NEWS

Prescott Memorial Library earns national recognition

Oct 26, 2015 | General News

— Library honored for outstanding leadership, contributions to Federal depository program —
Louisiana Tech University’s Prescott Memorial Library has been recognized by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) and the Federal Depository Library Program for demonstrated leadership, innovation, and commitment to providing free public access to Federal Government information.
Prescott Memorial Library was one of just two 2015 Libraries of the Year in Louisiana to be honored by the GPO for outstanding achievements and initiatives as part of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Louisiana State University’s Middleton Library was the other Louisiana honoree.
_DJC1005“Prescott Memorial Library and Louisiana Tech University are honored by this recognition from the GPO,” said Rita Franks, interim dean of library services at Louisiana Tech. “This has truly been a team effort. Louisiana Tech has been very supportive in our role as one of 47 regional depositories in the Federal Depository Library program. Abigail DeSoto, our Government Documents Librarian, has embraced the mission of making government information accessible to the public throughout Louisiana and the nation.”
The 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.
Louisiana Tech’s Prescott Memorial Library has been providing services to the residents of Louisiana for decades and has worked to ensure government documents are accessible and up-to-date for visitors. The library 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, Louisiana Tech librarians and staff helped to recover and reassemble government collections at damaged depository libraries in order to give the public access to government information at all of the state’s 27 depository libraries.
“These libraries are valuable partners to the FDLP and an incredible resource for the American people,” said Davita Vance-Cooks, director of the GPO. “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 GPO is the Federal Government’s official, digital, secure resource for producing, procuring, cataloging, indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and preserving the official information products of the U.S. Government. It is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print formats.
Since its inception more than a century ago, Prescott Memorial Library has worked to support the curricular, research and service activities of Louisiana Tech University and all its constituents.
Franks says that as a member of the Federal Depository Library Program, Louisiana Tech plays a prominent role in providing Federal Government information to the public.
“Prescott Memorial Library collaborates on a local and national level to provide free and informed access to both historical and current Federal Government resources distributed through the FDLP and deposited in libraries across the country. Louisiana Tech is exceptionally fortunate to have access to such a treasure trove of government information, in a variety of formats.”