FDsys To Be Retired; Say Hello To Govinfo

FDsys (short for “Federal Digital System”) has been the U.S. Government Publishing Office’s information portal since its launch in 2009. At that time, FDsys was replacing GPO Access, the legacy website which had initially launched in 1994. Since its launch, FDsys has been the primary destination for free, authenticated online access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government, with approximately 50 collections of federal government information available.

For some time now, the GPO has been piloting a new site to succeed FDsys at Govinfo.gov. It first launched in beta in February 2016, operating alongside FDsys as it was being developed and as content was being migrated. This past January Govinfo was taken out of beta and it has been recently announced that in December of this year Govinfo is expected to replace FDsys entirely, and FDsys will be retired.

The content in Govinfo will be identical to what was available on FDsys. The biggest difference—which you will notice immediately—is in the more modern look, feel, and interface. You can still browse collections on Govinfo, but there is also a big search bar on the main page of the site that is a bit more flexible than the search function on FDsys. The new site is also more responsive and will be easier to use with mobile devices. As with FDsys, there is a comprehensive Help page, which includes tips on searching, video tutorials, and PDF infosheets for users who want to master the site. If you are interested in learning more, the Georgia State University Law Library has tested the site out a bit and provided its thoughts on its blog, The Blackacre Times.