ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Inside Washington

James D. Lockwood Assistant Director ALA Washington Office

The process of amending the public printing and documents portion of the United States Code (Title 44) will have passed the hearing stage by the time this issue of the News reaches the mails. The current review of Title 44 may lead to the single biggest change in federal publishing laws since their inception in 1895.

Revision of Title 44 raises a number of fundamental questions. What should be the role of the federal government in generating, producing, and disseminating information? How centralized should the federal printing and publishing capability be (i.e., should there be a central Government Printing Office)? Who should pay for government information (should it be supported by tax monies or user fees)? What should be the balance between government-supported and commercial services relating to federal documents? What should be the future of the Depository Library System?

A key question for libraries is federal support for the depository libraries program. Thirteen hundred libraries serve as depositories for federal documents. The selection and processing of federal publications on a monthly basis usually entails a sizable commitment of staff time and effort for these libraries. Providing access to the documents often requires additional expenditures for bibliographical assistance, supplemental indexes and research aids, microform printers, and readers. If the federal government has an obligation to make the information it generates widely available, should it not go beyond merely providing “free” publications and help underwrite the expenses of the depository operation? In other words, shouldn’t the government provide additional assistance to depository libraries in the form of training, equipment, toll-free access to government agencies, etc.?

The government’s role in printing and publishing is another issue Congress must face. Is there a need for a massive government printing and publishing complex? Some argue that government publishing should be contracted out to commercial firms by competitive bidding or the like. This alternative is not necessarily incompatible with the depository program, since the government could furnish libraries with book coupons redeemable for commercially published government materials (along the lines of the food stamp program).

“Political” factors, as well as complex philosophical issues, make the job of revising Title 44 a tough one. Chief among the political factors is the sheer size of the revision effort required. The more complex the bill, the more difficult it is to get interested parties to agree. Among the interested groups are: libraries, the information and printing industries, federal departments and agencies, the Government Printing Office, government publicists, the Joint Committee on Printing, and committees in the Senate and House. To arrive at a major legislative package that accommodates the needs of such diverse groups is the challenge.

By late September we should have a much clearer idea of how the political and policy issues were resolved in the final version of the bill placed before the House and Senate. ■■