Celebrating Constitution Day with University Libraries
Teddy Stocking and Lee Brockmeier discuss Constitution Day and what the Libraries are doing to celebrate
"The Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the generation that then existed, but for posterity- unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity." - Henry Clay
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." - Preamble of the Constitution
On September 17, the University Libraries’ Government Information Group will celebrate Constitution Day. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Libraries will staff a table in the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center’s Main Lobby with a host of promotions and activities. There will be 100 free pocket-sized copies of the US Constitution, available on a first-come-first-served basis while supplies last. Additionally, stop by the table to test your wits with trivia questions pulled from the United States citizenship test, learn more information on Nevada voter registration, and see our Constitution-themed activities. All are welcome to join our celebration of the living document that is the cornerstone of United States democracy and government.
While celebrating Constitution Day on September 17, the University Libraries hold democratic access to information as a core value and a cornerstone of a free society. As a federally-designated Depository Library within the Federal Depository Library Program, we continue to collect and circulate government documents, and assist individuals conducting research with government documents. Within the Government Information Group, this commitment was recently made evident with our selection to be one of a select number of depositories to receive ongoing shipments of a number of limited run publications. It also comes in the form of free patent and trademark assistance via our Patent and Trademark Resource Center. We continue to maintain our historic Bureau of Land Management map collection housed at the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library and University Libraries’s Special Collections and University Archives also play an active and important role in preserving our state’s political history, such as our Nevada Political Archive.
From the past to the present, the materials the Libraries purchase and house within our stacks are available for on-site reading, our Community Borrowers Card allows for lending to members of the community, and our spaces (from Special Collections and University Archives to the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library Makerspace) are open to the public.
For additional information on University Library’s Federally Designated Patent and Trademark Office or to book a free consultation, please visit the Libraries’ PTRC webpage.
For additional information on University Library map services, please visit the Libraries’ Map Resources: Mary B. Ansari Map Library website.
For additional information on government document research support services, please see the Libraries’ U.S. & International Governments Library Guide.
About the authors
Teddy Stocking
Teddy Stocking is the business librarian of the University of Nevada, Reno. As the coordinator of University Libraries' Patent and Trademark Resource Center, he is available for complementary, introductory patent and trademark support for University and public patrons.
Lee Brockmeier
Lee Brockmeier is the Government Documents team lead at the University Libraries. Over the past decade, he has helped to facilitate access to various government publications that the library has collected. He finds the work fruitful in helping to support research by the public and the University community.