STUDY TO IDENTIFY MEASURES NECESSARY FOR A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION
TO A MORE ELECTRONIC FEDERAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARY PROGRAM (FDLP)
PRELIMINARY REPORT: TASK 8B: CONGRESSIONAL SERIAL SET
As part of the Study, a task force examined the costs and the
impact on public access of electronic dissemination of
Congressional Serial Set through the FDLP in comparison with
present methods. This task force was lead by Charles Cook, GPO
Congressional Printing Management.
This preliminary report of the task force is being made available
for review and comment. Comments should be submitted by Friday,
February 16, 1996, by internet e-mail to study@gpo.gov, by fax to
FDLP Study at (202) 512-1262, or by mail to FDLP Study, Mail Stop
SDE, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20401.
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TASK 8B: Evaluate the costs and benefits involved in converting
Congressional reports and documents to electronic
format for distribution through the Federal Depository
Library Program, even though currently a substantial
amount of the source data is not available to GPO in
machine readable form.
METHODOLOGY
The "Report of the Serial Set Study Group" was submitted to the
Public Printer on October 7, 1994. That report identified the
then current costs of producing the Serial Set (Documents and
Reports) and projected costs for four dissemination alternatives,
including several electronic options. This report reexamines
those options in light of current GPO technical capabilities and
refined cost data. [Note: for the purpose of this task, the focus
will be on distribution to depository libraries, not on
International Exchange (16) or posterity (22) libaries.]
BACKGROUND
>From June 13, 1994 to October 7, 1994, the Serial Set Study Group
examined alternate formats and cost reduction strategies for
issuing the Serial Set (Documents and Reports). The study group
consisted of representatives from the Government Printing Office
(GPO), the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP), and the library
community. The final report from the Study Group evaluated the
benefits and drawbacks of four dissemination alternatives. The
first alternative was to make no changes in the process at all.
The Depository Library Council recommended two alternatives and
the Serial Set Study Group recommended the fourth alternative.
Since the 1994 Report of the Serial Set Study Group, new cost
data has come to light. GPO's CD-ROM production capability and
the cost to produce CD-ROMs is now very clearly defined, and
shows a significant reduction over the cost estimates projected
in the 1994 Report. The 1994 Report based CD-ROM costs on the
estimate of producing the test disc for the Congressional Record
CD-ROM Pilot Project. The cost estimate to master the disc for
that project was $212,900. More than half of that cost,
$130,000, was to write and test software. Current GPO CD-ROM
production costs are much lower.
Reports currently are received from Congress in about 80% machine
readable format, and 20% camera copy. Documents are more of a
problem; only 20% are received from Congress in machine readable
format and 80% in camera copy. It is necessary either to obtain
from Congress or convert the information received in camera copy
to machine readable form by scanning it using Adobe Acrobat
Capture software. If the Adobe software does not recognize
portions of the document, it converts what it cannot read to an
image. The images are non-searchable, which makes the entire
document less useful. In addition, the current resolution of
these images is only 300 d.p.i., an inadequate resolution for
effective use. Scanning will remain necessary unless arrangements
can be made to receive all of this information in machine
readable format at the start.
FEDERAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARY DISSEMINATION
Every depository is eligible to receive both slip publications
and the bound Serial Set in either paper and/or microfiche
format. Depository libraries that select the Serial Set in
microfiche (755) receive a paper copy of material too graphically
intensive (i.e. four color process) to be practical for
conversion to microfiche. The 1994 Report of the Serial Set
Study Group indicated that for the 101st Congress, 463 libraries
selected the bound Serial Set and the slips in paper format (as
well as 16 International Exchange and 22 posterity libraries).
The current cost of dissemination per Session, based on the
actual costs for the 101st Congress, as reported in the 1994
Report of the Serial Set Study Group, is $1,567,000. Most
Documents and Reports also are now available online through GPO
Access.
DISSEMINATION ALTERNATIVES
Alternative A
The 1994 Study Group recommended that regional libraries receive
the bound Serial Set in paper format and Documents and Reports in
a CD-ROM version. Selective libraries could choose online access
to the slips in lieu of either paper or microfiche. They also
would be able to select either the bound Serial Set in paper or
the Documents and Reports CD-ROM.
Benefits
Depository libraries have a wide variety of formats to
select.
A phased-in change would minimize the effects of electronic
conversion on depository libraries.
Disadvantages
Cost are difficult to quantify, but will be higher under
this phased-in approach.
The CD-ROMs will contain files that are not entirely
searchable. This will be a continuing problem until GPO can
negotiate with Congress to receive all Documents and Reports
in machine readable format or scan and convert camera copy
to machine readable format.
Alternative B
Paper copies of the bound Serial Set would go to regional
libraries and one library in each state without a regional (62
copies, down from current 425). Libraries not eligible for paper
copies would be able to select CD-ROMs. Reports and Documents
CD-ROMs would be issued quarterly. Each CD-ROM would cumulate
for the session. The 4th CD-ROM would be a final version at the
end of the session. All depositories also would have the option
of accessing Documents and Reports online from GPO Access.
Benefits
Costs for CD-ROM and limited paper distribution would be
$391,996, a total cost savings of $1,070,004 from current
costs for paper distribution to selectives.
Depository access to Reports and Documents will be enhanced
if arrangements can be made for GPO to receive electronic
copies in a format that allows rapid conversion and upload.
Disadvantages/Problems
Some materials are so graphically intensive or otherwise
structured so as to make conversion to electronic formats
difficult. Current efforts to place Documents and Reports
online are leaving off some graphically intensive items.
Eventually all Documents and Reports will be added to the
online service, but it is taking longer to provide online
access with these type of publications. For example, as of
October 25, 1995, the following Documents and Reports were
missing from GPO Access for the 104th Congress:
Senate Reports: 3 of 153 or 1.96%
House Reports: 2 of 272 or 0.74%
House Documents: 17 of 119 or 14.29%
Senate Documents 4 of 7 or 57.14%
Treaty Documents: 2 of 21 or 4.76%
Executive Reports: 9 of 9 or 100%
The CD-ROMs will contain files that are not entirely
searchable unless all of the information is submitted
initially in machine readable form.
It is very difficult to ascertain conversion costs for the
current effort to place Documents and Reports online, since
all GPO WAIS work, except GAO Reports, is charged to one
cost "jacket." However, GPO's production staff indicate
that putting Documents and Reports online is consuming much
of their staff time, which they estimate to be about, as a
total for all staff involved, of about 6 hours a day for a
5 day work week.
Alternative C
The same provisions as outlined in Alternative B would apply
under this alternative. However, GPO would provide paper copies
for any Documents and Reports too graphically intensive to
practically convert to electronic format. To determine the
impact of continuing this policy, the production records for the
100th and 101st Congresses were examined. Of the Documents and
Reports issued 11 of 115 (9.57% ) of the entire 101st Congress,
and 13 of 154 (8.44%) of the 100th Congress respectively were not
microfiched. GPO sent microfiche dividers for those publications
indicating that the material would not be microfiched, and
depositories subsequently received paper copies of those missing
microfiche publications. Based on an estimate per session of 77
Documents and Reports issued, 7 not suited to electronic
conversion, continued distribution of these graphically intensive
documents in paper would cost approximately $78,194.20 more per
session than Alternative D.
Benefits
Libraries would receive paper copies of Documents and
Reports too graphically intensive to convert to electronic
format.
Disadvantages/Problems
Partial distribution in paper would cost $78,194 more than
distribution solely in electronic format. This still
results in a total savings of $990,809 over current
distribution costs.
ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED
Depository Library Capabilities
The capability of depository libraries to deal with
electronic formats of Documents and Reports and other
electronic publications in the FDLP should be studied in
depth before converting a significant portion of depository
material to electronic format.
Cost Shifting to Depository Libraries
Hardware and software needed to use electronic information
is costly for depositories. In addition, patrons usually
only have a limited number of workstations available to
access electronic information, while different copies of
paper and microfiche material can be used by many patrons
simultaneously. With information in electronic format,
depositories do save the processing and storing costs
associated with traditional formats.
Continued Access to Information
Depository libraries are concerned about continued
availability of depository publications. Paper and
microfiche formats have life spans that can be reasonably
predicted. Electronic formats, in rapidly changing formats,
generally have less clearly defined life spans.
Need for Machine Readable Information
GPO must explore methods of obtaining all Documents and
Reports from Congress in machine readable form in order to
improve the quality and usefulness of the electronic files,
or establish a cost effective means to convert camera copy
to electronic format.
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Judy Russell <jrussell@gpo.gov>
Comments should be submitted by Friday, February 16, 1996, by
internet e-mail to study@gpo.gov, by fax to FDLP Study at (202)
512-1262, or by mail to FDLP Study, Mail Stop SDE, U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20401.
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