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Kentucky State Action Plan for Federal Depository Library Services (1990): Purpose of the FDL Program

I. Purpose of the Federal Depository Library Program

The purpose and the intent of the Federal Depository Library Program as administered by the United States Government Printing Office (GPO) are as follows:

To help fulfill its responsibility to inform the public on the policies and programs of the Federal Government, Congress established the Depository Library Program. This program is based upon three principles:

1) with certain specified exemptions, all government publications shall be made available to depository libraries;

2) depository libraries shall be located in each state and Congressional district in order to make government publications widely available;

3) these government publications shall be made available for the free use of the general public.

Chapter 19 of Title 44 of the United States Code is the authority for the establishment and operation of the depository program . . .*

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*Government Depository Libraries: The Present Law Governing Designated Depository Libraries. Joint Committee Print of the Joint Committee on Printing, U.S. Government Printing Office, revised May 1983, p. 1.