Administrative Notes: Newsletter of the FDLP

GPO Awards Contract for ILS

The U.S. Government Printing Office has awarded a contract to Progressive Technology Federal Systems Inc. (PTFS) of Bethesda, MD, to provide GPO with software and services to create a state-of-the-art integrated library management solution. The new Integrated Library System (ILS) is Ex Libris (USA)’s Aleph 500 software. GPO is also procuring their MetaLib/SFX federated search and reference linking application. These products provide the bibliographic core of the systems infrastructure required for GPO’s new Information Dissemination organization. Aleph 500 and MetaLib/SFX are critical for the administration of GPO’s National Bibliography and the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP).

By law, GPO is required to create a comprehensive index and catalog of U.S. Public documents from all branches of the Federal Government. The Ex Libris products will facilitate this process and provide a publicly accessible Web portal to the National Bibliography of Government publications. The new ILS will support electronic alternatives to several GPO printed products and their legacy support systems and allow the migration of GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP)to a more powerful and easily searched database tool.