries | Complete | With the support of FDLP eXchange and the implementation of the new NCSA model, GPO pays for shipping to Preservation Stewards and for digitization projects. Additional strategies to be identified in partnership with NCSA Steering Committees. |
| Digitize the complete set of FDLP microfiche distributed to depositories from one of the silver-halide master collections. | Planning | Complicated by de-duplicating large serials already scanned, e.g. Federal Register. LSCM is currently evaluating the status and feasibility of this project with the Library of Congress and the National Archives & Records Administration. |
| Conduct a study to determine the condition, holdings, and feasibility of the Superintendent of Documents' Public Documents Library serving as a collection of record for the National Collection | Planning | Preliminary assessment; further work on hold pending collaboration opportunity with NARA. |
| Explore public access requirements and consultation models with depository libraries | In Progress | LSCM is currently updating the Legal Requirements and Program Regulations of the FDLP, also known as LRPR. The COVID-19 Depository Library Council Working Group reported on the current state of library access and digital access best practices. |
| Develop a system to link to agency repository content via the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) rather than continue to catalog agency publications that reside in the agencies’ repositories. | In Progress | Currently reviewing and analyzing metadata with first agency repository partner. |
| Build on the GPO legislative proposals from 2022 to modernize the FDLP. | Complete | GPO has submitted the 2024 Title 44 proposals with an eye towards a digital-first FDLP. Bill HR 9490 introduced in the 188th Congress, did not advance to a vote. |