GovInfo Reaches Record Number of Hits

Since 1994 the Government Publishing Office or GPO (formerly the Government Printing Office) has been providing trustworthy government information online for free to anyone.  The GPO is a government agency falling under the legislative branch of government and by law provides free access to government documents produced by all three branches of government.  Until the onset of electronic access, the only way to accomplish this was through the Federal Depository Library Program whereby documents are sent to designated government libraries across the country.  Now, in conjunction with the FDLP, government information is widely available online through the site GovInfo.gov.

Last year a record number of 1.15 billion retrievals were accessed through GovInfo.  This is an increase of 32% over 2022 and an increase of 215% over 2018! The most popular source of information in 2023 was the Federal Register (the Federal Register is a daily compilation of documents produced by the Executive branch including changes to federal regulations, notices from federal agencies, executive orders and other presidential documents).

The GPO’s electronic dissemination of information began in 1994 with the creation of GPOAccess.  In 2009 the next generation system, the Federal Digital System (FDsys), was introduced.  In 2016, the current site GovInfo was launched.  But the GPO is not only assigned the duty of spreading government information; it is also given the responsibility to preserve government documents for future posterity, including those documents born digital.  In 2019 GovInfo was the first US digital depository, and the second in the world, to be certified as having the “highest global standard of excellence possible” in providing access and preservation to these important materials. 

New Electronic U.S. Federal Government Publication for January 2023

909 New Electronic Titles (NET) are now available for January 2023. These publications are accessible from the New Titles section of the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP). 

Here are some examples of the new publications: 

1 Access for Veterans to Records Act of 2022 : report of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate to accompany S. 4816 to require the Archivist of the United States to submit to Congress a comprehensive plan for reducing the backlog of requests for records from the National Personnel Records Center, and for other purposes. 2023 United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Y 1.1/5:117-265 https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo190997 

2 Advancing American AI Act : report of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate to accompany S. 1353 to promote United States values and fulfill agency missions through the use of innovative applied artificial intelligence technologies, and for other purposes. 2023 United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Y 1.1/5:117-270 https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo191001  

3 All-American Flag Act : report of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate to accompany S. 4399 to require the purchase of domestically made flags of the United States of America for use by the federal government. 2023 United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Y 1.1/5:117-240 https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo191067 

4 Allegations of ethics violations by former U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary were not substantiated. 2023 United States. Department of the Interior. Office of Inspector General, I 1.121:19-0313 https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo191151 

5 American Security Drone Act of 2021 : report of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate to accompany S. 73 to ban the federal procurement of certain drones and other unmanned aircraft systems, and for other purposes. 2023 United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Y 1.1/5:117-267 https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo191123 

6 Balancing open science and security in the U.S. research enterprise : joint hearing before the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee on Research and Technology of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, first session, October 5, 2021. 2023 United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (2011- ).Subcommittee on Y 4.SCI 2:117-33 https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo191235 

7 Build America, Buy America Act : report of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate to accompany S. 1303 to ensure that certain federal infrastructure programs require the use of materials produced in the United States, and for other purposes. 2023 United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Y 1.1/5:117-268  https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo191047 

8 Building back the U.S. research enterprise : COVID impacts and recovery : hearing before the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, first session, February 25, 2021. 2023 United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (2011- ), Y 4.SCI 2:117-2 https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo190721 

9 Building regional innovation economies : hearing before the Subcommittee on Research and Technology of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, first session, June 9, 2021. 2023 United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science, Space, and Technology (2011- ).Subcommittee on Y 4.SCI 2:117-20 https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo191481 

10 Cargo preference : compliance with and enforcement of maritime’s buy American laws : remote hearing before the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, second session, September 14, 2022. 2023 United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Subcommittee on Coast Y 4.T 68/2:117-57 https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo190921