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Government Information Access Principles
Compiled by Julia F. Wallace,
University of Minnesota

Since the mid-1980's, library organizations and others have worked to articulate principles and goals for access to government information in the electronic age. This summary is an attempt to pull together lists of principles or highlights from many of those efforts, with links to the full text for those which are available online.

ARL Report *
(1987)

ARL's task force proposed six principles:
  1. Open exchange of government information should be protected.
  2. Federal policy should support the integrity and preservation of government electronic databases.
  3. Copyright should not be applied to U.S. Government information.
  4. Diversity of sources of access...is in the public interest and entrepreneurship should be encouraged.
  5. Government information should be available at low cost.
  6. A system to provide equitable, no-fee access to basic public information is a requirement of a democratic society.

* Association of Research Libraries. Task Force on Government Information in Electronic Format. Technology & U.S. Government Information Policies: Catalysts for New Partnerships. Washington, D.C.: Association of Research Libraries, 1987. (Task Force Report No. 3)

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Dupont Circle Group *
(April 1993)

The Dupont Circle Group Discussion Draft started with a mission statement and goals for a Federal Information Access Program. The mission is "to make government information freely available in usable formats to meet the diverse needs of multiple publics." The draft suggests that the program must be tied to the life cycle of information, ensuring public participation in all phases of information creation, distribution, access, use, and evaluation.

* "Dupont Circle Group: Discussion Draft," April 1993. The Dupont Circle Reporter: An Electronic Informal Newsletter for the Federal Depository Community. 1993. http://www.arl.org/info/frn/gov/dupont.html

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Depository Library Council*
(December 1995)

The Council report starts out with a brief history of the program and a statement of its values and objectives. A set of 10 assumptions is set forth, including assumptions that the FDLP is a vital link between citizens and government, but that as currently structured it is floundering. It assumes increased expectations from users for electronic information, a continuing need for information professionals as intermediaries, and many diverse points of access in addition to libraries. It also assumes that there may be some depositories which will not be able to be partners in the new electronic future.

Because this report is built on the "alternative scenarios" model it does not provide a nice neat statement of principles, but rather a collection of detailed alternatives (such as the Super Regional and Electronic Depositories).

* Depository Library Council to the Public Printer (U.S.). "Alternatives for Restructuring the Depository Library Program: A Report to the Superintendent of Documents and the Public Printer from the Depository Library Council." September 1993. Administrative Notes 16, no. 16 (December 5, 1995): 23-59.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/council/alternat.html

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Chicago Conference *
(October 1993)

The conference agreed on a mission statement: "The mission of a Federal Information Dissemination and Access Program, offered through cooperating libraries, is to provide and insure equitable, no-fee access to government information in usable and multiple forms to the people of the United States of America." The report from the conference presents underlying values, a statement of goals, and descriptions of history and recent developments. The report then provides a framework for a model program. It outlines the responsibilities of each of the program partners: producing agencies, the central coordinating government authority, and participating libraries and librarians. The organizational framework is flexible, providing for planning and coordination by geographic clusters of libraries.

Statement of Goals

A model Federal Information Dissemination and Access Program should insure public participation in all phases in the life cycle of government information -- creation, issemination, access, use, evaluation, and preservation. The goals of such a program are:

  1. To provide a strong, central, coordinating government authority to manage and coordinate Federal information dissemination and access activities in a manner that balances usability with cost-effectiveness for the public, libraries, and government agencies. This central authority should have statutory authority to enforce agency compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and policies.
  2. To provide access through libraries to government information that aids citizens in the discharge of their civic responsibilities and promotes the common good.
  3. To include Program participants, such as Federal agencies, libraries, and the public, in the design of government information products and in the development and promotion of standards.
  4. To provide access to government information products without restriction by form or by administrative barriers and regardless of an individual's geographic location or ability to pay.
  5. To provide access to government information (except that information specifically excluded by statute), in a timely manner and in forms that are both appropriate and functional for the user and cost- effective for government agencies.
  6. To provide comprehensive, standardized descriptions of government information products to enable individuals to identify and locate relevant material.
  7. To insure the integrity, accuracy, reliability, and archival preservation of information produced by government agencies.
  8. To provide government information products through the Program at no charge to libraries in the Program and to all others at no more than the cost of distribution.
  9. To promote and coordinate training for librarians and other information providers in the effective management and use of government information products.
  10. To facilitate communication among all Program participants, including the central government authority, other Federal agencies, users, vendors, librarians, and other information providers.
  11. To evaluate the Program's effectiveness in meeting its mission and goals.
Historic Principles of the Program *

Although the depository law has been revised several times over the years, the guiding principles of the Program basically have remained:

  • with certain specified exemptions, government publications shall be made available to depository libraries;
  • depository libraries shall be located in each State and Congressional District in order to make government publications widely available;
  • these government publications shall be available for the free use of the general public; and
  • the Federal government and the depository library community shall share the responsibilities associated with providing no-fee public access to government information.

* "Reinventing Access to Federal Government Information: Report of the Chicago Conference on the Future of Federal Government Information, Chicago, Illinois, October 29-31, 1993." Documents to the People 21, no. 4 (December 1993): 234-246; Administrative Notes 14, no. 24 (November 30, 1993): 11-29.
(URL:http://www.arl.org/info/frn/gov/chicago.html)

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Coalition of Many Associations Framework *
(1995)

In the spring of 1995, the leaders of several library associations convened to revisit the Chicago Conference report in light of new legislation and changes in technology. In order to focus discussions more clearly, the group formulated a brief 2-page working document to carry to each of the associations. As with the previous documents, it includes a mission statement: "The mission for an enhanced Federal Information Dissemination and Access Program is to guarantee ready, equal, equitable, no-fee access to government information regardless of format to the people of the United States of America through participating Libraries. Building on the success of the current FDLP, the nation must develop a broader Federal Information Dissemination and Access Program."

The framework identifies 7 essential components of the enhanced program, and provides a grid which identifies the responsibilities of the program partners in the stages of the life cycle of government information (Creation, Dissemination, Access, Use, Preservation, Evaluation). This model uses the three program partners from the Chicago Conference report (Producing Government Agencies, Central Operational Authority, and Participating Libraries) and adds Users as a fourth. The Framework document was officially endorsed by ARL, ALA, SLA and AALL in 1995.

* "Enhanced Library Access and Dissemination of Federal Government Information: A Framework for Future Discussion." Working Document endorsed by the American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, Special Libraries Association, 1995. American Association of Law Libraries Newsletter 27, no. 1 (September 1995): 14-15.

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ALA Forum *
(July 1995)

I. Reconceptualize Federal Information and Access Responsibilities.
Proposes a new governance structure involving all three branches of government and all bodies with explicit information dissemination missions, with operational authority vested in a Chief Federal Information Dissemination Officer.

II. Reinvent the Current Federal Depository Library Program: A Federal/State/Local Library Partnership Program. Proposes a new partnership program, much more flexible than the present FDLP and based on local and statewide planning. The goals include the familiar "equitable, no-fee, efficient and dependable access," but also include goals relating to training and to measurement and evaluation. The chief emphasis is on empowering state and local libraries and consortia to design their own systems for services and for preservation, in partnership with the Federal government.

* "Model for 'New Universe' of Federal Information Access and Dissemination: Preliminary Results of Forum on Government Information Policy, July 20-21, 1995, Sponsored by American Library Association." ALAWON, ALA Washington Office Newsline 4, no. 77 (August 9, 1995).

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