Readers Exchange

Auraria Library Celebrates 25 Years as a Depository

On April 2, 2003, the Auraria Library in downtown Denver, Colorado, celebrated 25 years as a depository library. The Auraria campus was formed in 1976 to combine the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver, and the University of Colorado at Denver students onto one campus, but remaining as 3 separate schools, with one Library, funded by all three.

The designation process was a complex one, involving the redesignation of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley from Senatorial to Congressional and then designation of Auraria by Senator Floyd Haskell in 1978. Strengths of the present collection include Census, Congressional, Justice, and statistical publications.

T.C. Evans, Deputy Superintendent of Documents, spoke to the assembly of librarians, faculty, staff, and students about the importance of free access to government information and of depository libraries to facilitate access. He then presented Dean David Gleim with a certificate commemorating the anniversary.

Attendees enjoyed refreshments at a reception sponsored by LexisNexis following the ceremony. Attendees left with packets of information about the depository program, notepads, and pens from GPO and the Denver GPO Bookstore. A library display, next to the U.S. flag, of information about the depository program together with some of the library’s publications formed a backdrop for the ceremony.