Preservation Stewards

  • Last Updated: February 20, 2025
  • Published: July 19, 2024

What are Preservation Stewards?

Preservation Stewards make a commitment to GPO, the FDLP, and the National Collection of U.S. Government Public Information to retain tangible (print) depository resources in perpetuity so that the public can rely on those collections as sources of Federal Government information for generations to come. Preservation Stewards are the shared print program for National Collection.

The focus of a Preservation Steward collection is determined by partner library staff, with consideration for the Federal Government publications their users require in tangible format, along with broader National Collection goals.

While Preservation Steward Partnerships primarily support the tangible National Collection, these Partners are welcome to sign additional Partnership agreements with GPO to non-destructively digitally-image these same collections, so they can also contribute to the digital National Collection.

Active Preservation Stewards

Name of Partner Partner Category
Arthur Lakes Library, Colorado School of Mines Preservation Steward
Case Library, Colgate University Preservation Steward
Central Library, Queens Public Library Preservation Steward
Connecticut State Library Preservation Steward
Cultural Education Center, New York State Library Preservation Steward
Davis Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Preservation Steward
Dean B. Ellis Library, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro Preservation Steward
E.S. Bird Library, Syracuse University Preservation Steward
Edith Garland Dupré Library, University of Louisiana at Lafayette Preservation Steward
Edmon Low Library, Oklahoma State University Preservation Steward
Eli M. Oboler Library, Idaho State University Preservation Steward
Felix G. Woodward Library, Austin Peay State University Preservation Steward
Gallagher Law Library, University of Washington Preservation Steward
Garbrecht Law Library, University of Maine School of Law Preservation Steward
Geisel Library, University of California, San Diego Preservation Steward
George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Preservation Steward
Government Information Services, State Library of Ohio Preservation Steward
Government Publications Library, University of Minnesota Preservation Steward
Hamilton Library, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Preservation Steward
Indiana State Library Preservation Steward
Interior Department Library Preservation Steward
J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University Preservation Steward
James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University Preservation Steward
Jerome Hall Law Library, Indiana University Maurer School of Law Preservation Steward
John C. Hodges Library, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Preservation Steward
Kresge Law Library, University of Notre Dame Preservation Steward
Law Library for San Bernardino County Preservation Steward
Law Library of Congress Preservation Steward
Lether Frazar Memorial Library, McNeese State University Preservation Steward
Library of Congress Preservation Steward
M. Louis Salmon Library, University of Alabama, Huntsville Preservation Steward
Mansfield Library, University of Montana Preservation Steward
Merrill Cazier Library, Utah State University Preservation Steward
Ned R. McWherter Library, University of Memphis Preservation Steward
Norlin Library, University of Colorado, Boulder Preservation Steward
Ottenheimer Library, University of Arkansas, Little Rock Preservation Steward
Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge Preservation Steward
Ralph Brown Draughon Library, Auburn University Preservation Steward
Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine, Orono Preservation Steward
Robert L. Carothers Library, University of Rhode Island Preservation Steward
Schuyler Bland Memorial Library, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Preservation Steward
Seeley G. Mudd Library, Lawrence University Preservation Steward
Shannon Library, University of Virginia Preservation Steward
State Law Library, Supreme Court of Mississippi Preservation Steward
State Library of Pennsylvania Preservation Steward
The Libraries, North Dakota State University Preservation Steward
Thomas Cooper Library, University of South Carolina Preservation Steward
University of Idaho Library Preservation Steward
University of Iowa Main Library Preservation Steward
University of Kansas Libraries Preservation Steward
University of North Texas Libraries Preservation Steward
William A. Wise Law Library, University of Colorado Law School Preservation Steward
William T. Young Library, University of Kentucky Preservation Steward
Allen County Public Library Preservation Steward
Alaska State Court Law Library Preservation Steward
New Orelans College of Law, Loyola University New Orleans Preservation Steward
Louisianna State University, Baton Rouge Libraries Preservation Steward
South Carolina State Library Preservation Steward
Lillian Goldman Law Librart, Yale University Preservation Steward
New Mexico State Library Preservation Steward
Alaska State Library Preservation Steward
University of Utah, Marriott Library Preservation Steward
California State Library Preservation Steward

Preservation Steward Spotlight

The J.Y. Joyner Library at The East Carolina University is serving as a Preservation Steward for national security related publications.

Some of the interesting publications that they are preserving are:

  • United States relations with China: with special reference to the period 1944-1949 / based on the files of the Department of State.
  • Marihuana-hashish epidemic and its impact on United States security: hearings before the Subcommittee to Investigate the Administration of the Internal Security Act and Other Internal Security Laws of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Ninety-third Congress, second session [-Ninety-fourth Congress, first session].
  • Communist origin and manipulation of Vietnam Week (April 8-15, 1967) : report / by the Committee on Un-American Activities ... Ninetieth Congress, first session.

They were designated as a depository library in 1951, and have been a Preservation Steward since 2019. 

Benefits of Being a Preservation Steward

  • GPO Partnership logoGain national recognition for the work of your institution
  • Guidance and individualized assistance to partners, as needed, as they assess and manage their collections.  
  • Promotional materials featuring the Preservation Steward Partnership logo.
  • Postage to fill gaps in the Preservation Steward collection.
  • Being a part of a national community committed to preservation. 

Expectations of a Preservation Steward

  • Inventory and catalog the significant collections, and submit those inventories to GPO with item-level condition statements.
  • Perform preventive maintenance and conservation treatment on these collections, so that the National Collection is ensured to stand the test of time.
  • Maintain collections in good or fair condition as a baseline standard. GPO, however, will review collections that include items in less than good condition and make exceptions on a case-by-case basis in consideration of the age and scarcity of that item across depository collections.
  • Have collections that range in size, from just a few volumes to many thousands of publications held in high-density, offsite storage facilities at the partner institution.

How to Become a Preservation Steward

Please contact us via askGPO to learn more about how your institution can participate. When submitting a question, select the category, “Partnerships.”

The process is easy. Once you submit your inquiry, a member of GPO’s staff will reach out to coordinate on the specifics of the partnership and then work with your organization to formalize the agreement with a Memorandum of Agreement.

Resources and Documentation