Download the Virtual Poster Gallery Profiles handout.
Expanding Our Reach: Incorporating Government Resources in Poster Presentations
Raquel Estrada,Acquisition and Collection Development Librarian, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley University Library, [email protected]
With the overall success of the poster presentations being created by the UTRGV University Library for different occasions and themes, we opted to bring government resources whenever possible into new poster presentations to reach a wider audience. After careful consideration, creating a slide(s) where we added links and QR codes to various resources including government resources worked best and could easily be replicated and fit within many of the poster presentations or displays being planned. Adding the FDLP logo was an added bonus that helped identify FDLP resources as well as promote the library as a depository library.
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Addressing Visibility Issues with LGBTQ+ Gov Docs
Kaitlyn Moody, LTA II Gov Docs & Serials, University of South Alabama Marx Library, [email protected]
While the FDLP’s mission is to ensure open access to government information, the federal government still has a history of censorship in regards to LGBTQ+ material. Good examples of this can be seen through the Library of Congress's Delta Collection and even the erasure of LGBTQ+ resources off of government websites after the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017. The fundamental switch towards digital resources also creates possible visibility issues, as the majority of (recent) queer publications are digital-born and/or online-only. Web resources specifically are not always properly cataloged, and this lack of tangible records in CGP and library OPACs can make it look like gov doc departments have little to offer their LGBTQ+ patrons. A question to ask, then, is how can FDLP libraries make these web-based documents more visible? A good start is to evolve the way libraries view traditional avenues for library promotion, such as library displays and library guides. Note - Ideas presented here will be discussed in more detail in a forthcoming book chapter:
Moody, K. (2024). LGBTQ+ censorship in the gov info sphere. In J. Phillips & J. Rudd (Eds.), Censorship is a drag: LGBTQ materials and programming under siege in academic libraries. Litwin Books & Library Juice Press.
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10 Minute Hero: Four Quick Wins and How to Plus It to the Next Level
Laura Baker, User Experience and Assessment Librarian, Abilene Christian University Brown Library, [email protected]
Librarians wear many hats these days. Whether you are an accidental government information librarian or a seasoned professional, it is good to have several projects in mind that can show your impact. This poster suggests several low effort but high impact projects that highlight both the value of government information and your skills as a govinfo librarian. As a bonus, the poster will also suggest ways to take each quick win to the next level by expanding on what you’ve already done.
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Celebrating Our Sesquicentennial: Using Government Documents and Archival Materials to Tell Our Land-Grant Story
Joanna Ashley, Library Technical Specialist II, Special Collections & Archives, Auburn University Ralph Brown Draughon Library, [email protected]
Liza Weisbrod, Music & Government Information Librarian, Auburn University Ralph Brown Draughon Library, [email protected]
2022 marked Auburn University’s sesquicentennial as a land-grant institution. Using materials and artifacts from the university archives along with government documents for context, an exhibit was created to commemorate the event. This poster will discuss how using archival materials to supplement government documents in an exhibit can help create local connections. Specifically, the poster will break down how the exhibit began with government documents as they related to the nation, then moved to government documents as they related to the state, before finally ending with local, university-related documents and artifacts.
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Dressing Up Your Ben Franklin
Michelle Graff, Reference Librarian, Supreme Court of Ohio Law Library, [email protected]
Dressing up our Little Ben Franklin cutout has become an essential part of our library displays. It began in December 2020 as an attempt to cheer up those still coming into the court and library. Little Ben's wardrobe has grown drastically since then, and so has our knowledge and technique. This poster seeks to share fun ideas and practical tips for getting Little Ben ready for any occasion.
Download this accompanying handout
Download this PDF.
Native American Resource Collection Library Displays: Using Authentic Native American Artifacts to Promote the Government Document Collection
DeAnn Isenhower, Assistant Professor, Cataloging and Technical Services Librarian, Missouri Southern State University Spiva Library, [email protected]
The poster illustrates two displays Spiva Library assembled and displayed during Native American Heritage Month in 2020 and 2022. Spiva Library has been a FDLP Selective Depository since 1967 and holds the Regional Agreement for SuDoc stems I 20:(Bureau of Indian Affairs) and Y4.In 2/1 -2/6 and Y4.In 2/9-2/11 (Congressional Committee on Indian Affairs). The library has a large display case located in a high-traffic area close to the Government Document Collection, which contains the subsection called The Native American Resource Collection. We desired to use the display case to inform the campus community of the valuable resources available within the collection.
During the fall of 2020, I interviewed Deana Rae Hughey of the Quapaw Nation. She owned many items of her Native American heritage inherited from her ancestors. Before describing some items, she explained that Quapaw means “the Downstream People” in English. During Quapaw ceremonies, She wore the ceremonial dress, shawl, hair ornamentations, and moccasins. The Quapaw Treaty 1818 Medallion had been preserved in a protective casing and attached to a necklace. Ms. Hughey explained that the shell necklace had historical significance because her people once believed they came to life from the sea. The eagle feather fan was precious to her because it is rare, and she enjoyed telling me about the handmade Quapaw football (on the top shelf in the display).
After Ms. Hughey loaned the collection to the library, the library staff and I gathered books from the Native American Resource Collection to use in the display. Student worker Ciera West (Art Major) designed and printed the “Native American Collection” poster. I used the information from the interview to create informational signs and placed them by the objects.
During the fall of 2022, I interviewed Darla Bowan Woodrum of the Ottawa Tribe. “Ottawa” means “otter” in English, and many of the designs in the materials reflect the name. The tribe also has a distinctive weaving pattern that can be seen on the children’s ceremonial dresses. Ms. Woodrum hand-beaded many of the jewelry pieces and moccasins herself.
Both arrangements were on display during November for Native American Heritage Month.
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Investigating and Correcting a Federal Depository Library Designation Date
Jocelyn Boice, Associate Professor / Collection and Data Analysis Librarian, Colorado State University William E. Morgan Library, [email protected]
Library staff at Colorado State University recently discovered that the Federal Depository Library designation date on file with the Government Publishing Office (GPO) differed from the date as it appears in the library’s records. This poster describes how the discrepancy was uncovered, the steps taken to determine the correct date, and the process of updating that information with the GPO. Suggestions are included for those conducting similar investigations.
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Government Information Education Video Series for Outreach and Community Engagement
Uyen Nguyen, Graduate Assistant, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, [email protected]
Erik Kruse, Graduate Assistant, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, [email protected]
Isabel Ryan, Graduate Assistant, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, [email protected]
Brian William Schlender, Graduate Assistant, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, [email protected]
Sanga Sung, Government Information Librarian, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University Library, [email protected]
As part of the government information services we provide at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) Library, instruction and outreach are one of the main priorities in ensuring our community is well-informed and engaged with our extensive government information collection. In collaboration with the E-Learning Team of the Library, we developed a strategic plan to create an educational short video series on the subject of government information in order to offer a dynamic, engaging, and accessible learning experience. To ensure the efficacy and the relevance of the videos we conducted an assessment of government information reference transactions and instruction requests and examined resources from other institutions and organizations. Our poster will detail the decision process of making these videos to teach and aid our instruction and outreach efforts.
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Highlighting Resources as a Regional Depository
Suzanne Reinman, Library Professor, Government Documents, Oklahoma State University Edmon Low Library, [email protected]
Nadia Valles, Senior, Political Science, Oklahoma State University, [email protected]
The Oklahoma State University Library is a regional depository library. With part of the government documents collection in offsite storage, staff have created resources to promote and highlight the materials in the Library’s collection.
- Government Information Online – an online site to promote the educational resources and tools that are available from federal agencies and are relevant to current events: https://okstategovdocs.blogspot.com/
- The Gov Doc Challenge – interactive quiz with civics questions and prizes (GPO rulers and pencils) to engage students
- QR codes for materials in the stacks – highlighting key depository materials such as the Code of Federal Regulations
- Executive agency display – highlighting an Executive branch agency each month – the Secretary and the mission, priorities, and special resources, including related publications
- Two displays with voting information and the basics of government – levels of government, how a bill becomes a law
- FDLP webinars included in the Library’s calendar, promoting these to the entire campus
- GPO’s Looking for access to official government documents poster on our office doors
Download this PDF.
Watch a video from the poster presenter.
Developing the Process for Identifying Types and Levels of Government Information to Include in a Community Profile Workshop
Tom Rohrig, Associate Librarian for Aerospace Studies, Government Information, Maps, Military Science, Patents and Trademarks, and Political Science, Texas Tech University Libraries, [email protected]
This poster identifies the steps a group of TTU Librarians went through in developing their community profile workshop. This workshop depended heavily on both government resources and databases that use government information with added search capabilities. This poster includes best practices and a brief bibliography of developing community profiles.
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Latest Updates on the Redevelopment of the FDLP Resource Guides
Helen Keremedjiev, User Support Librarian, U.S. Government Publishing Office, [email protected]
Catherine Bloom, Systems Librarian, U.S. Government Publishing Office, [email protected]
Todd Scudiere, Technical Services Librarian, U.S. Government Publishing Office, [email protected]
Melissa Fairfield. Supervisory Administrative Librarian. U.S. Government Publishing Office, [email protected]
The FDLP Resource Guides Team is currently redeveloping the guides in a yearlong project to provide current, effective, and relevant content. To achieve this goal, the Team created six prototype guides and a survey for public comment. This poster documents the process that incorporated stakeholders’ feedback to update the guides. These developments include the new name, audience, layout, and organization of the guides.
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GPO’s Historic Shelflist Update: Where Are We Now?
Donna Kraemer, Supervisory Librarian, Library Technical Services, U.S. Government Publishing Office, [email protected]
Yalan Qi, Data Integrity Librarian, U.S. Government Publishing Office, [email protected]
Library Services and Content Management is sharing an update on GPO’s Historic Shelflist (HSL) project. View this poster to learn a brief history of the HSL project, general statistics for records completed to-date, how to locate HSL records in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP), and other interesting facts about the HSL cards discovered along the way.
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GPO Digitization Efforts
Keith Wade, Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Government Publishing Office, [email protected]
The poster shows current and upcoming projects. Those in Fiscal Year 2024 will include:
- Depository Shipping Lists: MF 1985-1996 and additional unbound historic shipping lists
- Congressional hearings
- Annual reports
- FRUS (Foreign Relations of the United States)
- Misc. Contract: 1,273 I 16 publications from Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU)
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CRS Reports: Process and Progress
Michael Dent, Supervisory Librarian, Library Technical Services, U.S. Government Publishing Office, [email protected]
Library Services and Content Management is sharing an overview of the ongoing CRS Report cataloging project. View this poster for a project timeline, current status and statistics, new workflows, and how to locate CRS report records.
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Anatomy of a Search: a step-by-step guide to finding disaster information in other languages
Jane Canfield, Federal Government Information Coordinator, Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico Biblioteca Encarnación Valdés, [email protected] Imagine that you are a non-English speaker or have limited proficiency in English and a blizzard or a tornado or an earthquake or a hurricane or a wildfire strikes where you live. Not being able to find information in your language will make a difficult situation into a terrifying one. This poster will provide a step-by-step guide to helping your patron find the information they need to be safe and secure.
Download this PDF.