The pricing of documents by the government printing office: Survival response by an agency in crisis

• Published in: Government Publications Review 1977, Vol.4 (4), p.277-313
• Main Author: Larson, Arthur D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Government Printing Office (USA); Government publications; Library materials; Prices; United States; USA
• ISSN: 0093-061X; 0277-9390; 1352-0237
• DOI: 10.1016/0093-061X(77)90016-8

Since 1972, the Government Printing Office has drastically increased the prices of publications, and made extensive changes in publication distribution services. The purpose of this study is to examine the price increases and distribution service changes in the context of certain adverse internal and external conditions which gradually enveloped GPO during the 1960's and early 1970's. It is based entirely on congressional hearings and reports, agency documents, and newspaper, magazine, and journal sources. The adverse conditions affecting GPO resulted in greatly increased costs of publishing and distributing documents. From FY 1969 to FY 1976, publication costs increased about 22% and distribution costs about 78%. About 65% of the increase in distribution costs was due to increases in postage and personnel costs, and about 35% to increases in other overhead costs. As a result of these large cost increases, the total costs of the sales program exceeded total revenues every year from FY 1972 to FY 1976. To restore the financial soundness of the sales program Public Printer Thomas F. McCormick instituted revised pricing policies and procedures, and increased document prices by about 73% in August, 1973, and by varying percentages each year thereafter. Despite the price increases, the sales program had not become financially self-sustaining by FY 1976. The revised pricing policies and procedures instituted by Public Printer McCormick do not address the underlying causes of the financial problems of the sales program. To meet these problems, Congress should establish a policy on the subsidization of government publications, and adopt a publication pricing formula which reflects the real costs of printing and distributing publications. Above all, Congress should adopt a national policy which recognizes the importance of information to a free and prosperous society, and which establishes a national government information distribution system.