Government Publications Go Online Via GPO’s Partnership with Google
WASHINGTON, DC—April 5, 2011—The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is working with the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and GPO’s relationship with the Google Book Partner Program to make popular government publications available as free electronic downloads through Google. The program is making 100 consumer-related federal government publications distributed through GSA’s Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) available on Google Books.
The public can view and download PDF copies of these publications on desktops, laptops and various e-Readers. The FCIC plans to add more consumer publications to the program. The public can also order hard copies of the publications on Google Books and through the GPO’s Online Bookstore. The FCIC will coordinate delivery through GPO’s Public Documents Distribution Center in Pueblo, CO.
“GPO and GSA have been partners in distributing federal government publications to the American people for 40 years,” said GPO’s Business Products & Services Managing Director Herb Jackson. “GPO looks forward to expanding that partnership with Google in providing the public with free electronic access to popular consumer publications.”
“Our market research confirms that 74 percent of the public wants government information both online and in printed form. We want to embrace the changing environment and provide important consumer-related information where people want to consume it—on their computers, on their mobile devices, or on paper,” said Dave McClure, GSA Associate Administrator of the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies.
About the U.S. General Services Administration
Since 1970, GSA’s Federal Citizen Information Center has been distributing Government consumer publications from GPO’s Public Documents Distribution Center in Pueblo, Colorado on topics like staying healthy, understanding government benefits, managing finances and saving money, avoiding scams and identity theft. President Barack Obama singed a bill into law in December renaming the distribution center after former Congressman Frank Evans. Congressman Evans gained Congressional approval for the facility in 1970. The center is responsible for processing and distributing orders for consumer publications. In the last 40 years, more than 800 million publications have been distributed worldwide.
About the U.S. Government Printing Office
With 2,200 employees, GPO is the Federal Government’s primary resource for producing, procuring, cataloging, indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and preserving the official information products of the U.S. Government in digital and tangible forms. GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies. In addition to publication sales, GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through GPO’s Federal Digital System (www.fdsys.gov) and through partnerships with approximately 1,220 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal Depository Library Program. For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov. Follow GPO on Facebook www.facebook.com/USGPO Twitter http://twitter.com/USGPO and on YouTubewww.youtube.com/user/gpoprinter.
Source: release.
