Washington – The University of Kentucky Libraries signs a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) to become the second Preservation Steward library in GPO’s Federal Information Preservation Network (FIPNet).  Under this agreement, the libraries pledge to permanently preserve print collections of Works Progress/Work Projects Administration (WPA) and Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).  The WPA collection contains more than 3,000 documents from the Great Depression relief program designed to provide work for Americans.  The ARC documents show the Commission’s efforts for economic development for Appalachia since the 1960s.

To help Federal depository libraries meet the needs of efficient Government document stewardship in the digital era, GPO has established Preservation Stewards to support continued public access to historic U.S. Government documents. GPO welcomes all Federal depository libraries that wish to participate as Preservation Stewards. The Norlin Library of the University of Colorado at Boulder became the first Preservation Steward in October 2016.

Preservation Stewards contribute significantly to the effort to preserve printed documents that are eligible for discard from the permanent collections of regional Federal depository libraries serving the populations of each state. These libraries may discard Federal materials if (a) the documents have been held more than 7 years, (b) their digital equivalents are available on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) and its successor system, govinfo, and (c) print copies of the documents remain available in geographically dispersed locations nationwide. 

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. FIPNET is an initiative of the FDLP to expand public access to Government information in depository library collections through collaboration with non-depository library institutions and resources that also possess collections of Federal documents and publications. This effort will result in a National Collection of U.S. Government Information for the use of future generations, and will transform GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications into an index of that comprehensive body of Federal information. 

“GPO welcomes The University of Kentucky Libraries into this important program of maintaining Government information in all platforms,” said GPO Director Davita Vance-Cooks.”  I encourage more libraries to become part of this venture of preserving valuable print collections of Government information.”