2006 marks our fortieth anniversary as a Federal Depository Library, a designation that greatly expands the Library’s resources with materials authorized and paid for by the U.S. Government.

In 1966, with support from then-Director Dr. Charles Held, Albion College Library became a selective depository library. Currently we receive 20% of the material available from the Government Printing Office, including most congressional and presidential publications and documents from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Census Bureau, and many other agencies.

When we became a depository library, all publications were in print or on microfiche. Today the collection has changed dramatically: over 80% of new materials are electronically available, with links in the online catalog. The collection also includes CDs and DVDs. Stockwell Tier 3 houses most of the documents published in paper, while microfiche are stored at the Periodicals Desk. Most CDs are at the Government Documents workstation on the main floor of Stockwell Library.

A large anniversary shadowbox received from the GPO includes a certificate signed by the Superintendent of Documents and the Public Printer of the United States, a gold GPO medal, and an engraved plate, all matted within a wood frame. This impressive piece now hangs in a spot chosen by the former Government Documents Librarian Carolyn Gaswick and retired Government Documents Coordinator Peggy Vogt, just to the left of the entrance to Stockwell Library’s Current Periodicals Reading Room.

A little-known fact is that government documents may be checked out of the Library. Documents remain federal property and may be used by members of the general public as well as by persons affiliated with the College.