Visitors to the University of Idaho Library had the opportunity to "sign the constitution" to celebrate Constitution Day on Sep 17. Photo Illustration by Jake Barber/Argonaut

More than 200 years ago, the U.S. Founding Fathers signed the Constitution and the University of Idaho Library is celebrating the anniversary. The library gave students the opportunity to sign alongside the Founding Fathers on a copy of the Constitution.
Since 2005, schools have been given federal funds to increase awareness and education relating to the Constitution.  UI also rose to the task.
Library assistants Barbara Jordan and Christine Gray have set up a display of different sorts of media as well as the copy of the Constitution available for anyone to sign.

“Every year, the library receives depository for United States documents. We get everything; through the process we have collected over 1.7 million government documents,” said Mike Pollastro, head of U.S. Government Documents in the UI Library.
“This is a day to celebrate the birthday of our government. Also, it is a celebration of the rights we enjoy,” he said.
With this immense number of documents, the library is encouraging students to become more informed with displays.
Jordan has set up a room for reading U.S. documents, the Constitution as well as the library’s Special Collections and Archives.
“It is a way to participate and make it interactive,” Pollastro said. “It can signify who agrees with it and who does not.”
Pollastro said there had been some illegitimate signing happening.

“Some signatures have not been of students. Someone signed John Hancock’s name,” he said.
But the joke was on the mischievous individual, Pollastro said.
“There is a common misconception that John Hancock did in fact sign the Constitution. But he was ill that day and ended up not signing it,” he said.
If the occasion arises to sign the copy of the Constitution in the library, Pallastro said to be sure the individual’s name is signed and it is correct.
Constitution Day is an important observance of the signing of this historical document and the journalism department supports it as well. 
“In the School of Journalism and Mass Media, faculty members mentioned the anniversary but didn’t have any special commemoration,” said Kenton Bird, director of the School of Journalism and Mass Media.

In the spring, the department will celebrate the birthday of James Madison, who is considered the author of the First Amendment, guaranteeing Freedom of the Press.
They are also working on an observance of Constitution Day in the fall of 2009 to call attention to all of the freedoms provided for under the Constitution.

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