The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA), established in 1854, currently operates as a unit of the Tennessee Department of State. According to the Tennessee Blue Book, the

Library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

and

Archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual o ...

"collects and preserves books and records of historical, documentary and reference value, and encourages and promotes

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

development throughout the state." This mandate can be found in Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 10, Chapters 1-8. Although most states operate their libraries and archives as separate agencies,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

is one of a handful of states whose library and archives are administered jointly.

History

The state library's original home (after a short stint in the Davidson County courthouse) was in the capitol building, while the archives were formerly housed in the basement of the state's War Memorial Building. LibraryandArchivesNashville

Tennessee's General Assembly joined the Department of Archives and History with the State Library in 1919 to create the State Library and Archives. In 1953, a new Tennessee State Library and Archives building opened. Designed by H. Clinton Parrent Jr., the building was across the street from the Tennessee State Capitol in downtown

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

. Built as a memorial to all veterans of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Library and Archives building was constructed at a cost of $2.3 million. On November 17, 2003, the Tennessee State Library and Archives building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its educational significance and its neo classical architectural design. After more than fifty years of being located on Capitol Hill, the need for a larger facility to house collections, improve climate control and provide better handicapped access became necessary. In 2005, plans began to be made for the construction of a new Library and Archives building. After many years of planning and budget issues, the 110th Tennessee General Assembly approved funding for a new building in 2017. The State of Tennessee officially broke ground for a new Tennessee State Library and Archives building during a ceremony held on December 11, 2017. Designed by Tuck-Hinton Architects, the new building is located next to Bicentennial State Park on the corner of Rep. John Lewis Way and Jefferson Street. The cost of the new building was estimated to be $123.8 million. The new 165,000 square foot facility includes a climate-controlled chamber for storing historic books and manuscripts with a space saving robotic retrieval system. A new blast freezer will allow TSLA staff to help save materials damaged by water or insects following floods and other disasters. The new facility also has classrooms for student groups and meeting space for training librarians and archivists.

Library for Accessible Books and Media (LABM)

In 1970, a new division of TSLA, the Tennessee Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (LBPH) was established. On March 9, 2018, the LBPH changed its name to the Tennessee Library for Accessible Books and Media (LABM). This division's collections consist of public library type books and magazines in

audio Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum * Digital audio, representation of sou ...

braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displ ...

and

large print Large-print (also large-type or large-font) refers to the formatting of a book or other text document in which the typeface (or font) are considerably larger than usual to accommodate people who have low vision. Frequently the medium is also increa ...

formats, as well as players for the audio books. The LABM's collections are loaned to Tennesseans who have physical disabilities which prevent them from using standard print. The materials are delivered to the individual patron's home address utilizing the U.S. Postal Service's "Free Matter" mailing privilege. Disabilities which make a Tennessee resident eligible to use the service are:

blindness Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

; visual disability; manual dexterity problems, which prevent holding a book and/or turning pages; and

reading disabilities A reading disability is a condition in which a person displays difficulty reading. Examples of reading disabilities include: developmental dyslexia, alexia (acquired dyslexia), and hyperlexia (word-reading ability well above normal for age and IQ ...

. The Tennessee LABM is a cooperating library with the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically HandicappedNational Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
/ref>/

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

Holdings and collection highlights

The Tennessee State Library and Archives currently holds nearly 700,000 print volumes, over a million photographic images, thousands of vertical files,

microfilm Microforms are scaled-down reproductions of documents, typically either films or paper, made for the purposes of transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about 4% or of the original document size. ...

reels, and legislative audiocassettes. Archives and manuscripts collections are housed in nearly of storage. The Library for Accessible Books and Media holds approximately 240,000 items. TSLA holds the most comprehensive collection of Tennessee

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

s, which dates to 1791.

Tennessee State Librarians and Archivists, 1854 to present

* W.B.A. Ramsey, ''ex officio'' librarian (1854–1855) * F.N.W. Burton, ''ex officio'' librarian (1855–1856) * R.J. Meigs, State Librarian (1856–1861) * John E. Hatcher, State Librarian (1861) * Augustin Gattinger, State Librarian (1864–1869) * W.H. Wharton, State Librarian (1869–1871) * Mrs. Paralee Haskell, State Librarian (1871–1879) * Mrs. Robert Hatton, State Librarian (1879–1887) * Mrs. Sue P. Lowe, State Librarian (1887–1891) * Mrs. Linnie Williams, State Librarian (1891–1895) * Mrs. Irene Ingram, State Librarian (1895–1897) * Miss Pauline Jones, State Librarian (1897–1899) * Miss Jennie E. Lauderdale, State Librarian (1899–1901) * Mrs. Lulu B. Epperson, State Librarian (1901–1903) * Miss Mary Skeffington, State Librarian (1903–1919) *

John Trotwood Moore John Trotwood Moore (1858–1929) was an American journalist, writer and local historian. He was the author of many poems, short stories and novels. He served as the State Librarian and Archivist of Tennessee from 1919 to 1929. He was "an apol ...

, State Librarian and Archivist (1919–1929) * Mary Brown Daniel Moore, State Librarian and Archivist (1929–1949) * Daniel M. Robison, State Librarian (1949–1961) * William T. Alderson, Jr., State Librarian (1961–1964) * Sam B. Smith, State Librarian and Archivist (1964–1969) * Wilmon H. Droze, State Librarian and Archivist (1969–1972) * Katheryn Culbertson, State Librarian and Archivist (1972–1982) * Olivia K. Young, State Librarian and Archivist (1982–1985) * Robert B. Croneberger, State Librarian and Archivist (1985–1986) * Edwin S. Gleaves, State Librarian and Archivist (1987–2005) * Jeanne Sugg, State Librarian and Archivist (2005–2010) * Charles Sherrill, State Librarian and Archivist (2010-2022) * Jamie Ritter, State Librarian and Archivist (2022-current)

References

* Moore, Mary Brown Daniel. "The Tennessee State Library in the Capitol." ''Tennessee Historical Quarterly'' 12.1 (1953): 3-22.

External links

Tennessee State Library and Archives Official SiteTennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA)
(highlights from the collections of TSLA)
TSLA Online Catalog"Tennessee State Library and Archives" Entry from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and CultureTennessee State Library and Archives Exhibit on Women's SuffrageTennessee State Library and Archives
at FamilySearch Research Wiki for genealogists {{Authority control 1854 establishments in Tennessee Buildings and structures in Nashville, Tennessee Education in Nashville, Tennessee Government agencies established in 1854 Libraries in Tennessee Library buildings completed in 1953 Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee Neoclassical architecture in Tennessee State agencies of Tennessee State archives of the United States State libraries of the United States National Register of Historic Places in Nashville, Tennessee