In the United States of America, state library agencies established in each state have long been a catalyst for a great deal of the motivation for public library cooperation. This has been since the founding of the movement, starting in 1890 when Massachusetts created a state Board of Library Commissioners charged to help communities establish and improve public libraries.[1] Over the years, state library agencies played a major role in encouraging larger units of service to provide library resources.[2] The Library Services Act (1956) and the Library Services and Construction Act (1964) were keystones in the goal of providing library service throughout the nation.[3]
In addition, many of the 50 states have state archives similar to the federal National Archives and Records Administration to keep records relating to information on state laws, census information, etc.[4][5]
State | Library | Website | Archives (if separate) |
---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Alabama Public Library Service | Alabama Public Library Service | Alabama Department of Archives and History |
Alaska | Alaska State Library | Alaska State Library | Alaska State Archives |
Arizona | Arizona State Library | Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records | |
Arkansas | Arkansas State Library | Arkansas State Library | Arkansas State Archives |
California | California State Library | California State Library | California State Archives |
Colorado | Colorado State Library | Colorado State Library and Adult Education Office | Colorado State Archives |
Connecticut | Connecticut State Library | Connecticut State Library | Connecticut State Archives (part of the State Library) |
Delaware | Delaware Division of Libraries | Delaware Division of Libraries | Delaware Public Archives |
Florida | Florida State Library | State Library and Archives of Florida | |
Georgia | Georgia Public Library Service | Georgia Public Library Service | Georgia Archives |
Hawaii | Hawaii State Library | Hawaii State Library | Hawaii State Archives |
Idaho | Idaho Commission for Libraries | Idaho Commission for Libraries | Idaho State Historical Society Library and Archives |
Illinois | Illinois State Library | Illinois State Library | Illinois State Archives |
Indiana | Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau | Indiana State Library | Indiana Commission on Public Records |
Iowa | State Library of Iowa | State Library of Iowa | State Historical Society of Iowa, Archives and Records Program |
Kansas | State Library of Kansas | State Library of Kansas | Kansas Historical Society |
Kentucky | Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives | Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives | |
Louisiana | State Library of Louisiana | State Library of Louisiana | Louisiana State Archive and Research Library |
Maine | Maine State Library | Maine State Library | Maine State Archive |
Maryland | Maryland State Library | Maryland State Library | Maryland State Archives |
Massachusetts | State Library of Massachusetts | State Library of Massachusetts | Massachusetts Archives |
Michigan | Library of Michigan | Library of Michigan | Archives of Michigan |
Minnesota | Minnesota State Law Library | Minnesota Historical Society | |
Mississippi | Mississippi Library Commission | Mississippi Library Commission | Mississippi Department of Archives and History |
Missouri | Missouri State Library | Missouri State Library | Missouri State Archives |
Montana | Montana State Library | Montana State Library | Montana Historical Society Research Center |
Nebraska | Nebraska Library Commission | Nebraska State Library | Library/Archives Division of the Nebraska State Historical Society |
Nevada | Nevada State Library Archives and Public Records | Nevada State Library and Archives | |
New Hampshire | New Hampshire State Library | New Hampshire State Library | New Hampshire Division of Archives and Records Management |
New Jersey | New Jersey State Library | New Jersey State Library | New Jersey State Archives |
New Mexico | New Mexico State Library | New Mexico State Library | New Mexico State Record Center and Archives |
New York | New York State Library | New York State Library | New York State Archives |
North Carolina | State Library of North Carolina | State Library of North Carolina | State Archives of North Carolina |
North Dakota | North Dakota State Library | North Dakota State Library | North Dakota State Archives |
Ohio | State Library of Ohio | State Library of Ohio | Ohio Historical Society Archives and Library Archived 2013-07-25 at the Wayback Machine |
Oklahoma | Oklahoma Department of Libraries | Oklahoma Department of Libraries | Oklahoma State Archives and Records Management |
Oregon | Oregon State Library | Oregon State Library | Oregon State Archives |
Pennsylvania | State Library of Pennsylvania | State Library of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Archives |
Rhode Island | Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services | Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services Archived 2018-11-01 at the Wayback Machine | Rhode Island State Archives |
South Carolina | South Carolina State Library | South Carolina State Library | South Carolina Department of Archives and History |
South Dakota | South Dakota State Library | South Dakota State Library | South Dakota State Archives |
Tennessee | Tennessee State Library and Archives | Tennessee State Library and Archives | |
Texas | Texas State Library and Archives Commission | Texas State Library and Archives Commission | |
Utah | Utah State Library | Utah State Library | Utah State Archives |
Vermont | Vermont Department of Libraries | Vermont Department of Libraries | Vermont State Archives and Records Administration |
Virginia | Library of Virginia | Library of Virginia | |
Washington | Washington State Library | Washington State Library | Washington State Archives |
West Virginia | West Virginia Library Commission | West Virginia Library Commission | West Virginia Archives and History |
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction: Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning | Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives | |
Wyoming | Wyoming State Library | Wyoming State Library | Wyoming State Archives |