In the pre-internet age, most government information was distributed through the U.S. Government Printing Office, and public and college libraries throughout the United States were responsible for providing public access to that information.Today, most government information intended for public distribution is posted directly to the internet. Publication patterns in this digital environment are not as predictable, and the responsibility for preserving information has become considerably more unclear. Today historians who seek information in libraries sometimes learn that information, which was once available on a government website, was deleted before it could be saved.
To study the extent of this problem and help propose solutions, the University of Missouri Libraries joined a small group of libraries led by Martin Halbert and Robbie Sittel of the University of North Texas to form the PEGI (Preservation of Government Information) Project. Funded by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, PEGI worked for two years, meeting with government agency representatives, industry leaders, library administrators and others to define the scope of the problem and chart pathways forward. The University of Missouri Libraries are proud to have been part of the founding PEGI Project team (link: https://www.pegiproject.org/project-team).
The final report “Toward a Shared Agenda: Report on PEGI Project Activities for 2017-2019” received the Margaret T. Lane/ Virginia F. Saunders Memorial Research Award. This award is given annually to an author or shared among collaborative authors of an outstanding research article in which government documents, either published or archival in nature, form a substantial part of the documented research. University of Missouri librarian Marie Concannon was a co-author on this report.