What’s the problem?

The problem of access and preservation for born-digital government information is a complex one. We argue that a historic model of centralized printing and distribution of tangible government information should form the basis of digitally-based models to improve discovery, access, and preservation of electronic government information. We should preserve this model’s key strengths and add to these the benefits of digital information management, including more flexibility in access.

In the tangible publications world, the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is operated by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) -- called the Government Printing Office until 2014 – with a legislative mandate to work with agencies to collect their publications and with libraries to provide access to those publications for their communities.

There are three critical components to the FDLP: 

  • long-term redundant preservation and access through centralized cataloging and distribution

  • local public access to federal government information through FDLP libraries nationwide

  • trained local experts help the public find and use the National Collection of U.S. Government Public Information

A key strength of the FDLP is the centralized cataloging and distribution of these materials by GPO. This model also allows for geographic distribution and public access to government information, and has the added benefit of long-term collaborative preservation of the published federal corpus. This depository system was so successful that it has been replicated in US states as well as other countries and international organizations.

This print-based system worked relatively well until the early-2000s when the internet became the primary means of publishing and public access for government information. With the move to networked digital access to federal government information, this legacy system based on a print publishing model began to break down. Many agencies no longer sent their publications to GPO -- and the amount of digital publishing greatly expanded! -- meaning that more and more government information became “unreported” documents that were no longer cataloged or distributed to FDLP libraries for access and preservation.

The PEGI Project team agrees that the distributed deposit and access system and inherent civic good of the FDLP -- collection, description, distribution, and collaborative preservation and access to the National Collection through the partnership of GPO and FDLP libraries -- are still valid and worth maintaining. However, the print-based foundations of programs like the FDLP do not support effective access, discovery, and preservation of born-digital government information. As more information is disseminated directly by agencies, bypassing GPO, this problem will continue to grow.

As part of our work, the PEGI Project continues to explore the various and interconnected issues surrounding born-digital government information. In future posts, we will discuss various topics, including:

  • shifting from “document” to “information dissemination product” 

  • connecting born-digital publications online to historic print documents in libraries

  • expanding categories of government publications in the internet era 

  • collecting time series and transactional data

  • issues in state government programs

  • the transition of municipal governments’ use of outsourced commercial services for publishing and distribution of local government information.

  • And more! 

We’d love to hear your ideas on these issues. Please send your feedback to info@pegiproject.org.


Deborah Caldwell