ROBERTA I. SHAFFER NAMED TO GPO'S DEPOSITORY LIBRARY COUNCIL

Public Printer Michael F. DiMario has named Ms. Roberta I. Shaffer as a new member to the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer. The Council advises the Government Printing Office (GPO) on issues related to public access to Government information products through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Administered by GPO, the FDLP is a nationwide, geographically dispersed system comprising more than 1,300 libraries acting in partnership with the GPO to provide the general public with local access to Federal Government information products at no cost.

Ms. Shaffer began her three-year term on October 1, 2001, with her first Council meeting set for October 14, 2001 in Alexandria, VA. As a Council member, Shaffer and her 14 fellow members will provide advice on policy matters dealing with the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), established by Title 44 of the U.S. Code. The primary focus of Council's work is to advise the Public Printer, the Superintendent of Documents, and appropriate members of GPO's staff on practical options for the efficient management and operation of the FDLP. Superintendent of Documents Francis J. Buckley, Jr., said, "I'm very pleased to have a person of Ms. Shaffer's expertise and enthusiasm join the Council. She brings the perspective of an experienced Government information user coupled with her background in law."

This appointment follows Ms. Shaffer's promotion as Executive Director of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) in April 2001. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the SLA is the international association representing the interests of thousands of information professionals in 60 nations. Special librarians are information resource experts who collect, analyze, evaluate, package, and disseminate information to facilitate accurate decision-making in corporate, academic, and government settings.

Ms. Shaffer brings an extensive background in academic and legal information management to the Council. She previously served as Dean and Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Texas. She also worked as Director of Research Information Services at Covington and Burling, a Washington-based international law firm, and as a professor at the School of Library and Information Science at the Catholic University of America. In addition, Ms. Shaffer has served as the Director of External Affairs for the Washington Project for the Arts, Acting Director of the Law Library at the George Washington University Law Center, and as Special Assistant to the Law Librarian of Congress. Her other notable endeavors include an appointment as a Fulbright Senior Researcher at the Tel Aviv Faculty of Law in Israel, and service as Director of Legal Communications and Associate Director of Law and Technology for the University of Houston Law Center.

Ms. Shaffer's academic credentials include a Master's Degree in Librarianship from Emory University and a law degree from Tulane University. She received her B.A. in economics from Vassar College.

Ms. Shaffer's professional affiliations include memberships in SLA, the American Association of Law Librarians (AALL), and the American Library Association (ALA). She currently serves as Vice President of the International Association of Law Librarians. She is admitted to the Texas Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, and the United States Supreme Court Bar, and is a member of the American Bar Association. She speaks conversational French and Spanish has authored a number of books in the subject of law librarianship.

(Self-Mailer)

Page #public-affairs/news/01news25.html November 2, 2001

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