We Need You! . . . To Become a Preservation Steward: Benefits, Challenges, and Lessons Learned from the Nation’s First Preservation Steward

Abstract

In October 2016, the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU Boulder) and the Government Publishing Office (GPO) signed the nation’s first Preservation Steward Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). CU Boulder, the Regional Federal Depository for the state of Colorado, has pledged to retain and preserve three large collections of legislative history: the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, the bound Congressional Record, and Congressional Hearings. In turn, GPO will cover shipping costs to fill collection gaps and facilitate communication between CU Boulder and other libraries that plan to withdraw large runs of relevant documents. The purpose of this article is to provide a historical context for the Preservation Steward agreement, describe how CU Boulder implemented the MOA, and encourage other depository libraries to become Preservation Stewards.