The Evolution of Public Printing in the US and a Brief History of the OU Government Documents Collection Jeffrey M. Wilhite Associate Professor of Bibliography.

The Evolution of Public Printing in the US and a Brief History of the OU

Government Documents Collection

Jeffrey M. WilhiteAssociate Professor of Bibliography

Government Documents Librarian, University of Oklahoma

Information is the Currency of Democracy

– Thomas Jefferson

What is a Government Document?

• Informational matter disseminated by or for a government

• State, local, tribal, federal, foreign, international

Ancient Government Documents

• Ancient Civilizations – Egypt– Babylonia– Greeks– Romans

• Types of Government Documents– Records/laws/Commerce Information

One of the Earliest Known Government Documents

-Code of Hammurabi

-Babylonian, 1700 BCE

-One of the first examples of

recorded laws

-Example:

If a man puts out the eye of

an equal, his eye shall be

put out

EARLY EUROPEAN GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS

-England

Magna Carta

King John

1215 Directly challenged the

monarch's authority

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/magna_carta/

Colonial British Government Documents in America

-The first government documents in the new world

would have been European/British documents.

-Yale’s Avalon Project:

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/statech.asp 

• 1776: Declaration of Independence “He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant

from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.”

• 1789: Constitution, article 1 (The Legislative Branch), Section 5, Clause 3:

“Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.”

HISTORY OF THE GPO/FDLP

• The first United States documents (1776-1860) were published by private contract printers, as appointed by both houses of Congress, such as Gales and Seaton, and Blair and Rivers.

• Dissemination was limited, even to the members of the fledgling government, with many inherent problems.

Why Should the US Government Publish Its Information?

1. For the use of the government

2. For the use of the people

3. To sell

1800’s • The Federal Depository Library

Program had its origins in special acts of the first twelve congresses, which provided for the printing of a sufficient number of copies of the House and Senate Journals for distribution to the Executive Branch and each house of the state and territorial legislatures.

• 1813: An act authorized one

copy of each chamber’s Journal to be sent to selected University and state libraries and to historical societies.

• Legislation in the 1850s established the framework of the present system: – 1852: Printing Act of 1852 appointed a Superintendent of

Public Printing within the Department of Interior.

– 1852: The Joint Committee on Printing (JCP) was empowered to mediate disputes between the Superintendent and the printers.

– 1857: A Superintendent of Public Printing was appointed in the Department of Interior. The Secretary of Interior could designate depositories.

– 1858: U.S. Representatives were authorized to establish depository libraries, from their own district.

– 1859: U.S. Senators were authorized to establish one depository in their own state.

• The Printing Act of 1860 provided for the establishment of the Government Printing Office (GPO) in the Legislative Branch to consolidate Congressional printing.

• The JCP was directed to set standards for the GPO

• The GPO was inaugurated the same day Abraham Lincoln was as the sixteenth president of the United States (March 4, 1861).

What is a government document per the GPO?• “Informational matter which is published as an individual document at government expense, or as required by law”

–U.S. Code Title 44, Ch. 19, Sec. 1901.

• Types: laws, reports, documents, maps, et al.

• Topics: Congressional, economic, health, research, demographic, informative, et al.

• Formats: Paper, microfiche, electronic (3.5 Disc, CD-ROM, DVD), Internet, et al.

*1869: An Appropriations Act established a Superintendent of Documents in the Interior Dept.

*1870’s: Congressional discussion began to strip the GPO of its printing “monopoly.” It did not occur. *1876: A law changed the title of the “Superintendent

of Public Printing” to “Public Printer, ” and made the position a Presidential appointment with Senate confirmation.

*1887: Geological depositories established.

*1895: Patent depositories established.

The Earliest Known Depository

• 1814: The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts.

• As early as 1818 a congressional committee recommended the creation of a government printing office to ensure prompt and accurate records of Congressional proceedings.

GPO MILESTONES-1895 Printing Act: 1. The Superintendent of Public Documents

was transferred to the GPO fromInterior (“Public” was dropped from

the title), making “FDLP” now part of the GPO 2. Sale and distribution was added to GPO’s charge. 3. Free access was given: “All Government publications delivered to designated depositories or other libraries shall be for public use without charge.”

4. Centralized printing sought to eliminate wasteful and disorderly distribution practices of the day.

5. Added Executive departments to depository distribution.

6. Libraries from the Executive Branch departments and the military academics added to the depository system.

7. This act was an antecedent of Title 44 of the US Code.

*July 17, 1895 First Depository shipment

*1895: There were 420 Depository Libraries *1895: All depository libraries received 100% of publications and could only weed

superceded items.

*1895: Monthly Catalog appeared

• 1895-1903: SuDocs

classification developed

by GPO Librarian

Adelaide Hasse.

• 1907: Land Grant colleges

added to system.

• 1923: Libraries could select

materials, not just receive

100%.

• 1923: 418 depositories.

• 1924: Geological and Patent

depositories dissolved.

The SuDoc Call Number System• Based on provenance, or source i.e. the issuing agency.• Titles are arranged by agency not subject matter:

• A = Agriculture• C = Commerce• D = Defense • E = Energy• ED = Education• EPA = Environmental Protection Agency• etc…

A 1.1: 975A 1.2: 43A 1.3: 6/1A 1.3: 6/2A 1.3: 6/4200A 1.4: AM 52A 1.4: AM 64A 1.4/2: AM 77A 1.4/2: 1A 1.5: B/3A 1.5/A: B/3

1940’s and 1950’s

• 1945: 555 depositories.

• 1947: First biennial

survey of depository

libraries.

• 1950s: Modern shipping

lists began.

• The Depository Act of 1962 -”Cleaned-up” the depository system.

-Authorized the establishment of regional

depositories.

-Allowed selective libraries to keep items for

only 5 years, not permanently.

-Increased to two the number of depository

libraries permitted per congressional

district.

-Added libraries from independent Federal

agencies.

1970’s

• 1972: Highest appellate courts of the states added to the system.

• 1973: Public Documents Highlights began to be issued.

• 1977: More than 1,200 libraries in the depository library system.

• 1977: Microfiche authorized to be distributed to libraries.

• 1978: Law Libraries added to the system.

1980’s and 1990’s

• 1980: Administrative Notes began.

• 1988: First CD-ROM distributed to

depository libraries.

• 1994: GOVDOC-L adopted by the LPS as

its method of e-mail communication.

1993 GPO Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act

• Amended Title 44 to require online dissemination of information.

• Establishment of GPO ACCESS.

• GPO ACCESS was named one of the “Best Feds on the web” by Government Executive magazine in 1998.

The Advent of Online Government Information, 1993- Present

“Largely because most federal government documents are free of copyright and because they are, by nature, designed to serve the public, government information has taken full advantage of the web era, making a rapid and early transition to providing all types of information almost exclusively via web access.”

– Fundamental of Government Information: Mining, Finding, Evaluating, and Using Government Resources (2011)

The 2000’s: Paper vs. Internet Documents

• Archival Preservation – Beginning as of 2009

• Accessibility– Sept. 11, 2001

• After 9/11: 81% increase in the classification of government documents

– Cobell Indian Trust Assets Legislation, 1996-2009

– Hurricane Katrina

• Mutability– USAID Document

2009:

Federal Digital System • Created in 2009 by GPO to replace GPO Access

• Is an advanced digital system that will enable GPO to manage Government information from all three branches of the U.S. Government.

• Permanently archives noteworthy documents that government agencies post on their websites and important historical documents.

• Monitors the authenticity of these electronic documents – GPO adds a signature to the Documents to assure the public that the document has not

been changed or altered since receipt by GPO, verifying the document’s integrity and authenticity.

2010: A Federal Digital Archive

• To gather, preserve and give access to ALL the million public records of the Federal Government.

• 2011: Presidential Order for agencies to make wider use of digital-based record-keeping systems

• This is the most significant change in government archiving since Harry S. Truman’s presidency (1945-1953).

• National Archives & Records Administration manages this.

• As of 2011, the government’s electronic archives top 142 terabytes of data, or 14,200 gigabytes

Digital Issues • May 2011: NARA report on U.S. federal agencies’ self

assessments of their recordkeeping found that “90% of agencies had a moderate to high risk of records mismanagement.”

• The agency self-assessments found that 45% of agencies had records management programs with “moderate risk” and another 45% had records management programs with “high risk” of records mismanagement.

• According to NARA, in 2011, “80% of [U.S. federal] agencies captured e-mail records by printing them out and filing them.

Social Media

• June 2011 report by the GAO: 23 of 24 major federal agencies used FaceBook, Twitter, and YouTube as platforms for the public dissemination of agency information

• A 2012 Congressional Research Service report called attention to the proliferation of the proprietary platforms employed by the agencies of the U.S. federal government for their records

and the accompanying dangers– Who saves this data?

2013: Obama Open Access Order

• May 2013: Obama White House issued an Executive Order mandating the open Web publication of data gathered and produced by U.S. federal agencies.

• The Executive Order requires that, going forward, data generated by the government be made available in open, machine-readable formats, while appropriately safeguarding privacy, confidentiality, and security.

Government Publishing

Office

• December 2014• Publishing reflects the

increasingly prominent role that GPO plays in providing access to Government Information in digital formats through the agency's Federal Digital System, apps, eBooks, and related technologies.

GPO Today

• Created primarily to satisfy the printing needs of Congress, GPO today is the focal point for printing, binding, and information dissemination for the entire Federal community. In addition to Congress and the White House approximately 130 Federal departments and agencies rely on GPO’s services.

2015: Federal Web Archiving Group

• GPO, LC & NARA working together to ensure continued public access to online government information.

• Using Archive-It web service

• Goal: improve communication to increase understanding of each other’s web archiving programs, avoid duplication of effort, and evaluate ways in which this group could help each other. PROGRESS!

FDLP Presently

• Administered by U.S. Code Title 44, Ch. 19

• The FDLP is based upon three principles:1. With certain specified exceptions, all Federal Government

information products shall be made available to Federal depository libraries.

2. Federal depository libraries shall be located in each State and U.S. Congressional District in order to make Government information products widely available.

3. That Federal Government information in all media shall be available for the free use of the general public.

Superintendent of Documents

Responsibilities include:• Management of FDLP.• Distributing public

documents to depository libraries and to other institutions and officials authorized by law.

• Sale of documents.• Bibliographic control.

Depository Library Council

• The Depository Library Council (DLC) to the Public Printer was established in 1972 to provide advice on policy matters relating to the FDLP.

• The primary focus of the DLC's work is to advise the Public Printer, the Superintendent of Documents, and appropriate members of GPO staff on practical options for the efficient management and operation of the FDLP.

• 15 Member Committee, appointed by the Public Printer.

Depository Libraries Presently

• 53 Regional Libraries• 1300+ Selective libraries• Depositories are: -50% Academic -20% Public -11% Law -19% Other • Federal depository libraries serve an estimated 9.5 million people each year.

Depository Libraries in Oklahoma

• Two Regionals:

1893 -Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL)

1907 -Oklahoma State University (OSU)• Seventeen Selectives

1893 - University of Oklahoma (OU) – 89%

-Tulsa, Edmond, Shawnee, etc.

The OU Government Documents Collection was established August 14, 1893

The designator was the

Honorable Dennis T. Flynn,

Oklahoma Territorial Delegate to the

US House of Representatives

1892-96 and 1898-1902

The OU Government Documents Collection is one of the largest and oldest Federal depositories

in the state

As the OU Library has relocated, so has the Governments Documents Collection.

1890-1893: The Rock Building

*OU’s first location was on Main Street in downtown Norman in the “Rock Building,” as construction began on the first university building

*The building housed a small library, the first OU Library.

1893-1903:

Science Hall

*1893: The first OU structure, know first as University Building and then Science Hall was completed (located where Old Science Hall is now, on the North Oval).

*The library was located in one room in the east wing of the second floor. And consisted of 300-400 donated books.

*1893: OU became a federal depository. *January 1903, Science Hall burned to the ground and the 15,000 volume

OU library (twelve thousand books and five thousand pamphlets) was lost, including the government documents.

1903-1905: University Hall

*The OU library was relocated to the first floor of University Hall (located where Evans Hall is now, on the North Oval) temporarily.

1905-1920:

University Library

*1903: OU received a $30,000 grant to build a library from American industrialist Andrew Carnegie.

*1905: the building was finished & the books moved in, for it to become University Library

*This was the first structure built on the OU campus to specifically house the library. It contained 11,000 volumes.

*This building now houses University College and classrooms *1907: University Hall burned down

1920-1929:

The New Library

*In 1919, The Oklahoma Legislature approved $75,000 for the construction of a new OU Library & the second structure to be built at the University specifically to be a library was built.

*The New Library opened in 1920, with nearly 100,000 volumes*The library quickly grew too big for the building and a new library

began to be constructed. *After the building became the art museum and is now the Visitor’s

Center (Jacobson Hall)

1929- present

University Library

*In 1927, the Eleventh Oklahoma Legislature appropriated $500,000 for the new library.

*It was built to hold 1 million volumes. *When it opened, it was referred to as “Oklahoma’s Crown Jewel.”

*1944: renamed Bizzell Memorial Library after OU President Bizzell.

*1958: Addition added to back of building

*1982: Addition added to front of building, with clock tower and new gardens

The Government Documents Collection is presently located on the fourth floor of

Bizzell Memorial Library

Lobby outside of the Government Documents Collection

Display of World War II ration cards in the Lobby

The Government Documents Collection spans from the early nineteenth century to the most current federally

produced documents

The main Government Documents Reference Room

The OU Government Documents Collection was established in 1893 and

contains many historical items

The Government Documents Collection currently contains 2.9 million items

The Government Documents Collection is a selective depository that receives 90% of all

Federally disseminated documents

The Government Documents Collection is

also a depository for several international

organizations, including United Nations official

publications and European Union, as well

as State of Oklahoma documents

The second Government Documents Reference Room

The Reference Rooms are open to the public during operating hours: Monday–Friday 8 AM – 5 PM

The Government Documents Collection stacks are closed to the public (i.e. no browsing)

The Oklahoma Documents Collection

40% of the Government Documents Collection is in microfiche format

UN Documents

1946-Present

The Government Documents Collection covers the entire east side of the fourth floor as well as all of

Deck 7 of the 1929 Bizzell Library building

Government Documents

Closed Stacks on Deck 7

Congressional Materials

How to Access Government Documents?

OU Library Webpage: http://libraries.ou.edu/

Discovery! Library Catalog! Resources by Subject!

Sources consulted/cited:

• Joe Morehead, Introduction to United States Government Information Sources, Sixth Edition (Libraries Unlimited: Engelwood, CO), 1999.

• Administrative Notes, “Keeping America Informed: Federal Depository Library Program,” Administrative Notes 19, no. 4 (2/15/98), pg. 19-22.

• Shiela McGarr, A Snapshot of FDLP updated from an article in Administrative Notes, v. 15, #11, 8/15/94, pp. 6-14.

• GPO Web page: http://www.gpo.gov