It may have the word “printing” in its name, but the agency responsible for producing and disseminating federal information — often in paper form — is finally embracing the digital transformation.
The Government Printing Office’s “Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2013” highlights several digital improvements to GPO’s products and services. Among those enhancements were apps for the U.S. budget, the Plum Book and the 113th Congress Mobile Member Guide.
GPO also expanded access to House bill summaries via bulk download in XML format and made available nearly 1 million titles each month from GPO’s Federal Digital System, better known as FDSYS.
Other fiscal year 2013 achievements include:
- Finishing the production of materials for the 2013 presidential inauguration
- Reaching the milestone of 100,000 customer orders through the GPOExpress program
- Installing a continuity-of-operations capability for secure credentials at GPO’s Mississippi facility
- Rolling out a revamped version of GPO’s online bookstore
Along with accolades for GPO’s digital transformation by the National Academy of Public Administration, the report noted how the agency today is “fundamentally different” compared to just a decade ago: smaller, leaner and equipped with digital capabilities that are the foundation of the information systems the government uses daily.
“GPO is transforming from a print-centric to a content-centric publishing operation,” the report stated.”… In the years ahead, GPO will continue to develop an integrated, diversified product and services portfolio that primarily focuses on digital.”
The report also noted GPO’s businesslike operations recorded a positive net income of $7.3 million for the year, despite the “unusual fiscal challenges as a result of sequestration and preparations for a Government shutdown,” according to Public Printer Davita Vance-Cooks.
“In response, we made a concerted effort to control spending while continuing to meet the information needs of Congress, federal agencies and the public,” she said. “I am particularly pleased that during the year, our employees designated GPO as one of the best places to work in the federal government, based on the results of the Office of Personnel Management’s Employee Viewpoint Survey.”
