WASHINGTON –The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) recognizes three libraries in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) for their outstanding achievements and initiatives. The 2015 Libraries of the Year have demonstrated leadership, innovation, and commitment to providing free public access to Federal Government information. 

Louisiana State University’s Middleton Library and Louisiana Tech University’s Prescott Memorial Library, and their predecessor libraries, have been providing services to the residents of Louisiana since the 19th century.  These regional FDLP libraries ensure Government documents are accessible and up-to-date for their patrons.  They helped work with Southern University in New Orleans to reopen its library almost a decade after the destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina.  After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, librarians recovered and put back together Government collections at damaged depository libraries to give the public access to Government information at all of the state’s 27 Federal depository libraries.

The University of North Texas Libraries offers access to more than six million print and digital materials and innovative programs to its patrons.  UNT has worked with GPO for more than two decades in leading the way of digitizing Government documents and preserving online Government information before other libraries began those efforts.  GPO is a partner of the UNT Digital Library that allows the public to find Government information digitally.  GPO and UNT first partnered in 1997 for “The CyberCemetery,” which preserves and provides access to publications and websites of defunct Government agencies and commissions.

“The Louisiana and Texas libraries receiving this honor serve as another example of the critical role libraries play in helping GPO provide the public Government information,” said GPO Director Davita Vance-Cooks "These libraries are valuable partners to the FDLP and an incredible resource for the American people. GPO has such a rich history with libraries that dates back to 1895 and they have proven to be the backbone of Keeping America Informed.”

The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) provides the public with access to authentic, published information from all three branches of the Federal Government in print and electronic formats through partnerships with approximately 1,200 libraries nationwide. Depository libraries, located in almost every congressional district, include public libraries, Federal agency libraries, law libraries, and college and university libraries.