Cynthia Akers, associate professor for the university libraries and archives, stands with a display of books Tuesday afternoon in the William Allen White Library. A ceremony will be held on Monday, marking the 100th anniversary of the library being a federal documents depository. Giri Nam/The Bulletin.

Since 1909, the William Allen White library has been a provider of federal documents to Emporia State and the surrounding community. Monday will be the 100^th anniversary of a federal collection that has been growing for a century.

“For 100 years, our library has had access to free information from anything that the U.S. government publishes,” said Cynthia Akers, associate professor for the university libraries and archives. “What we’re finding now, is that the government is like so many other places, it’s so much easier to access information electronically.”

A ceremony will be held on Monday, marking the anniversary. Tours of the government documents area of the library will begin at 10:30 a.m. along with demonstrations of how to find government documents online.

Proclamations will be announced from Jerry Moran, first district representative, Mark Parkinson, Governor of Kansas and a representative of the City of Emporia at 1:30 p.m. Ashley Dahlen, librarian for the Government Printing Office, will present a plaque to WAW.

A reception will be held afterwards with cake and punch.

“It will be a very casual come and go affair,” Akers said.

ESU is a selective depository meaning that it does not have to accept all of the documents that the government publishes. Currently, ESU accepts about 65 percent of the federal documents that are available.

“A library can decide at any point in time that they want to be a depository but if you decide that you are going to be a federal depository, you have a commitment to share that government information and make it freely accessible,” Akers said. “Not only to everybody in a university but also to everybody in the surrounding community. That’s one reason that we are celebrating this because we want everyone to know that we have free government information.”

Anschutz Library at the University of Kansas is the only regional depository in the state according to the Government Printing Office.

“Up at KU, they are a regional depository and they have to take everything that is made by the government,” said Sam Rogers, electronic resource librarian for WAW library. “

Being selective helps WAW to cater to the needs of the students.

“Since we are first and foremost a university library, we have a responsibility to you all as the students,” Akers said. “That’s why we take almost everything that U.S. Department of Education would have. Since we have that responsibility to the surrounding community, we have a lot of agriculture, a lot of small business, we tend to take more from agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Association.”

The documents that are accessible through a federal depository would include items that Congress, the Internal Revenue Service or any department of the U.S. government publishes.

“We have a lot of information available from the U.S. Department of Education,” Akers said. “That would just be an incredible source of information for students who are preparing to be teachers. You can find a lot of lesson plans, curriculum guides.”

While the history of how exactly ESU became a depository is shaky, there are a few documents that proves it has provided these services for years.

“I contacted the (Government Printing Office) and they were able to find a document from a book in the ‘50s that was record of when all of the depositories were founded,” Rogers said. “That was the only information that they had, the specific dates of us becoming a depository.”

ESU gets documents electronically and in print.

“The different departments, department of agriculture, department of education, they all publish their own information,” Rogers said. “When they do it online, we get records that link to that information. When they do it in print, the Government Printing Office gets copies of all that information and mails it out to all of the depository libraries.”

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Physical Education to host Kansas Kids Fitness Day

The Physical Education Department will host the Kansas Kids Fitness Day from 9-11 a.m. tomorrow on the football practice fields. In case of inclement weather, the Fitness Day will take place in the HPER gyms.

About 300 local third graders are expected to participate in the Fitness Day, which has occurred for at least the last three years, said Cody Stockwell, junior physical education major.

Stations with field day activities, including tag, relay, water games and beanbag toss, will be available. Stockwell said that this year’s theme is “Wild West and Kansas History.”

The students who participate will receive goody bags with jump ropes and snacks that are being assembled by a physical education methods class.

Emporia Farmer’s Market to reopen Saturday

The Emporia Farmer’s Market will reopen at 8 a.m. May 2 in the Merchant Street parking lot between 7th and 12th Ave.

For the first time ever, the farmer’s market will accept payment via debit and WIC food assistance cards, said Roger Heineken, manager of the Memorial Union information service center and past board member for the farmer’s market.

The farmer’s market takes place every Saturday during early spring, expanding to both Saturday and Wednesday as more locally grown produce become available later in the year.

Tracey Graham, manager of the farmer’s market, said that asparagus, rhubarb, lettuce, radishes, green onions, a wide array of baked goods and fresh chicken eggs will all be on sale at Saturdays’ market.

Individuals interested in selling goods, fundraising, or showcasing art and music at the Emporia farmer’s market can contact Tracey Graham at (620) 343-6555.

WAW Library accepting ‘Food for Fines’

Until Friday, May 22, students may donate canned goods and non-perishable items to the William Allen White Library lobby in exchange for paying library fines. All donations will be given to the Salvation Army Pantry, which provides local families and individuals with food.

This is the third semester WAW library has done Food for Fines, said Terri Summey, head of access services. One food item equals $1 in fines, up to $30 on an individual account.

Summey said that, with the current economy, it is likely that more Lyon County residents will need to use the services provided by the Salvation Army Pantry.

Guidelines for food donations include only non-perishable canned goods and packaged items; food must not be outdated, according to date stamping on the package; packages must be unopened and undamaged; no candy or produce; and food cannot be used to pay replacement costs for damaged or unreturned materials or for processing fees.

Students who have accumulated more than $10 in fines by the end of the semester may be blocked from enrolling for classes, viewing their transcripts, and accessing financial aid.

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