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Columbia Encyclopedia: United States Government Printing Office
(GPO), federal bureau originally authorized in 1860 that performs printing and binding for Congress and federal departments and agencies, distributes government publications in printed and electronic formats, and reprints documents for public purchase. It sells, through mail order and government bookstores, approximately 12,000 printed and electronic publications, and administers the program through which selected government publications are made available at some 1,350 depository libraries throughout the United States. The GPO also provides on-line access to the Congessional Record and other key government publications.

 
 
Law Encyclopedia: Government Printing Office
This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

Since the mid-nineteenth century, one government establishment has existed to fill the printing, binding, and distribution needs of the federal government. Established on June 23, 1860, by Congressional Joint Resolution No. 25, the Government Printing Office (GPO) has provided publication supplies and services to the U.S. Congress, the executive departments, and all other agencies of the federal government. The definition of the duties set forth in the 1860 resolution has stayed essentially the same over the years, with only one amendment in all that time, 44 U.S.C.A. § 101 et seq.

The GPO is overseen by the Congressional Joint Committee on Printing. The head of the GPO works under the title public printer and is appointed by the president of the United States with the consent of the Senate. The public printer is also legally required to be a "practical printer versed in the art of bookbinding" (44 U.S.C.A. § 301).

The GPO uses a variety of printing and binding processes, including electronic photo composition; letterpress printing; Linotype and hand composition; photopolymer platemaking; offset photography; stripping, platemaking, and presswork; and manual and machine bookbinding. The GPO also provides supplies like blank paper and ink to federal agencies, prepares catalogs, and sells and distributes some publications to civilians.

The GPO offers catalogs that detail publications available to the public. All catalogs are available from the superintendent of documents at the GPO. The GPO Sales Publications Reference File, which is issued biweekly on magnetic tape, lists the author, the title, and subject information for each new publication. A more comprehensive listing, the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, serves as an index to all the publications handled by the GPO.

The GPO also offers two free catalogs for people who are interested in new or popular publications: U.S. Government Books and New Books. The first lists the titles of best-selling government publications, and the second is a bimonthly listing of government publications for sale.

The approximately twenty thousand publications listed in these catalogs can be purchased by mail from the GPO's superintendent of documents. In addition, the books and catalogs published by the GPO can be purchased at the approximately two dozen GPO bookstores open to the public. Most of the bookstores are located in government hub cities such as Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles. Publications are also available for public perusal at select depository libraries around the United States.

Owing to the large volume of documents produced by the various federal agencies, the GPO does not handle 100 percent of the printing and binding services for the government. In some instances, the GPO takes bids from commercial suppliers and awards contracts to those with the lowest bids. From there, the GPO serves as a connection between ordering agencies and contractors. The booklet How to Do Business with the Government Printing Office provides a background and instructions for contracting with the GPO and submitting bids. The booklet can be requested from any GPO regional printing procurement office. Any printing or binding contract inquiries can be directed to one of these thirteen offices, located in Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas; Denver; Hampton, Virginia; Los Angeles; New York; Philadelphia; St. Louis; San Francisco; and Seattle.

 
Wikipedia: United States Government Printing Office
Government Printing Office
Logo
Logo
Official seal
Official seal
Agency overview
Formed June 23, 1860
Jurisdiction Federal government of the United States
Headquarters 732 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Agency Executive Robert C. Tapella, Public Printer
Website
www.gpo.gov

The Government Printing Office (GPO) is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office prints and provides access to documents produced by and for all three branches of the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, and all executive branch agencies. The primary mission of the GPO is to inform citizens by making government publications widely available, by gathering, cataloging, providing, and preserving published information in all forms. GPO provides information to the public through GPO Access, which contains searchable databases of government information, and through the Federal Depository Library Program, which is a partnership with hundreds of libraries throughout the country.

History

GPO began operations in accordance with Congressional Joint Resolution 25 of June 23, 1860. The activities of GPO are defined in the public printing and documents chapters of Title 44 of the United States Code. The Public Printer, who serves as the head of GPO, is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

The entrance to GPO headquarters in Washington
Enlarge
The entrance to GPO headquarters in Washington

Official Journals of Government

GPO now contracts out much of the federal government's printing but prints the Official Journals of Government in-house. The Official Journals of Government include

A new e-passport produced by the GPO
Enlarge
A new e-passport produced by the GPO

Passports

GPO has been producing the nation's passports since the 1920s. With the successful integration of those technological advancements and increased production capabilities, GPO has converted all Passport production in May 2007 to the new electronic Passport e-Passport)[1]. The United States Department of State began issuing e-Passports to the public in 2006. The e-Passport includes an electronic chip embedded in the cover that contains the same information that is printed in the passport: name, date of birth, gender, place of birth, dates of passport issuance and expiration, passport number and photo image of the traveler. The e-passport contains security features to prevent the chips from being read, cloned or changed. GPO not only produces the e-Passport, GPO’s Creative Services team created the page designs. Recent regulation changes require U.S. citizens traveling by air to and from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean to have a passport, which has increased the demand for the document. GPO produces the blank e-Passport, while the Department of State subsequently adjudicates applications and personalizes individual documents.

The Future Digital Information System (FDsys)

GPO's Office of Innovation and New Technology is working to develop GPO’s Digital Information System (FDsys). As outlined in the Strategic Vision, FDsys will allow federal agencies to easily create and submit content that can then be preserved, authenticated, managed and delivered upon request. FDsys will form the core of GPO’s future operations.

FDsys will include all known Federal Government documents within the scope of GPO’s Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), whether printed or electronic. Information entered into the system will be authenticated and catalogued according to GPO metadata and document creation standards. Content will include text, graphics, audio, and video files. It will be available for online searching and viewing, downloading and printing, and as document masters for conventional and on-demand printing.

FDsys is being developed in phases and currently included three scheduled releases. The first public release is scheduled for early 2008.[2]

The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP)

The mission of the FDLP is to disseminate information products from all three branches of the Government to over 1,250 libraries nationwide. Libraries that have been designated as Federal depositories maintain these information products as part of their existing collections and are responsible for assuring that the public has free access to the material provided by the FDLP.

The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was established by the United States Congress to ensure that the American public has access to its Government's information. Since 1813, depository libraries have safeguarded the public's right to know by collecting, organizing, maintaining, preserving, and assisting users with information from the Federal Government. The FDLP provides Government information at no cost to designated depository libraries throughout the country and territories. These depository libraries, in turn, provide local, no-fee access to Government information in an impartial environment with professional assistance.

As institutions committed to equity of access and dedicated to free and unrestricted public use, the nation's nearly 1,250 depository libraries serve as one of the vital links between "We the people" and our Government. Anyone can visit Federal depository libraries and use the Federal depository collections which are filled with information on careers, business opportunities, consumer information, health and nutrition, legal and regulatory information, demographics, and numerous other subjects.[3]

U.S. Government Manual

The GPO also publishes annual United States Government Manual, and an official style manual to be used for all Government publications. The GPO Bookstore sells these and other publications. The bookstore is located at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20401.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is responsible for the printing of United States currency.

References

  1. ^ GPO Press Release on GPO website [1]
  2. ^ GPO Website Project Overview [2]
  3. ^ GPO Access Website [3]

See also

External links


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Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Law Encyclopedia. West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Copyright © 1998 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "United States Government Printing Office".  Read more

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