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been distributed to depository libraries and cannot search for those titles in the national cataloging data bases. In order to eliminate the backlog, GPO needs to catalog an additional 1000 titles per month. Because of inadequate staffing the goal of zero backlog cannot be met.

The Joint Committee has expressed concern about the current backlog of 9,813 publications and has urged GPO to explore cooperative cataloging programs with other Federal libraries as a means to eliminate the backlog. GPO, in response, has established a pilot project with the General Accounting Office Library.

The Congress established the Superintendent of Documents sales program to sell publications to the public on a cost-recovery basis at reasonable prices. In order to improve the operation of this program, the Joint Committee authorized GPO to explore options for improving its automation and telephone systems.

The Joint Committee on Printing continues to support the public's easy access to sales publications through the GPO bookstore program, but has asked the GPO to evaluate the program and develop a strategic plan. The Joint Committee is supporting GPO's plans to improve the current bookstores by moving them into commercial spaces where they are easily accessible to the public, updating their equipment and providing training for the staff in the use of computers.

F.

International Exchange Program Backlog

As provided by law (44 USC 1719), the Library of Congress conducts official exchanges of Government publications with a number of foreign governments as determined by the Brussels Conventions of 1886, executive agreements, or treaties. Under the resulting International Exchange Service program, the Superintendent of Documents assembles and distributes the official exchange sets for the United States. The Library of Congress receives and houses the official publications of the other nations. The Joint Committee on Printing and the Joint Committee on the Library provide oversight.

Since early 1987 the United States has not been able to properly fulfill its part of the program because of serious difficulties in the selection, procurement and timely distribution of publications.

As of November 1991, approximately 6,833 titles were waiting to be microfiched prior to being sent

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has suggested that the foreign exchange libraries be added to the domestic depository computerized selection and distribution system. If implemented, this proposal should allow the program to operate far more efficiently and allow foreign libraries to pre-select publications, thereby reducing the number of publications printed, microfiched and later discarded. The Joint Committee has directed GPO to do a new cost analysis of this proposal to improve the international exchange program and report back on how these two programs can be merged in a cost effective

manner.

11). Overall Management of GPO

During Fiscal Year 1991, the Joint Committee approved a number of actions at the Government Printing Office designed to improve and achieve more efficient operations. These figures reflect $6.8 million in requested capital equipment and renovation requirements and $43.9 million for FY 1991 Annual Contracts and Services. The $6.8 million submission was the result of an intensive two year re-examination of previously submitted requests for equipment along with newly identified items, all of which are designed to provide GPO with applications and procedures that better meet the needs of Congress and the Executive Agencies. The grand total of $93,056,997 was compiled with a $1,010,000 reduction in annual contracts and services which was requested by the Joint Committee. A summary of those

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III. COMPILATION, PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF
CERTAIN CONGRESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING THE
CONGRESSIONAL DIRECTORY AND THE CONGRESSIONAL
PICTORIAL DIRECTORY

1. Congressional Publications

The Joint Committee establishes policies, standards, and procedures for the printing of Congressional publications. These include bills, committee reports, hearings, committee prints, the Congressional Record, the Congressional Record Index, calendars, documents, and other publications printed by resolution.

The Joint Committee also oversees the distribution of the following Congressional publications to Members of Congress and Committees: Congressional Record; Congressional Record Index; U.S. Congressional Serial Set; U.S. Code; Statutes-at-Large; Treaties and International Agreements; Foreign Relations of the United States; Jefferson's Manual and Rules of the House; Deschler's Precedents; The Capitol: A Pictorial History of the Capitol and the Congress; Our Flag; the U.S. Constitution Annotated; How Our Laws Are Made; The Constitution: Bicentennial Edition; the Department of Agriculture Yearbooks; and the high school and college debate topics.

Pursuant to provision of law, the Joint Committee compiled and published the Congressional Directory and Congressional Pictorial Directory for the 102d Congress.

The Congressional Directory, S. Pub. 102-4, was printed and delivered to Congressional offices in May of this year. An electronic data base of the publication was provided to the Government Printing Office to facilitate sales to the public and agencies in electronic format as well as print format.

Efforts are under way to develop the software for

distribution of this information on-line to House and Senate offices. Periodic updates of the information to be distributed in this manner will reduce the costs of compilation of the Congressional Directory when it is to be printed again.

The Congressional Pictorial Directory, S. Prt. 102-2, was delivered in February 1991.

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C. Authority and Rules of Senate Committees, 102d Congress

Working with the Office of the Senate Legal Counsel, the editorial staff of the Joint Committee compiled and printed Senate Document 102-6. This publication is distributed by the Document Rooms and the Senate Rules and Administration Committee.

d. Ceremony of Welcome for the Dalai Lama of Tibet

A joint Congressional delegation of House and Senate leaders held a ceremony of welcome for His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet on April 18, 1991. House Document 102-150 will be printed to commemorate the occasion.

e.

Retirement Tributes to Morris K. Udall of Arizona

The special orders held in tribute to the retiring Member from Arizona, Morris K. Udall, will be printed as a House Document.

f. Our American Government. What Is It, How Does It Function? This House Document, last printed in 1981, will be updated and substantially re-edited for use by House and Senate Members.

To commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage to the New World, a House Document describing the artworks of Columbus in the Capitol will be printed.

h. Other Printing Activity by the Joint Committee

The Joint Committee will publish, pursuant to statute, eulogies for Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania, Senator John Tower of Texas, and Representative Silvio 0. Conte of Massachusetts.

In addition the annual reports of five veterans organizations were printed as House Documents, as provided by statute.

2. Electronic Printing Services for the Congress

The staff of the Joint Committee worked with offices of the House and Senate to provide improved printing capabilities for

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Senate: The GPO and the Office of the Secretary of the Senate have modified procedures for preparation of the Congressional Record manuscript to improve the timely delivery of the Congressional Record. Some of the material is prepared in electronic format for fiber optic transmission to the GPO. The Daily Digest is prepared electronically by the Senate Daily Digest Clerk.

In addition, the Senate Enrolling Clerk is now using GPO composition software to produce engrossed bills. The products can now be completed much more quickly and at lower cost because of these automation changes.

The Senate Journal is compiled and edited electronically in the office of the Secretary of the Senate from data files supplied by the GPO.

House: The Clerk of the House is investigating the use of the electronic enrollment system that is being offered by the GPO. In addition, the House Journal is being edited from data files supplied to the House Information Systems by GPO.

The staff of the Joint Committee met with personnel from the Office of the Clerk and the GPO to collect information for a report on the feasibility of an electronic document distribution system for the House of Representatives.

Congressional Service Centers: The pilot project of a GPOstaffed Service Center has been in place in the Senate Hart Building since May of 1991. Currently three GPO printers are keyboarding, editing, and proofreading hearings, committee prints, and documents for Congressional offices. GPO has developed procedures for managing the work but is charging about half the costs that these services would be in the GPO plant. The overhead costs of running the GPO facility are not being added to the costs of labor for the work.

Smaller committees without staff printers or GPO printers detailed to them (e.g., Senate Small Business, Senate Intelligence, Senate Select Prisoners of War and Missing in Action) are using the Senate Service Center to support their printing needs. Larger standing Committees who do have printers assigned to them occasionally have used the Service Center when their workload was heavier than normal (e.g., Senate Aging, Senate Agriculture and Forestry, Senate Governmental Affairs, and Senate Labor and Human Resources).

Although no House Service Center has been established, the likely location of one would be the Ford House Office Building (old Annex 2), since most of the Committee printers serving the