University Libraries Press Release

Contact: Melissa Cox Norris, Director of Library Communications, (513) 556-1558 or melissa.norris@uc.edu

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES CELEBRATES 75th ANNIVERSARY AS FEDERAL DEPOSITORY LIBRARY

T.C. Evans addresses the crowd.

October 27, 2004- Since 1929, University Libraries has made government materials available to the public in its role as a Federal Depository Library, a program established by Congress in 1813 to ensure that the American public has access to information generated by its government. On Friday, November 5, University Libraries joined forces with the other major Federal Depository Library in Cincinnati – the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County – to celebrate the 75th anniversary of UC’s government documents collection. To mark this milestone, T.C. Evans, Deputy Superintendent of Documents of the U.S. Government Printing Office, presented a keynote address on the future of U.S. government documents.

The participation of University Libraries in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) began in 1929 through the sponsorship of Cincinnati’s Nicholas Longworth who was serving as Speaker of the House. Today, the Government Documents Department, located in Langsam Library, acquires more than 92% of all U.S. government documents made available through the FDLP. Areas of emphasis include census materials (population, housing, transportation, and manufacturing), Congressional hearings, NASA publications, and United States Geological Survey maps. The total collection of more than 1.2 million documents includes: 400,000 volumes, 40,000 online titles, 800,000 microfiche, and 5,000+ maps, posters, and CD-ROMs. Government documents can be accessed through the Library Catalog at http://uclid.uc.edu/search or via the Libraries' Web site at www.libraries.uc.edu/research/subject_resources/gov_docs/index.html.

 

James Tucker, VP Admin & Business Services, Victoria A. Montavon, Dean & University Librarian, and Anthony Perzigian, Senior VP & Provost for Baccalaureate & Graduate Education, pose by the certificate commemorating the 75th anniversary.

“Providing free access to government information is a fundamental obligation of Federal Depository Libraries,” said Victoria A. Montavon, dean and university librarian. “We encourage UC students, faculty, and staff, as well as the general public, to come to Langsam Library and access government documents, or to view this information online through our Web site.”

The materials made available through the depository program are governed by the U.S. Code, Title 44, which states:
“Government publications, except those determined by their issuing components to be required for official use only or for strictly administrative or operational purposes which have no public interest or educational value and publications classified for reasons of national security, shall be made available to depository libraries through the facilities of the Superintendent of Documents for public information.” Currently, there are more than 1,200 depository libraries nationwide that participate in the Federal Depository Program.

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