The State Library of Kansas is a department within the state government of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

, with locations in

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central ...

and Emporia. Ray Walling was appointed acting State Librarian in June of 2022.

Locations

The research collections and most of the staff of the State Library of Kansas have been located on the third floor of the Kansas State Capitol at 10th and Jackson Streets in downtown Topeka, Kansas, since 1900. In December, 2009, the staff was moved out of its third floor location in the State Capitol and into mobile units on the Capitol grounds during renovation of the north wing of the Capitol. The Library's collections were moved to an Annex in Topeka in April, 2010. Library staff and collections were returned to the third floor of the Capitol in December, 2012. The Library's Talking Books Library is located in the lower level of the Student Union,

Emporia State University Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. Em ...

, Emporia, Kansas.

Kansas Center for the Book

The Kansas Center for the Book is a state affiliate of the

Center for the Book The Center for the Book was founded in 1977 by Daniel J. Boorstin, the Librarian of Congress, to promote literacy, libraries, and reading and an understanding of the history and heritage of American literature. The Center for the Book is mainly ...

in the

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 librar ...

. The Kansas Center for the Book affiliated with the national Center for the Book in 1987, and was hosted and headquartered at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library from then until 2005, when it moved to the State Library of Kansas. Programs at the Kansas Center for the Book are: the

Kansas Notable Book Awards The State of Kansas Notable Book Awards are presented annually for fifteen notable books created by writers, illustrators or book artists who are Kansans or have written about Kansas. The award, originally established in 2006, is organized by th ...

, Kansas Reads to Preschoolers, and the Parade of States at the National Book Festival.

Kansas Talking Books

The Kansas Talking Book Service, headquartered in Emporia, Kansas, provides books, newspapers and magazines in

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 display ...

and recorded format with playback equipment to any Kansas citizen unable to use standard print because of visual or physical impairment. The program is coordinated through the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. The Talking Books service also hosts a book club and publishes a regular blog discussing what books are available or popular with the service. In 2022, the program partnered with the Ohio Library for the Blind to expand its collections through the use of the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) service and mobile app. The Service heads a network of Kansas Talking Book subregional libraries located in Great Bend,

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

, Norton, Wichita and Topeka, Kansas.

Online Services

The Library's online services are available to Kansas residents. Downloadable audio and e-books are available online through a browser or various apps. The Library provides a Kansas Library eCard, which allows access to these databases: *A list of databases available can be viewed on the State Library's website at kslib.info/eor *Kansas Library eCards are available to Kansas residents and are given out by local public libraries in the state or by visiting the physical location inside the state capitol building *Ebooks and audiobooks through various apps and services, including ComicsPlus, Freading, Enki, and TumbleBooks. *Online resources for financial and health literacy, automotive repair, career services, research and language learning programs, among many others.

Reference Division

The Research and Information Division serves the research and reference needs of state government and the general public. The division, located in Topeka, has a collection of over 250,000 titles including books, magazines, current newspapers, U.S. federal documents, Kansas government documents, Kansas legislative material and a newspaper clippings file dating back to the 1920s. Research assistance is provided for walk-in, telephone, instant message and email questions.

Interlibrary loan Interlibrary loan (abbreviated ILL, and sometimes called interloan, interlending, document delivery, document supply, or interlibrary services, abbreviated ILS) is a service where patrons of one library can borrow materials and receive photocopies ...

service is also available, providing material within the library's collection to people around the world. The Reference division also offers
Legislative hotline
which has been in operation since 1975. Librarians with the reference division assist Kansans with basic questions about the legislature, including providing bill numbers, status, dates and calendar information. Constituents may also obtain contact information and leave messages for their representatives via this service. Hotline staff are unable to transfer calls to office staff or other numbers. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-432-3924.

References

External links

*
Online Databases available at the State Library of KansasState Library of Kansas publications at KGI Online Library
{{Authority control Education in Shawnee County, Kansas Education in Topeka, Kansas Libraries in Kansas Organizations based in Topeka, Kansas

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 ...

Public libraries in Kansas 1855 establishments in Kansas Territory Government agencies established in 1855 Libraries established in 1855