GODORT (Government Documents Round Table)

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The mission of the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) is to (1) To provide a forum for discussion of problems, concerns, and for exchange of ideas by librarians working with government documents; (2) to provide a force for initiating and supporting programs to increase availability, use, and bibliographic control of documents; (3) to increase communication between documents librarians and other librarians; (4) to contribute to the extension and improvement of education and training of documents librarians.

Learn more about GODORT on the ALA website.

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Documents for a Digital Democracy: A Model for the Federal Depository Library Program in the 21st Century

  • 1.  Documents for a Digital Democracy: A Model for the Federal Depository Library Program in the 21st Century

    Posted Dec 20, 2009 10:42 AM

    Dear colleagues,

    This week, Ithaka S+R has released “Documents for a Digital Democracy: A Model for the Federal Depository Library Program in the 21st Century” at http://bit.ly/6hk3b0. In a project commissioned by the Association of Research Libraries and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, we have examined the essential role of the Federal Depository Library Program in distributing, providing access to, and preserving government documents and how the transition of government information from print to digital impacts the Program’s long-term approach and sustainability. In the course of this project, we interviewed nearly 90 individuals, including librarians from 40 institutions, in order to understand a broad range of perspectives on the pressures facing the FDLP. We are grateful to the many GODORT members who participated in the project.

    The report offers a new vision for a system-wide framework that emphasizes the digitization of historical collections to enable dramatically expanded access to this material, greater flexibility in collection management, improved coordination of new government publications by the Government Printing Office (GPO) to ensure that access and preservation needs are adequately addressed, and an expanded role for librarians that emphasizes helping the public to locate, access, and use the wide range of information available. 

    We hope that the findings and framework in this report will catalyze vibrant discussion about the future of this important program, and we look forward to continuing to engage with the library community on this issue. We welcome your feedback, and encourage you to read and comment on the report on the Ithaka S+R website at http://bit.ly/6hk3b0. We will also be speaking about this project at the Federal Documents Task Force Meeting at Midwinter and look forward to seeing many of you there. 

     

    Best regards,

    Roger Schonfeld and Ross Housewright