History of Government Documents

Based on Keeping America Informed: Federal Depository Library Program

1787: James Wilson said that "The people have a right to know what their Agents are doing or have done, and it should not be in the option of the Legislature to conceal their proceedings." (The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787)

1813: Act of 1813 (3 Stat. 140) Authorized distribution of one copy of House and Senate Journals to select university and state libraries and historical institutions

1819: March 3, 1819 Joint Resolution regarding printing (3 Stat. 538 | HeinOnline)

1852: Printing Act of 1852 (10 Stat. 30 | HeinOnline): Appointed a Superintendent of Public Printing within the Department of the Interior

1857: Shifted responsibility for depository distribution to Secretary of the Interior, who also was authorized to designate depository libraries

1858: Representatives authorized to designate a depository from own district

1859: Authorized each Senator to assign one depository in own state

1860: Printing Act of June 23, 1860 (12 Stat. 118)

March 4, 1861: Government Printing Office and President Abraham Lincoln inaugurated on same day

1869: Superintendent of Documents established, March 3, 1869 (15 Stat. 292). Appropriations Act established a Superintendent of Documents within Department of the Interior

1876: Title of Superintendent of Public Printing changed to Public Printer (19 Stat. 102, 105)

1895: The Printing Act of 1895 (28 Stat. 601): transferred Superintendent of Documents to GPO

1895: Monthly Catalog first appeared. Monthly Catalog from 1895-1976, with all of its title changes, is searchable through the ProQuest Monthly Catalog of U.S.Government Publications.

1895 and 1903: SuDocs classification system developed by GPO Librarian Adelaide Hasse.

1896: Annual Report of the American Historical Association (Peak Record). Printed a compilation of public documents of early Congresses.

Also available in Serial Set Vol. No. 3550-1, Session Vol. No.74, 54th Congress, 2nd Session, H.Doc. 353 vol.1, pp. 1109ff.

1907: Land grant colleges added to system (34 Stat. 1012, 1014)

1947: First biennial survey of depository libraries conducted

1962: Depository Library Act of 1962 (Public Law 87-579)

1972: Highest appellate courts of the states added to system

1977: More than 1,200 libraries in depository library system; JCP authorized GPO to distribute microfiche to depository libraries

1978: Law libraries added to system

1988: First CD-ROM distributed to depository libraries

1993: Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 enacted (Public Law 103-40) "GPO Access Law"

1994: GPO Access service launched; available by subscription, free to depositories

1995: Centennial year of Federal Depository Library Program; GPO Access free to all users

1996: GPO releases Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program (also avaiable via DTIC); outlines a transition to a predominantly electronic depository library program in 5 to 7 years

1998: GPO releases Managing the FDLP Electronic Collection: A Policy and Planning Document

2000: 1339 depository libraries in system

2007: 1257 depository libraries in system

2008: 1249 depository libraries in system

2010: 1233 depository libraries in system (March 22) - As of July 1, 2009, Denver Public Library changed status from a Regional to a Selective depository; As of February, 2010, Jefferson County Public Library is no longer a depository.

2012: As of Sept. 13, 2012 there are 1198 depositories in the program.

2013: As of Sept. 8, 2013 there are 1191 depositories in the program

Keeping America Informed: Federal Depository Library Program : Recovered from the Wayback Machine:

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pr/keepam.html

Snapshots of the Federal Depository Library Program: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/history/snapshot.html

Three Eras in US Government Documents Publication

1. The United States Congressional Serial Set

2. The Federal Depository Library Program

In 1895 there were 420 depository libraries. Each designated depository "must contain 1,000 books other than those issued by the Government; that the publications forwarded shall be made available for the free use of the general public and must not be loaned outside of the institution or disposed of, except as the Superintendent of Documents shall direct."3 A library could be removed from the list of depositories "... for failure to meet the requirements of the law."4 Today, the minimum number of volumes exclusive of Government documents is 10,000. Source

2007: 1,257 depository libraries

The legal mandate: United States Code Title 44

3. Online Distribution

GPO's Digitization and Preservation Initiatives

 

Some Additonal GPO Background

A Strategic Vision for the 21st Century: http://www.gpo.gov/congressional/pdfs/04strategicplan.pdf

FDsys: http://www.fdsys.gov/

FDsys Blog: http://fdsys.blogspot.com/

New Version of the Monthly Catalog (the Catalog of Government Publications - CGP): http://catalog.gpo.gov/
Suggestion: Use Advanced Search or Expert Search

FDLP Desktop: http://fdlp.gov/

How to Arrange a Depository Library

Tension between user convenience and practical realities.

Management Component

Reference Component

Basic finding aids:

Checklist of United States Public Documents 1789-1909

Document Catalogue

Monthly Catalog

OCLC WorldCat

Andriot


Technical Component

Basics of Docs MARC records

How to class: Sudocs, LC, Dewey

Overview of Sudocs classification