Preservation Steward Library MOU with US Goverment Publishing Office (GPO)

The Library has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) to become a Preservation Steward library. We are an early participant in GPO’s Federal Information Preservation Network (FIPNet), being only the third library to sign an MOA to be a preservation steward.

Under this agreement, the library has committed to permanently preserve print copies of United States Reports, the official record of the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to completion of the MOA, Gov Docs had to compile an inventory and condition assessment of our volumes. We will seek replacements for volumes that are not in “good” condition. In the course of inventorying the volumes, we learned that the oldest volume in our collection was published in 1798. Although the pre-1817 volumes of United States Reports are not covered by the MOA because they were not published under government auspices, we will consult with the Preservation Department about how best to preserve them as well.