Feb. 6, 2009

Contact: Harvey Levenson
Cal Poly Graphic Communication Department
805-756-6151; hlevenso@calpoly.edu

Cal Poly Grads Usher in New Information System for U.S. Government

SAN LUIS OBISPO – With the help of two alumni from Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department, the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) ushered in a new era in information systems.

The GPO’s new Federal Digital System (FDsys) gives the American people a one-stop site to authentic, published government information, including President Obama's official documents.

“FDsys will not only provide transparency to our government, but will forever change how we maintain and manage government information,” said Robert Tapella, a 1991 Cal Poly graduate and U.S. Public Printer.

FDsys allows the GPO to receive information from federal agencies in all three branches of government and create a repository for permanent, public access. More than 154,000 documents are currently accessible, with additional documents being added daily.

Tapella was part of the team that came up with the concept for the new interactive system. He  recruited Cal Poly alumnus Blake Edwards, a 2003 graphic communications graduate. 

“Cal Poly's Graphic Communication Department has been in the forefront of educating students in electronic document preparation for well over two decades,” said Harvey Levenson, head of the department. “The fruits of our efforts are being realized through the development of electronic search and delivery systems that disseminate information in ways never previously possible. We are particularly pleased to have provided the 'brainpower' to advance information technology used by the U.S. Government Printing Office and the Obama administration."

For more information, go online to www.gpo.gov.

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(Note to Editors: To arrange an interview with U.S. Public Printer Robert Tapella and Blake Edwards, please contact Gary Somerset, media and public relations manager at the GPO at 202-512-1957; gsomerset@gpo.gov. To speak with Harvey Levenson, head of Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Department, please contact him at 805-756-6151; hlevenso@calpoly.edu.)

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