Anniversary Photos

Event: 80th Anniversary Celebration

• WHAT: Anniversary program and refreshments
• WHERE: Special Events Room (6137), McKeldin Library, University of Maryland College Park
• WHEN: Friday, September 23, 2005, 2:30-4:00 p.m.

 Speakers

• Ira Chinoy, Professor of Journalism, University of Maryland
• Charles Lowry, Dean of Libraries, University of Maryland College Park
• Irene Padilla, State Librarian of Maryland
• Judy Russell, Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
• John Stevenson, Past-Chair, ALA/Government Documents Roundtable

 Map and Parking Information
The closest parking is available at Union Lane Garage. If this garage is full, turn left as you exit the garage onto Field House Drive, follow this to a traffic circle and make the first right. Stadium Drive Garage is on the right.

 Thanks to LexisNexis Academic & Library Solutions for their generous support of this event.

Anniversary Exhibit

To celebrate 80 years of providing government information to the university community and the public-at-large, we're showcasing documents that represent each decade of service as a depository library.

Our exhibit, Keeping You in the Know: A Celebration of UM's Eight Decades Providing Government Information, was on display during this year's Maryland Day. Click here to view our photos of the event.

Be sure to stop by the 4th floor of McKeldin Library to check out the exhibit or, for more information, call the Gov Docs desk at x59165.

U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services History

The history of the Government Documents & Maps department is rooted in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). The FDLP was originally established by Congress to ensure public access to Government information. Since 1813, the FDLP, a program of the Government Printing Office (GPO), has involved the acquisition, format conversion, and distribution of depository materials within the United States and Territories. The mission of the more than 1,200 depositories within the FDLP is to ensure the dissemination of information to the public.

U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services is dedicated to safeguarding these materials and providing free and unrestricted access to the collection.

• 1925
• 1965
• 2005

1925: The University of Maryland joined the Federal Depository Library Program as a selective library in 1925. Originally, the library was located on the 2nd floor of the gymnasium and staffed by one librarian, Ms. Grace Barnes.

Our origins as a selective depository library began in Congress, which agreed, on March 20, 1922, through Public Act 171 "that no part of the appropriation for the Office of the Superintendent of Documents shall be used to supply to depository libraries any documents, books, or other printed matter not requested by such libraries." This act set the precedent for selective depositories to tailor their selections based on the needs of their communities, using a classified list, a practice that continues to this day.

Fast Facts:

• President of the University: Albert F. Woods
• President of the United States: Calvin Coolidge
• Population of Maryland (1925 est.): 1,560,000
• Number of students on campus: 1,518
• Public Printer: George H. Carter (Iowa)
• Superintendent of Documents: Alton P. Tisdel (0hio)

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1965: The Depository Act of 1962 established the system of Regional depositories to ensure permanent retention of the archival collections of Government documents nationwide. Today 53 Regional depositories exist which receive all publications distributed through the FDLP.

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2005: This Depository Library region now includes Washington D.C. (1960s) and Delaware (1993) libraries. Since 1965, we've received all manner of government publications through GPO; our Government Documents & Maps collection now includes more than 2 million documents and 350,000 maps, as well as microfiche, audio/video recordings and electronic resources. GPO Access, the GPO web portal for electronic publications, has an average of 34 million hits a month. 81% of new titles are in electronic format.

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Related Web Sites

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