Depository libraries serve the public every day by providing free access to a wealth of U.S. Government information products. Your expertise and dedication is unmatched.

GPO is shedding light on your invaluable institutions by highlighting a different Federal depository library each month. By spotlighting the unique services and offerings of our depositories, we can share in the strengths and innovations of our partners and help promote the essential American service that is the FDLP.

Sharing ideas, discovering better ways of doing things, clarifying issues and re-enforcing the community are some of the goals that the GPO-sponsored meetings seek to accomplish. Three annual meetings address issues related to the Federal Depository Library Program. Upon request, GPO representatives will also participate in meetings sponsored by other library or government information organizations and in depository library anniversary celebrations.

Federal depository libraries and GPO are partners in the FDLP. Take advantage of the network of the FDLP to help you learn more about the value of your Federal Depository Library and all the different options available to help your depository prosper everyday or in challenging times.

The Federal Depository Library of the Year award provides special recognition for a library that furthers the goal of the Federal Depository Library Program by ensuring that the American public has free access to its Government's information. Libraries of the Year demonstrate creativity and innovation in developing specific community programs for use of Federal government information or cause a dramatic increase in their community's usage of this valuable resource.

The Federal depository library community is filled with individuals highly skilled and knowledgeable in the field of U.S. Government information. Share your expertise with the community by participating in GPO's online learning initiative. One of the online training resources that is utilized by GPO is OPAL, which stands for Online Learning for All Libraries.

GPO has been developing partnerships with Federal depository libraries and other Federal agencies to increase access to electronic Federal information since 1997. With an increasing amount of Federal information available electronically, partnerships ensure permanent public access to electronic content and provide services to assist depositories in providing access to electronic material and in managing their depository collections. These partnerships also allow GPO to take advantage of the expertise of Federal depository librarians and the services they have developed. While FDLP partnerships will vary based on the type of project, partnerships generally fall into three categories. However, partnerships are not limited to these categories, and GPO will consider partnership proposals that fall outside of these categories.

Federal depository libraries play an essential role to educators, researchers, professionals and to the American public by providing Federal government information at no cost. These promotional tools are designed to empower Federal depository libraries with the ability to effectively encourage the general public to use the services that are provided. Targeted strategic marketing plans, give-away items, logos for download, posters and informative resources are just some of the tools available for implementation.

The U.S. Government Printing Office has the responsibility to ensure that the resources it distributes to Federal depository libraries are made accessible to the general public. The Public Access Assessments program is the primary way that GPO fulfills this requirement. A Public Access Assessment (PAA) is a review by GPO staff of an individual library’s Federal depository operations and services.