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GPO's centralized printing procurement authority provides a number of advantages to Federal agencies. For example, it would be very difficult for every entity in the Government (represented by approximately 4,500 billing address codes distributed among more than 135 different departments, bureaus, and agencies) to maintain individual printing procurement systems large enough and sophisticated enough to obtain the same level of competitive printing procurement that GPO achieves. Moreover, in a decentralized system of procurement, the Government would lose the ability to gang together orders for similar products from different sources to achieve better prices.

By consolidating the Government's specialized printing procurement skills and resources in GPO, agencies save money in their printing programs, and they achieve these savings without giving up essential controls. Most of GPO's printing procurements are conducted through direct deal term contracts, permitting agencies to place their printing orders directly with the contractor. Thus, GPO's centralized program utilizes a decentralized service infrastructure that allows agencies to directly control the vast majority of their printing needs from the point of origination.

Procurement through GPO vs. Production in Agency Plants. At the joint hearing on February 2, the witnesses discussed a 1983 study of agency printing plants conducted by the Office of Management and Budget and the Joint Committee on Printing. This study disclosed the operation of hundreds of agency printing and duplicating operations nationwide. Following the study, the objective was to downgrade, consolidate, and close as many of these operations as possible and turn over their work to GPO for procurement from the private sector. The witnesses acknowledged that the planned actions were not fully carried out. As indicated, there is approximately $670 million in Federal printing that currently is not going through GPO. This printing continues to offer the opportunity for significant annual savings for the taxpayers if it can be procured through GPO.

In 1994, Congress enacted permanent language in GPO's appropriations act requiring agencies to procure printing through GPO, with few exceptions, and defining printing to include duplicating. GPO maintains a number of direct deal term contracts for duplicating services that enable Federal agencies to obtain duplicating work at the lowest possible cost. This amendment also helps ensure that Federal printing produced by duplicating processes that meets the requirements for depository distribution is made available for the Depository Library Program.

Liaison with Customer Agencies. GPO works closely with Federal agencies in both producing and procuring printing. GPO has a network of interaction with agency publishers, printing officers, and financial offices in the conduct of day-to-day business. This network is characterized by partnership arrangements between agency publishers and printing officers on the one hand, and, on the other, GPO marketing specialists, designers, contracting officers, electronics specialists, printers, librarians, and distribution experts. Together, these various disciplines are routinely brought to bear on managing the life cycle of thousands of

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congressional and agency information products every year, from their inception through production and distribution.

GPO meets regularly with the Federal Publishers Committee, a Governmentwide organization of agency publishers, and the Interagency Council on Printing and Publishing Services, a Governmentwide organization of agency printing officers, to gather advice and resolve problems. GPO also provides training in printing and publishing services to Federal agencies through its Institute of Federal Printing and Publishing.

Electronic Products for Customer Agencies. In addition to printed products, GPO has been providing a wide range of electronic products for Federal agencies for the past several years. GPO is an acknowledged leader in the Government in CD-ROM technology. In 1992, GPO won the annual CD-ROM award from the Special Interest Group for CD-ROM Applications and Technology, the largest CD-ROM user group in the world. In 1993, the General Accounting Office reported that GPO's sales prices for CD-ROM products are among the lowest in the Government.

GPO's Access service provides online electronic access to the Federal Register in addition to congressional information products. In 1994, the Access service was one of the winners of the Federal Technology Leadership Awards, made jointly by Government Executive Magazine and the Office of Management and Budget.

Recycled Paper. In providing printing services for Congress and Federal agencies, GPO ensures that the printing conforms to related Federal statutes and policies. For example, GPO is the Government's largest single consumer of recycled paper products. Because of its buying power, GPO can procure adequate supplies of recycled paper at costs equivalent to the cost of virgin paper. Both the Congressional Record and the Federal Register are printed on 100 percent recycled newsprint, and for the past several years all products printed inplant, as well as most procured products, have been produced on recycled paper meeting the guidelines established by the Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. GPO also ensures that printed products meet the recycled guidelines contained in the President's Executive Order on recycling issued in late 1993.

Alkaline Paper. Congressional concern over the self-destruction of Government documents with enduring research and educational value due to printing on acid-based paper led in 1990 to the enactment of a policy requiring printing, when appropriate, on alkaline and permanent papers. The conduct of this policy was delegated to GPO, the Library of Congress, and the Archives. Since the late 1980's, GPO has ensured adequate supplies of alkaline and permanent papers for printing documents with enduring research and educational value.

Vegetable Oil-based Inks. Due to increased concerns about reducing dependence on foreign oil, utilizing a domestic renewable resource, and decreasing toxic emissions from petroleumbased inks, in 1994 Congress passed an act to require that all Federal lithographic printing utilize vegetable oil-based inks, including soy inks. The conduct of this policy was made the

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responsibility of GPO. When GPO's new offset web presses become operational, both the Congressional Record and the Federal Register will be printed with vegetable oil-based inks.

Superintendent of Documents Distribution Programs. Congress linked the Superintendent of Documents' publications distribution function with GPO's production function to ensure that the most comprehensive body of publications possible is made available for distribution to the public. Although electronic information dissemination is expanding, and while GPO is a part of the growing use of electronic dissemination, printed publications still comprise a major means of public access to Government information. GPO distributes approximately 100 million printed publications each year through its various distribution programs.

Sales Program. The Sales Program is the Superintendent of Documents' largest operation. In FY 1994, the program generated $81.9 million in revenues, yielding a net income of $6.2 million. This program employs approximately 625 FTEs. No appropriated funds are used in the operation of this program.

Publications are offered for sale by the Superintendent of Documents based on a pricing formula established by section 1708 of Title 44. Approximately 12,000 titles are offered for sale, and the program includes both print and electronic formats such as CD-ROM and online dissemination. Major bestsellers include the U.S. Budget, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, the Statistical Abstract, the Government Manual, the Economic Report of the President, and the Federal Register. Most sales are made via GPO's mail order operation, but bookstores around the Nation generate millions in sales annually. The typical publication ranges in price from 50 cents to $17, with the average price of $11. This compares favorably with the average prices for similar books in the private sector bookdealing industry.

Depository Library Program. The Depository Library Program is one of the Government's oldest programs for providing the public with access to Government information. Its antecedents date to 1813 when Congress ordered the distribution of congressional publications to State historical and antiquarian societies. As codified in chapter 19 of Title 44, today the Program distributes Government publications to Federal depositories in approximately 1,400 public, academic, law, and Federal agency libraries nationwide. Funding for this program in FY 1994 totaled $24.5 million from the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation of the Superintendent of Documents.

Libraries are designated as Federal depositories by Senators and Representatives as well as by law. GPO sends the libraries copies of all Government publications that are not purely of an administrative nature, cooperatively sponsored, or classified for reasons of national security. The majority of the depository libraries are selective depositories which tailor their Government publications acquisitions to local needs, choosing from among 7,000 organizational and series categories. Fifty-three libraries, or roughly one per State, are regional depositories and receive every publication distributed by the Program. These libraries also provide inter-library loan and related services to other depositories in their

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regions. More than 167,000 persons utilize Federal depository library collections nationwide each week.

The linkage between production and distribution that resides in GPO is especially critical where the Depository Library Program is concerned. The comprehensiveness of selections for the program is guaranteed by that linkage. Without it, the likelihood would increase that publications which belong in depository libraries would be lost to the program. Currently, such a problem already exists with "fugitive" documents, documents which belong in the program but which are excluded because they are printed elsewhere than GPO.

The publications printed for depository libraries are paid for by the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation. The appropriation also covers the cost of distributing the publications, as well as all administrative costs associated with program operations. The average cost of printing, cataloging, and distributing each publication shipped to depositories is approximately $1.00, a cost made possible by the volume of publications distributed in microfiche. The libraries that receive the publications are required to make them available for the free use of the public, ensuring equitable access to Government information.

Impact of Electronics on Depository Distribution. As an increasing amount of Government information is converted to electronic formats, the Depository Library Program is changing to meet the requirements of electronic dissemination. Already, GPO's Access service is providing depository library users nationwide with online Access to the Congressional Record, the Federal Register, congressional bills, and the U.S. Code.

With the establishment of locally-configured electronic depository gateways nationwide, the Access service is being structured in accordance with the decentralized, distributed nature of the Depository Library Program. The essential concept of the Depository Library Program is to allow libraries nationwide to develop their Government information collections in accordance with the information needs of their local communities. The establishment of depository gateways nationwide allows this locally-driven program to add electronic online services to its information offerings, rather than requiring all information offerings to be dictated by a centralized service based in Washington.

The role of the Depository Library Program will be enhanced as the program makes the transition from dissemination of Government information in paper and microfiche formats to a system of electronic on-demand delivery of the information. Such delivery, in either image or full-text format, offers potential future economies for both libraries and the Government. With the increased dissemination of Government information in electronic formats, depository libraries will also act in new roles, serving as intermediaries helping their local publics find paths to Federal electronic information.

Depository libraries must also continue to service the historical paper and microfiche collections of Government documents while expanding their capability to handle electronic information. Depositories should be able to offer users access to work stations with a choice

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of a text-based or graphical user interface, CD-ROM capability, Internet connections, and the ability to print or download extensive documents. A recent survey of the electronic capabilities of depository libraries showed that the vast majority now have personal computers, CD-ROM capability, and access to the Internet. Eventually, these capabilities will allow anyone to connect from classroom, home, or office to GPO's Access service databases, the storage facility, or the electronic locator via a depository gateway.

Of particular significance to Congress today is the concept of near-term investment for future savings. While depository distribution funded by the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation now includes funding to provide information to depository libraries in both hard copy and electronic formats, this expense will be recovered through savings expected when electronic on demand delivery can replace print or microfiche copies. The savings and cost-avoidance from the use of electronic publishing and dissemination is currently estimated at $1.8 million per year, a figure which will increase as more titles traditionally distributed in print formats are converted to electronic media.

Other Distribution Programs. The Superintendent of Documents is required by sections 1710 and 1711 of Title 44 to index and classify Government publications and prepare the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, which contains authoritative descriptions of Government documents. Access to the comprehensive body of publications printed by GPO is especially important to the fulfillment of this mission. This program is funded by the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation. Funding in FY 1994 was $3.2 million.

Under various sections of Title 44, the Superintendent of Documents is required to distribute certain publications free of charge to recipients designated by law. These include the Congressional Record (the Congressional Printing and Binding Appropriation pays for the cost of printing copies of the Congressional Record for official recipients and the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation pays for distributing them). This program is also funded by the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation. Funding in FY 1994 was $629,000.

Under international treaties, which were subsequently codified in section 1719 of Title 44, U.S. Government publications such as the Congressional Record are distributed to foreign libraries in exchange for publications produced by their governments, which are shipped to the Library of Congress. The Library administers this program and GPO distributes the publications. This program is funded by the Salaries and Expenses Appropriation. FY 1994 funding was $712,000.

Section 1701 of Title 44 authorizes the Superintendent of Documents to distribute publications on behalf of Federal agencies to recipients designated by those agencies. This is a reimbursable operation; GPO provides the service and is paid by the publishing agencies. There is no direct appropriation to GPO for this program. The largest reimbursable operation is the Consumer Information Center in Pueblo, CO, which is run by GPO on behalf of the General Services Administration. The Center distributes free and low cost