Each December, Federal depository libraries across the Nation celebrate the holidays with beautiful displays and decorations for their patrons to enjoy.
Below is a sampling of the many festive ways in which depository libraries have brightened up their spaces.
- The Indiana State Library’s reference tree has ornaments that highlight resources in their collection, such as maps and census material.
- The staff at University of San Diego's Legal Research Center proudly presents their "Bookmas" tree, book kinara, and book menorah.
- The New York Law Institute has the Grinch as a guest this holiday season. Grinchy is reading a GPO issued publication, “Creating the Federal Judiciary.” He is constructed of bright green NY State Labor Decision case books, construction paper link legs, and archival gloves for hands.
- Marshall University’s James E. Morrow Library in Huntington, West Virginia constructed this colorful Government Documents book tree.
- The New York Law Institute assembled their own all-star bobsled team for the holidays.
- Ben and his cousin, Santa Franklin, are spending the holidays at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington’s Randall Library. They’re helping promote the North Carolina Department of Agriculture‘s Christmas tree farms.
- The State Law Library of Mississippi located in Jackson, MS is incorporating their extensive collection into their holiday décor
- Santa Ben and his reindeer stopped by Murray State University’s Waterfield Library in Murray, KY to teach patrons about free U.S. Government information resources from GPO.
- North Dakota State University Libraries always gets Ben in the holiday spirit.
- Western Illinois University Libraries in Macomb, Illinois celebrates the holidays with a festive Benjamin Franklin.
- The University of Northern Iowa is bringing the holiday spirit into their Rod Library with beloved cultural icons, Hermey the Elf, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Ben!
- The New York Law Institute has a cozy Government documents holiday fireplace for staff and patrons to gather round!
- The Law Library at the University of Puerto Rico is looking festive with their FDLP tree.
- Each floor of the Dallas Public Library (Central Library) competes throughout the month of December to decorate the elevator bay. The Government documents unit chose the theme ‘Space Christmas’ and won! They used some larger volumes of Government publications to build their rocket. Pictured here are the whole display, the rocket, and the trophy they won.
- The Palmer Memorial Library at Texarkana College celebrated the holidays with book trees, ornament-making, and a cozy Congressional Record fireplace.
- The Shreve Memorial Library in Shreveport, Louisiana created a Freedom Tree, representing the five military branches and POW/MIAs. They asked staff to submit photos of family or friends who are military personnel, living or deceased, and turned the photos into ornaments. They patterned the tree after a program the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum presents each year. Along with this display, they made a life-sized Christmas card that patrons and staff are signing for the Northwest Louisiana Veteran’s Home. And last but not least, they had some damaged law books that instead of discarding, they turned into a book tree.
- The Robert Manning Strozier Library at Florida State University is getting in the holiday spirit with a festive book tree.
- The Lewis-Clark State College Library in Lewiston, Idaho created this creative and festive holiday fireplace book display. Their student assistants put it together using volumes from the Federal Reporter series and the Washington & Pacific Digest.
- DeTamble Library at St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, NC is ready for the holiday season with a book-theme Christmas display. The library staff created ornaments made from cut-up pages of withdrawn books. The book tree is made up of bound periodicals, and the tree topper is a discarded book with pages folded into the shape of a tree with a paper star. The staff also made ornaments including paper chains, orbs, stars, and angels, from discarded book pages. The beautiful starburst wreath is made from sheet music pages rolled into cones.
- At the Middendorf-Kredell Branch of the St. Charles City-County Library in O'Fallon, MO, Ben got in the holiday spirit by dressing up a Jolly Old Saint Nick and creating a holiday wreath out of some older withdrawn U.S. Code CDs!
- The University of South Alabama’s University Libraries presented a holiday display for patrons featuring holiday gift ideas from GPO.
- Kern County Library's Beale Memorial Library in Bakersfield, California created a beautiful tree with bound volumes of Sunset and Time magazines. Their children’s department was also very festive for their patrons.
- Santa’s reindeer entered the building at the Supreme Court of Ohio Law Library. This beautiful book tree is made up of 708 volumes of the National Union Catalog.
- The Connecticut State Library presented a holiday safety display for its patrons using free Government information resources.
- Staff from the Connecticut State Library and the Connecticut Supreme Court celebrated Christmas in 1926 at the Connecticut State Library. The gentleman in what appears to be a white suit was dressed as the "Snow King." The group dined on a lavish feast of “roasted turqui avec le stuffing, potatoes beaucoup mashe, cranberrie sauce a la chile, celery de l'amour, petit gateau parker house, beurre, jello de pineapple, et lemonne creme a la whippe.”
- The Indiana State Library created a Government documents-themed tree.
- Abilene Christian University’s Brown Library in Abilene, Texas created a beautiful book tree with hidden candies and treats in its “branches” for its student patrons.
- The Eagle Commons Library at the University of North Texas celebrates the holidays with beautiful book trees and a book menorah made out of Government documents! The library also showcased Ben Franklin with an angel dog chorus.
- Memphis Public Library's "Government Publications Make Great Holiday Gifts" display was presented in five separate areas on the lobby level of the library.
- Lycoming College’s Snowden Library in Pennsylvania created a beautiful book tree comprised of bound periodicals from the 1960s through the 1980s.
- The Jernigan Library at Texas A&M University, Kingsville created beautiful artwork for their patrons to enjoy depicting some December holidays, as well as a beautiful book tree with bound periodicals.
- Ben and Santa hit the slopes at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Central Library in Silver Spring, Maryland.
- Texas Christian University’s Burnett Library featured Government documents about shopping and decorating safely.
- Cleveland Public Library used a variety of health-related Government resources in their display and put together a Government Holiday Cookbook featuring recipes from various Government agencies.
- The staff at the Birmingham Public Library decorated a beautiful tree for patrons to enjoy.
- San Diego Public Library created festive displays for Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and the winter season.
- Staff at the Wisconsin State Law Library added festive touches to the library for their patrons.
Share Your Events with GPO
The staff at the U.S. Government Publishing Office always likes to hear about the creative ways your library celebrates the holidays. Share your event details and photos with us via askGPO. Under the “Ask a Question” tab, use the category, “Federal Depository Libraries” and the subcategory, “Marketing Strategies/Radio Spots.”