Washington – The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) names the James C. Jernigan Library at Texas A&M University – Kingsville the 2016 Federal Depository Library of the Year. The library was selected for its leadership, educational outreach, and commitment to providing free public access to Federal Government information. The library staff is very active in promoting the importance of Government information to students and the public through campus events, displays, online chats and on social media.  

The James C. Jernigan Library opened its doors for the first time in 1925. The library became a member of GPO’s Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) in 1944. Including Government documents, audiovisual materials, and microforms, the south Texas library currently contains over one million separate bibliographic items and offers access to over 40,000 periodical titles.

“Texas A&M—Kingsville library is a model of the important role libraries play in ensuring the American public has access to Government information,” said GPO Director Davita Vance-Cooks. “I congratulate the library staff for their tireless efforts in finding ways to provide their students all the tools necessary to explore the treasure trove of information available about the Federal Government.”

“We are extremely proud to provide our community with access to Government information and of the efforts of our library staff,” said University President Steven H. Tallant. “Our staff proactively promotes the availability of these important documents, and we know that students and community members are taking advantage of the opportunity to use them in research and other projects.” 

Through the FDLP, GPO works with approximately 1,150 libraries nationwide to provide public access to authentic, published information from all three branches of the Federal Government in print and electronic formats. The program’s antecedents 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.