The Transition of U.S. Government Publications from Paper to the Internet

Abstract

ABSTRACT Once upon a time, U.S. government information was released almost exclusively in print format although, by the 1970s, depository libraries received some publications on microfiche. The government began to produce more electronic information products, causing librarians to demand that these materials be included in the depository program. As the Internet became more heavily used, the U.S. government disseminated an increasing amount of information on the Internet. In August 2000, Superintendent of Documents Francis J. Buckley, Jr. sent directors of U.S. government depository libraries a letter informing them that the Federal Depository Library Program was underfunded, resulting in the transition to a substantially electronic depository system. This timeline shows some of the steps along the way to an electronic depository program.