The New Jersey State Library, based in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.[New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...]
's
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
,
Legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
and
Judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and information services to all New Jersey residents. The State Library is an affiliate of
Thomas Edison State University and is located in the
Capitol Complex in Trenton.
History
Although scholars debate the New Jersey State Library's founding date, the collection began almost a century earlier. Between 1664 and 1702, New Jersey existed as two propriety colonies –
East New Jersey
The Province of East Jersey, along with the Province of West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702 in accordance with the Quintipartite Deed, were two distinct political divisions of the Province of New Jersey, which became the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...
and
West New Jersey
West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often ...
– with all governing documents in manuscript form. In 1704, two years after becoming the Royal Colony of New Jersey,
William Bradford began printing laws for the colony. This included ''An Act to Regulate the Purchasing of Law from the Indians'', the first printed law in New Jersey, and a collection of laws passed between 1703 and 1709. In 1711, the assembly began consistently printing its laws and minutes and, by 1725, the “pages of Votes & Proceedings,” the colonial legislative publication, “were being sent to the printer weekly.”
In 1742, the assembly began actively purchasing books and reference materials for the legislative collection, with their minutes referring to them as “books belonging ‘to the Colony of New Jersey.’”. By the 1750s, committee reports listed the sources used in each deliberation, which included several reference texts, such as law dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks on parliamentary procedure. In the 1760s, there are several mentions of the assembly ordering boxes, shelving, and cases for their growing collection. The boxes and cases also enabled the assembly to safely transfer necessary documents and books between
Perth Amboy and
Burlington, the colony’s two capitals. In 1792, after Trenton was selected as the official capital, the collection received a permanent home, though, according to John T. Shaw, the “collection saw periods of neglect until the position of state librarian was created by the legislature in 1822.”
[Shaw, "The Origins of a State Library," 16]
Activities
The State Librarian serves as a representative to the office of the
Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...
, the
New Jersey State Legislature, the various
New Jersey state agencies, and other statewide organizations. The State Library Information Center provides resources and services to employees of the
Government of New Jersey
The government of the State of New Jersey is separated into three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The powers of the State of New Jersey are vested by the Constitution of New Jersey, enacted in 1947, in a bicameral s ...
as well as to employees and students of Thomas Edison State University. Those same resources and services are available, through the Library Network, to residents throughout New Jersey.
Other significant departments and activities within the State Library include the New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center, founded in 1967; the JerseyConnect infrastructure backbone and service capability; the Lifelong Learning unit; the Innovation & Strategic Partnerships unit; the Library Support Services unit; and the Office of Communication, Marketing & Outreach.
See also
*
New Jersey Library Association
The New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) is a library organization located in Trenton, New Jersey. It was established in 1890, and is the oldest library organization in the State of New Jersey. The NJLA began in 1890 with 39 members, and current ...
References
External links
Official website
{{coord, 40.2210, -74.7723, region:US-NJ_type:landmark, display=title
1796 establishments in New Jersey
Buildings and structures in Trenton, New Jersey
Government agencies established in 1796
Libraries in New Jersey
State agencies of New Jersey
State libraries of the United States