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The Joint Committee on Printing and its staff have also played a significant role in achieving improvements at GPO. The Monthly Catalog is much improved in format and timeliness. We hope that improvements will continue to be made in the timeliness of this publication. We also welcome the shared cataloging project between GPO and the Library of Congress which should eliminate duplicate cataloging and indexing of government publications. The results of this project will help not just depository libraries, but all libraries which house government documents. The increase in automation activities at GPO is a development we view as necessary to improve service and increase efficiency.

Last year your subcommittee approved an appropriation of $500,000 for the Joint Committee on Printing to conduct an independent, objective, in-depth examination of GPO management and operations. That study is now about to begin. We commend the subcommittee for its action, and look forward to the results of the study.

The American Library Association is also concerned about the overall operation and management of GPO. Within ALA a special ad hoc committee, composed primarily of documents librarians, has just completed a review of Title 44, the basic printing statute. The committee has recommended changes to improve and refine the depository library program. We hope that these recommendations will be considered in the course of the management study.

Summary of Recommendations

Although many libraries are depository libraries and receive most government publications through this system, many other libraries are purchasers of government documents. We request that the subcommittee adequately fund the Office of Superintendent of Documents of the Goverment Printing Office so that government publications are not priced so high that nonprofit libraries are no longer able to acquire them for the use of the public.

We also request that the Superintendent of Documents' budget be adequate to accommodate the expansion of the depository library system as proposed in HR 8358, designating libraries of accredited law schools as depository libraries.

We support the upcoming review of GPO management and operations. We also believe that Title 44 has become so complicated with piecemeal amendments over the years that a comprehensive revision is now in order. The American Library Association has recently recommended changes in Title 44, and we stand ready to be of assistance in this regard.

We appreciate the opportunity to present our views to the subcommittee, and we ask that this letter be made a part of your FY 1979 hearing record.

Sincerely

Millent looki

Eileen D. Cooke

Director

ALA Washington Office

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