F e d e r a l    D e p o s i t o r y    L i b r a r y    P r o g r a m

Dear Depository Coordinator:

The spring 2004 Depository Library Council meeting is coming up on April 18-21, and I strongly urge you to attend. The afternoon session on Monday, April 19th, will be particularly important to all government information professionals, as Public Printer Bruce R. James will present the "simple truths" about the current and future state of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) and the Government Printing Office (GPO) that have been uncovered during the past year's fact-finding activities. This session will include an opportunity for the audience to discuss the findings with the Public Printer and the Council.

In addition, the meeting will feature presentations covering authentication and verification of electronic depository resources, digitization and preservation of the legacy print collections, proposals for a new economic model for the GPO Sales Program, and many other issues dealing with both practical applications and theoretical avenues of future development.

There are major changes in the meeting schedule this year. Because we have so many important topics to discuss, the opening session of the meeting will begin at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, April 18th, rather than at the more traditional time on Monday morning. You will want to schedule your arrival so you can participate in the Sunday afternoon and evening meetings on the new economic model for the GPO sales program, the proposed standards for document repositories, and establishment of a collection of last resort.

For further details, the meeting announcement and agenda are available at <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/sp04coun.html#quick >.

There is no charge for the meeting, which is being held at the Sheraton Westport Hotel, located at 900 Westport Plaza Dr., in St. Louis, MO. All participants should register at <http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/tools/counreg.html>.

Many ideas about the evolving partnership between GPO and the depository library community will be discussed at this meeting, and it is essential that as many depository staff members as possible attend. I have written to your directors, inviting their personal participation at least for the Monday sessions with Bruce James and encouraging them to send depository staff to the whole meeting.

I look forward to seeing you in St. Louis!

Sincerely,

JUDITH C. RUSSELL
Superintendent of Documents