GPO Names University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire Library Best in the Nation

The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) names the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire’s McIntyre Library as the 2019 Federal Depository Library of the Year. The library was selected for its efforts to encourage university students and community youth to use Government resources and understand their benefits. McIntyre Library became a member of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) in 1951.

The library conducts organized outreach to university professors and local teachers, encouraging them to incorporate Government documents into curricula. This year it promoted its Government documents collection as a source for middle and high school students participating in a National History Day competition. With the help of Federal resources, students were challenged to “do history” by researching a topic of interest and then producing historical documentaries, exhibits, dramatic performances, websites, or research papers.

The Depository Coordinator for the library teaches professional development workshops on Government documents and teaches graduate courses on govinfo, GPO’s one-stop site to authentic, published Government information. The library promotes its Government documents through its “Goofy Government Documents” social media campaign, prominent library displays, guides highlighting Government resources, and events. It also engages student assistants to process depository materials.

“I congratulate McIntyre Library on being named the best library in the Nation,” said GPO Superintendent of Documents Laurie Hall. “We thank the library for its continued efforts in demonstrating the many benefits of Government resources to its community, and particularly young people.”

“We are honored to receive this recognition from the U.S. Government Publishing Office,” said Library Director Jill Markgraf. “This award speaks to collective efforts by library faculty, past and present, to manage our Federal Depository collection. The McIntyre Library faculty and staff are committed to encouraging those in our community to use free Government information for civic engagement and informed decision making.”