For the People


For the People exhibit graphic with Statue of Liberty on the right side

"For the People: KU Libraries celebrate 150 years of publicly accessible government information"

Commemorates the 150th anniversary of KU Libraries' induction into the Federal Depository Library Program and promotes access to government information within KU Libraries' collections.

Exhibit Contents

KU Institute for Policy and Social Research

1541 Lilac Lane, Blake Hall Room 607

Lawrence, KS 66045

KU Debate

1440 Jayhawk Blvd., Bailey Hall Room 102

Lawrence, KS 66045

Opening Reception Panel: 

Panel moderated by Reggie Robinson, KU Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs

Panel Participants:

  • Lester Randall — Kickapoo Tribal Chairman
  • Michael McGrew — CEO, McGrew Real Estate
  • Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle — Associate Vice Provost Emerita
  • Donna Ginther — Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Policy

Opening Reception Images

The University of Kansas is proud of its 150-year history as a federal depository library. The depository program allows free, local access to this rich source of information, and our government information librarians provide expert assistance to scholars, students, and citizens of Kansas who need to navigate the vast amounts of material. As part of the Federal Depository Library Program, our librarians provide leadership to the selective repositories in the state, as well as on national policy related to how the government shares information.

There are two truly remarkable things about government information and the FDLP.

The first is that, as the title of the exhibit says, all this information is publicly accessible. Through the federal depository program, and now through online publication, government information represents the cornerstone of American democracy. All U.S. citizens have an equal right to use government information to learn the laws of our land, how to comply with federal regulations, and where to go to claim the whole panoply of government benefits. This rich trove of openly available federal information supports a tremendous variety of research and publications by KU scholars and scholars throughout Kansas. Government documents keep America informed and educated!

The second remarkable thing about government information is its richness and variety. The government produces information about so much more than its own internal workings. Using materials produced by the federal government, individuals can discover objects that exist deep in outer space or learn about cattle breeding in Pottawatomie County. They can find the names of soldiers killed during the Vietnam War, trace who owns the rights to “Citizen Kane,” or learn the best ways to grow a healthy crop of wheat. From children’s literature to census data to information about health and disease, government publications offer a truly astonishing array of topics, and the potential for all sorts and varieties of knowledge.

By participating in this program, we help ensure that Kansans can find and use the government information that they need, and thus enrich lives and support an immense variety of businesses, pastimes, and interests. The depository has also been a vital resource for KU’s own champion debate teams!

Access to government information grows our economy and improves conditions for people across the state. As “For the People” demonstrates, the federal depository at KU has been making a difference for Kansas and the nation for a century and a half, and we look forward to continuing that tradition for many years to come.

Kevin L. Smith

Dean of Libraries

University of Kansas

Government Issue: Comics for the People

March 27, 2019 | 2-3:30 p.m. | Watson Three West

Richard L. Graham

Mock Debate and Q&A

April 26, 2019 | 9:30-11 a.m. | Watson Three West

KU Debate Team 

Opening Reception

Opening Reception Music:

  • Tony Lee, KU Student

Panel Discussion

Moderator:

  • Reggie Robinson — Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs

Panelists:

  • Lester Randall — Kickapoo Tribal Chairman
  • Michael McGrew — CEO, McGrew Real Estate
  • Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle — Associate Vice Provost Emerita
  • Donna Ginther – Director, Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Policy

Content Providers 

  • Xanthippe Wedel, KU Institute for Policy and Social Research
  • Scott L. Harris, KU Debate
  • Neal Axton, Government Information Librarian
  • Carmen Orth-Alfie, Graduate Engagement Librarian
  • Scott McEathron, Center for Graduate Initiatives and Engagement

Events, Photography, and Graphic Design:

  • LeAnn Meyer, Assistant Director of Advancement
  • Kelly Spavin, Events and Donor Relations Coordinator
  • Leah Hallstrom, Communications Coordinator
  • Nikki Pirch, Graphic Designer
  • Aubrey Burgess, Graphic Design Intern

Coordination, Preparation, and Installation:

Haricombe Gallery Advisory Board

  • Sarah Goodwin Thiel, Exhibit Coordinator
  • Conner Mulkey, Community Engagement Intern
  • Samantha Bishop Simmons, Undergraduate Learning Specialist

Gallery Preparation

  • Jeromy Horkman, Director of Public Operations, KU Libraries
  • Pam Wagner, Technology Coordinator

Complete Exhibit Contents

Gallery Images

Opening Reception Panel moderated by Reggie Robinson, Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs

Opening Reception Images

• Batza, Katie (2016). “Historic Places in LGBTQ Health.” In LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History. Ed. Megan E. Springate. National Park Service.

• Brown, J. Christopher et al. (2014). Ethanol plant location and intensification vs. extensification of corn cropping in Kansas. Applied Geography 53(4), 141-148.

• Daley, Dorothy M. and Tony G. Reams. (2015). “Public Participation, Environmental Justice and Access to Federal Decision Making.” In Failed Promises: Evaluating the Federal Government’s response to Environmental Justice. Ed. D. Konisky. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

• Egbert, Stephen L., Enrique Martínez-Meyer, Miguel Ortega-Huerta, & A. Townsend Peterson (2002). Use of Datasets Derived from Time-series AVHRR Imagery as Surrogates for Land Cover Maps in Predicting Species' Distributions. Presented at the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

• Ginther, D. (2008). Testimony before the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education of the U.S. House of Representatives on the Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2008.

• Goodyear, Marilu, Holly T. Goerdel, Shannon Portillo, & Linda M. Williams (2010). Cybersecurity Management in the States: The Emerging Role of Chief Information Security Officers Report prepared for the IBM Center for The Business of Government.

• Kozleski, Elizabeth. (2009). Briefing to Congress on Inclusive Education and Implications for Policy: The State of the Art and Best Practices in Taking Inclusive Education to Scale. Presented in TASH Congressional Briefing on Inclusive Education

•  Kurpius, S., Barbara Kerr, Amy Harkins, Arizona State University, National Science Foundation, ASU, . . . N.S.F. (2005). Handbook for counseling girls and women: Ten years of research from the National Science Foundation — Gender equity projects at Arizona State University (1st U.S. edition). Mesa, AZ: Nueva Science.

•     Robinson, Reginald L. (1996). “White Cultural Matrix and the Language of Nonverbal Advertising in Housing Segregation: Toward an Aggregate Theory of Liability,” Capital University Law Review 25.

Exhibition Posters

The Haricombe Gallery promotes the creative scholarship of our campus community, highlights the strength of the libraries' collections, and works in partnership with cultural venues internal and external to KU.