MOSCOW, Idaho - The University of Idaho Library marks a milestone on
April 13 with its centennial as a federal depository library. Library
faculty and staff have planned a series of events to celebrate the
100th anniversary and to acknowledge the approximately 1.7 million
items in the depository collection.
"The University of Idaho has been honored to provide free access to
federal government information for the University of Idaho community
and for residents statewide," said Maria A. Jankowska, head of
government documents at the university. "Unconstrained access to
federal documents is vital because it helps to inform and empower
students and members of our community to become better citizens."
In 1907, the University of Idaho Library became one of 65 land-grant
university libraries to be designated as federal depositories under the
Printing Act. The government documents department at the library serves
as the Federal Regional Depository for the state of Idaho and the
university closely cooperates with nine selective depositories,
including public libraries, academic libraries and law libraries, in
serving the Idaho state community. There currently are more than 1,200
depository libraries in the nation; the University of Idaho is one of
only 52 regional depositories.
The University of Idaho's collection consists of more than 670,000
paper documents; 806,000 microforms; 209,046 maps; 7,852 CD-ROMs; and
more than 23,000 online publications. This comprehensive and unique
collection offers all users free access to more than 1.7 million items.
The information ranges from legal and regulatory documents to nutrition
information.
The centennial celebration at the University of Idaho Library includes
keynote talks, educational exhibits, facility tours and a poster
contest. Barbie Selby, government documents librarian at the University
of Virginia, will discuss access to government information on Friday,
April 13, at 2:30 p.m. Selby is the former chair of the Depository
Library Council, an advisory body to the Government Printing Office.
Lily Wai, professor emerita and former head of government documents at
the University of Idaho, will discuss the history of federal government
information resources at the University of Idaho Library on Friday,
April 13, at 11:15 a.m.
For more information about the collection and services of the
government documents department, visit http://www.lib.uidaho.edu/govdocs/. For a centennial timeline, visit www.lib.uidaho.edu/govdocs/govdocs_timeline.pdf .
The daylong celebration is open to the campus community and the public,
free of charge. Highlights include:
| 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. |
Open house and tour of Government Documents Department. Room
104. |
| 11:15 - 12:15 p.m. |
Keynote: "Crown Jewel or Freebies? 100 Years
of Federal Government Information Resources at the University of Idaho
Library," Lily Wai, professor emerita, University of Idaho, and former
head of the university's government documents department. Room 212A. |
| 2:00 - 2:15 p.m. |
Welcome by Lynn Baird, dean of the library, University
of Idaho. Room 212A. |
| 2:15 - 2:30 p.m. |
Poster contest winner announcement and introduction of
special guests by Maria A. Jankowska, head of government documents,
University of Idaho. Room 212A. |
| 2:30 - 3:15 p.m. |
Keynote: "Connecting People with Government:
Information for 100 Years: Looking Back, Looking Forward," Barbie
Selby, regional depository librarian, University of Virginia. Room
212A. |
| 3:15 - 5 p.m. |
Refreshments and Conversation. Room 212A. |
For more information, call Christine Gray, (208) 885-6344.
|