Is the GPO engangered? (NewsBreak).(Government Printing Office)

Ironically, in an age when information and knowledge are valued as highly as economic assets, the executive branch of the federal government is issuing directives that would impede access to government information and limit its distribution. On May 3, Mitchell E. Daniels Jr., director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), issued a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies directing them to select printing services on the basis of "quality, cost, and time of delivery." The directive proclaimed, "The time has come for the Executive Branch to liberate its agencies from a monopoly that unfairly penalizes both taxpayers and efficient would-be competitors." The memo indicated that agencies may print in-house, use the Government Printing Office (GPO), or purchase printing from private contractors. Agencies are directed to submit an annual report to the OMB on the cost of printing and duplication operations. The memo did not specify how these costs were to be calculated.

The proposed policy change raises many questions for which there are no easy or ready answers. For example, who will be responsible and accountable for archiving, cataloging, and ensuring access to executive …