U.S. Government Publishing Office cites UK Libraries for WPA Preservation Work

Since 2008, UK has been working to preserve and increase accessibility to publications from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) according to the latest Federal Depository Library Program newsletter, Connections. The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO’s) also cited UK Libraries as its newest partner.

UK’s WPA collection dates from the early 1930s to the late 1970s and currently has over 2,600 items that were published by the WPA. As an Association of Southeastern Research Libraries Center of Excellence for the WPA, UK has undertaken a number of actions to preserve and promote WPA material. In addition, UK digitized its collection of over 450 WPA publications from Kentucky and other southeastern states. Highlights from the digital collection include:

• Federal archives inventories for various states including Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee
• A publication on commercial fisheries of Georgia
• A transcript of radio programs on nature in Kentucky
• A publication on rock drilling from the Maryland WPA
• A procedures manual on wage rates, hours of work, occupational classifications, and labor policies from 1938.

Sandee McAninch, head of the Federal Depository Unit and Regional Depository Librarian, joined with depository coordinators Marie Concannon and Kristine Stilwell, for a webinar on how to use the WPA Historical Records Survey. Please see UK Libraries WPA Collection for more information.