LSU Libraries, together with Louisiana Tech University’s Prescott Memorial Library, have been honored by U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) as 2015 Libraries of the Year. The 2015 Libraries of the Year are regional Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) libraries recognized for demonstrating leadership, innovation, and commitment to providing free public access to federal government information.

LSU Libraries and Louisiana Tech University’s Prescott Memorial Library have been providing services to the residents of Louisiana since the 19th century, ensuring that government documents are accessible and up-to-date for patrons.  The two libraries helped work with Southern University in New Orleans to reopen its library almost a decade after the destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina.  After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, librarians recovered and reassembled government collections at damaged depository libraries to restore public access to government information at all of the state’s twenty-seven federal depository libraries.

The other library named this year is The University of North Texas Libraries. “The Louisiana and Texas libraries receiving this honor serve as another example of the critical role libraries play in helping GPO provide the public Government information,” said GPO Director Davita Vance-Cooks. "These libraries are valuable partners to the FDLP and an incredible resource for the American people. GPO has such a rich history with libraries that dates back to 1895 and they have proven to be the backbone of Keeping America Informed.”

The LSU Libraries has been a depository for federal government publications since 1907 and has a substantial number of U.S. documents issued before and after that time. The Libraries became a Regional Depository Library in 1964, and was designated an official depository for U.S. Patents in 1981. The patent collection includes all patents issued from 1871 to the present. Stephanie Braunstein is the LSU Libraries Head of Government Documents & Microforms.