Oct. 1, 2019
CWU Brooks Library Celebrates 55 Years in Federal Depository Library Program
James E. Brooks Library at Central Washington University will celebrate its emerald anniversary in the U.S. Government Publishing Office’s (GPO’s) Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP).
To celebrate this milestone, the community is invited to a reception on Saturday, October 28, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Government Publications unit on the third floor of Brooks Library. Guests can take a tour of the collections and resources, enjoy a piece of birthday cake, and collect some free giveaways. Parking on campus is free on weekends.
The FDLP ensures the public has free access to federal documents in participating libraries across the nation. The libraries, in partnership with GPO, work in support of Keeping America Informed.
“The federal depository is an integral part of the Brooks Library and we are proud to serve as a federal depository library,” said interim library dean Gregory Paveza. “The ability to offer our patrons and the community free public access to these vitally important government publications is an honor and a responsibility that we take seriously.”
Through the FDLP, approximately 1,150 libraries nationwide work with GPO to provide public access to authentic, published information from all three branches of the federal government in print and electronic formats. The program can be traced back to the Act of Congress dated December 27, 1813 (3 Stat. 140), which provided that one copy of the journals and documents of the Senate and House be sent to each university and college and each historical society in each state. GPO has operated the FDLP since 1895.
Librarians at nationwide FDLP libraries also offer expert assistance in navigating digital copies of many of the historical and current government documents through www.govinfo.gov and GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.
At the Brooks, there is “this esprit de corps (common loyalty) to carry on due to the energy and enthusiasm the library faculty and staff have embraced, constantly looking at ways of making things better for those around us,” said professor emerita Patricia Cutright, who served as dean of the library from 2010 to 2017.
About CWU Libraries
The Central Washington University libraries provide quality resources and innovative services to stimulate creativity, intellectual curiosity, and to facilitate lifelong learning and research within the communities we serve.
For more information contact Aimée Quinn, assistant professor in library services at 509-963-1541, aimeeq@cwu.edu.
Photo credit: Dorothy Joseph, Los Angeles-based photographer.
Media contact: Dawn Alford, Department of Public Affairs, 509-963-1484, Dawn.Alford@cwu.edu.