GPO Awards New Contract for 2020 U.S. Census Materials

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has awarded the contract for 2020 Census printing materials and mailing services to R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (RRD) following a competitive procurement process. RRD is a Chicago based company, and production will take place at several of its facilities across the country. The contract was awarded for $114,557,201.27, which is well within the U.S. Census Bureau’s budget. It covers the production of materials that will help the public respond to the 2020 Census, including questionnaires, letters, inserts, postcards, and envelopes. GPO and U.S. Census Bureau employees will conduct quality control and testing throughout the contract period.
GPO initially made an award in November 2017, but that contract was terminated following a settlement between the Department of Justice and the contractor in July 2018.
“GPO is committed to working with the U.S. Census Bureau on the successful production of the 2020 Census,” said GPO Acting Deputy Director Herbert H. Jackson, Jr. “This is another example of how our long-standing print procurement program meets the printing needs of Federal agencies through GPO’s partnerships with private-sector companies.”
GPO’s nationwide print procurement program provides significant economic opportunities for private sector companies to expand their business by providing services to Federal agency customers on a national level. Nearly 75% of all printing ordered by Federal agencies from GPO is performed by private sector firms working under contract with the agency. GPO typically awards contracts to about 700 printing contractors a year. Nearly 10,000 companies are registered to do business with the agency, using GPO as their one-stop shop for print contract opportunities. GPO's long-standing relationship with the private sector dates back to the 1940s.

POLO Series Available in Catalog of U.S. Government Publications

GPO recently cataloged 38 titles of the Central Intelligence Agency’s POLO series. Inspired by the threat of international communism, the Sino-Soviet Studies Group (SSG) was established in 1956 within the Office of Current Intelligence and was the office responsible for the POLO series.
Written between 1961 and 1973, these informal intelligence studies provide insight into the Chinese government under Mao Zedong. Topics include the Cultural Revolution, the Sino-Indian border dispute, leadership after Mao, and various purges.
Individual PURLs have been created for all 38 titles. One example:

• Title: Lin Piao and the Great Helmsman
• SuDoc: PREX 3.22:P 75/29
• System #: 1087974
• PURL

View all POLO series titles available in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) by entering ‘polo series’ in the Basic Search or ‘polo’ in the Series/Periodical keyword(s) Advanced Search.
To learn more about this and two related series, see the publication on the CAESAR, POLO & ESAU papers (also available at the GPO Bookstore) as well as the POLO collection on the CIA website.

World War I Documents Now Available on govinfo

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) has digitized the 17-volume set, United States Army in the World War, 1917-1919, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the end of the conflict, and it is now available on govinfo. Published in 1948, this publication compiles key documents, maps, and records for the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) from the start of the American involvement in World War I through the occupation of Germany.

• Volumes one and two focus on the formation and organization of the American Expeditionary Forces.
• Volume three looks at the training and use of American units in the British and French armies.
• Volumes four - eight provide documents on military operations.
• Volume nine focuses on operations in the Meuse-Argonne.
• Volumes 10 and 11 are documents related to the armistice and American occupation of Germany.
• Volumes 12-15 contain reports of the Commander-in-Chief, AEF.
• The final two volumes, 16 and 17, contain bulletins from the general headquarters of the AEF.

This publication offers a glimpse into the organization and operations of the AEF through primary source documents compiled by the Historical Division, U.S. Army.

FDsys Website Will be Retired on December 14

GPO plans to retire GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) website and replace it with govinfo on December 14, 2018.
govinfo provides access to the same publications and search functionality as FDsys, but has a new look and new features.
Read more information about the retirement of the FDsys website and transition to govinfo, including FAQs.
When the FDsys website is retired on December 14, existing links will automatically redirect to govinfo.
Other GPO websites, including the following, will not be affected by the FDsys retirement:

• GPO.gov
• The U.S. Government Bookstore
• The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
• FDLP.gov
• Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations

GPO Issues Release Of Statute Compilations

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) releases an initial set of 40 Statute Compilations as a pilot on govinfo, GPO’s website that offers public access to Federal Government information. These publications are compilations of public laws that either do not appear in the U.S. Code or that have been classified to a title of the U.S. Code that has not been enacted into positive law. Each Statute Compilation incorporates the amendments made to the underlying statute since it was originally enacted.
GPO is partnering with various Congressional offices on this project, including the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Legislative Counsel of the U.S. Senate, the Clerk of the House, and the Secretary of the Senate.
Additional Statute Compilations will be added to govinfo over the next several months. The next phase of this project will be to convert legacy Statute Compilations file formats into United States Legislative Markup (USLM) XML and provide access to those files as bulk data.
“The release of Statute Compilations on govinfo now gives the public easy access to these documents on smartphones, tablets, laptops and personal computers,” said GPO Acting Deputy Director Herbert H. Jackson, Jr. “This is another example of how GPO is working with Congress to provide digital access to the workings on the three branches of the Federal Government.”

FDsys Website to be Retired This December

This December, the transition from GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) to govinfo will be complete with the retirement of the FDsys website.
In preparation for the retirement of FDsys in December, the two most important things to know about the transition are the following:

1. Although the FDsys website is being replaced with the new, modern govinfo website, GPO remains committed to ensuring authenticity, integrity, and long term preservation for more than a million documents in our system. govinfo is simply a new front door to accessing the same authenticated and preserved content that you are used to accessing through the FDsys website.
2. When the FDsys website is retired in December, any existing links to FDsys, including PURLs, will automatically be redirected by GPO to govinfo. We encourage you to update your website links and references to govinfo as is feasible.

More information about the transition is available on govinfo. Feedback on govinfo is welcome at GPO’s online survey.

FDLP LibGuide & Other Resources from GPO on Natural Disasters

September is National Preparedness Month. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently reported in 2017 natural disasters cost the United States $312.7 billion dollars. This total represents near 20% of the costs of all natural disasters since 1980. This month we are featuring the FDLP LibGuide - Natural Disasters.
The Natural Disasters LibGuide provides information on how to prepare for natural disasters, as well as sources of information on general recovery. The guide also lists resources for specific types of disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and more. The resources featured include links to a variety of Federal agencies including Ready.gov, FEMA, the CDC, in addition to links to websites, apps, information for kids, and GPO publications to assist in disaster preparation and where to access help when necessary.
In addition to this LibGuide, GPO also makes available guidance for libraries on what to do if a disaster strikes:

• What To Do If Your Library Has Unplanned Access Restrictions
• What To Do If Your Library Has a Flood or Water Disaster
• What To Do If Your Library Books Have Mold

Finally, GPO has posted a new Government Book Talk blog on National Preparedness Month. On behalf of everyone at GPO, please stay safe and be prepared.