FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                    February 21, 2007

NORTHWESTERN LIBRARIES CELEBRATES LOCAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS CENTENNIAL

The Northwestern Oklahoma State University Libraries celebrated 100 years of participation in the Federal Depository Library Program on Feb. 15 with a program and reception.

Judith C. Russell, superintendent of documents with the Government Printing Office (GPO) in Washington, D.C., was the principal guest and main speaker. Russell provided an overview of the importance of the Federal Depository system and its long-standing partnership with libraries across the country. She then presented libraries director Susan Jeffries with a plaque from GPO recognizing the centennial of the Northwestern Federal Depository. The plaque may be viewed on the first floor of the library, in an area near Jeffries’ office.

 Several guests presented remarks in observance of the occasion. Alva Mayor Arden Chaffee  spoke about the size and importance of the government documents

 department. On Feb. 9, Chaffee had signed a Proclamation designating Feb. 15 as “Government Documents Day in Alva.”

Verna Graybill, current government documents librarian, presented a brief history concerning the collection, as well as some memories from former librarian Diane Calvin.

Steve Beleu, regional librarian for the depository program in Oklahoma and director of the U.S. Government Information Division of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, presented a proclamation from Gov. Brad Henry designating Feb. 15 as “Northwestern Oklahoma State University Federal Government Documents Depository Day.”

 John B. Phillips, also a regional librarian and head of the Documents Department at Oklahoma State University, related additional information concerning the history of the documents collection at Northwestern, as well as the Federal Depository Library Program.

Refreshments were served after the remarks and the plaque presentation. An exhibit on the second floor of the library displayed representative publications from the three branches of the federal government and from several departments and agencies. Bulletin boards highlighted both the history of the Federal Depository Library Program and former staff members of the Alva campus library’s Government Documents Department. 

“It was an honor to have Superintendent of Documents Russell in the Alva campus library,” Graybill said. “We would also like to express our appreciation to John Phillips of OSU for his assistance with the arrangements for Russell’s visit to Oklahoma and to both the university community and the general public for their attendance and support of this event.”

The Northwestern State Normal School Library was designated by Elmer L. Fulton, a member of the House of Representatives, as a federal depository library on Dec. 30, 1907. Throughout its 100 years of participation, the Northwestern library has maintained a special interest in acquiring publications of the federal government, particularly those dealing with agriculture, education and health and human services. In Oklahoma, only the depositories at the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and Oklahoma State University predate that at Northwestern.

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