The Mary Couts Burnett Library has a proud history of providing free, public access through its service as a Federal depository library.
In December 2012, the Mary Couts Burnett Library was the Spotlight feature of the Federal Depository Library's Program. The Library was applauded for serving the large TCU undergraduate and graduate student population as well as other library visitors with free, public access to U.S. Government information. Such subject areas available are transportation, education, nursing and military history. Students and visitors alike often and freely use the library's depository collection for their research. Brenda Barnes, the Head of Reference, serves as the Depository Coordinator for Government Information and Beth Callahan is the Government Information Library Specialist.
As noted in the December 2012 Depository Library Spotlight article:
[T]he depository story for TCU actually begins in 1898 when the library was originally designated in Waco, Texas. After the university suffered a devastating fire, the campus moved to Fort Worth and reopened as Texas Christian University in a new U.S. Congressional District. In 1916, Representative James "Cyclone" Davis reinstated depository status for TCU in the new district.
Some recent activities highlight the library's depository collection. When the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum offered extra copies of U.S. Government publications from their collections to TCU and other Texas libraries earlier this year, TCU gratefully accepted an additional 341 volumes of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set. This acquisition helped the library achieve a more comprehensive collection of this important title.
The library just completed a four-year long collection review, conducted by the depository library staff and the library's subject liaisons. Benefits of the project included increased knowledge about depository publications by all library personnel involved, an updated and streamlined catalog reflecting the collection review, and a more organized collection. In addition, 37 additional seats are now available to researchers in the primary depository stacks area, enabling even more researchers to work right next to documents they are using.