Washington State Library
Washington State Library | |
---|---|
46°59′10″N 122°54′24″W / 46.98611°N 122.90667°W | |
Location | State library |
Established | 1853 |
Collection | |
Size | 2.25 million items |
Other information | |
Director | Sara Jones |
Website | sos |
The Washington State Library is a government agency that operates public libraries in
History
The Washington Territorial Library was established on March 2, 1853, with the signing of the
Prior to achieving statehood on November 11, 1889, the Territorial Library reported a collection of 10,448 volumes.
The library was moved to a temporary location in Tumwater in December 2001, while the Pritchard Building underwent already-planned renovations and served as the temporary chambers for the state senate.[13][14] The general collection was downsized by 260,000 books, which were donated to local libraries.[15] The state government proposed closing the state library as part of its 2002 budget, saving $9 million in annual expenses,[16] but the library was saved by eliminating the state library commission and merging operations with the Office of the Secretary of State effective July 1, 2002.[17][18] The state government attempted to eliminate the state library a second time in December 2002, with collections transferred to local universities and colleges,[19] but was saved by downsizing its staff and reorganizing under the Office of the Secretary of State.[15][20] The library has since expanded its digital collections, which include scanned copies of older state newspapers and books.[15]
In 2019, the state legislature approved a $2 fee on recorded documents to fund the construction of a new library and archives building in Tumwater. The $108 million project would construct a joint facility on the South Campus near the former state library.
Branches and services
The State Library maintains branches at several state agencies, as well as in correctional facilities and mental hospitals:[23]
- Washington State Department of Transportation Library
- Washington State Department of Natural Resources Library
- Washington State Utilities and Transportation Committee Library
- Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Library
- WSDOT Materials Laboratory Library
- Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, Seattle (since 2008)
- Eastern State Hospital Library
- Western State Hospital Library
- Airway Heights Corrections Center Library
- Clallam Bay Corrections Center Library
- Coyote Ridge Corrections Center Library
- Stafford Creek Corrections Center Library
- Twin Rivers Corrections Center Library
- Washington Corrections Center Library
- Washington Corrections Center for Women Library
- Washington State Penitentiary Library
- Washington State ReformatoryLibrary
Computer network
The Washington State Library coordinates library access to the Washington K-20 Network.[24]
List of librarians
- Bion Freeman Kendall, 1853–1857
- Henry R. Crosbie, 1857
- Urban East Hicks, 1858
- Andrew Jackson Moses, 1859
- James Clark Head, 1860–1861, 1863, 1865
- Thomas Taylor, 1862
- John Paul Judson, 1864
- Samuel Nelson Woodruff, 1866
- Henry Lensen Chapman, 1866
- Levi Shelton, 1867–1869
- Jeremiah D. Mabie, 1869–1870
- Sylvester Hill Mann, 1870
- Champion Bramwell Mann, 1870
- Issac Van Dorsey Mossman, 1870–1873
- Benjamin Franklin Yantis, 1873–1875
- Frederick S. Holmes, 1875–1877
- Elwood Evans, 1877–1879
- Walter W. Newlin, 1879–1880
- James Peyre Ferry, 1880–1881
- Eliza Des Saure Newell, 1882–1887
- Eleanor Sharp Stevenson, 1888–1890[25]
- Gretchen Knief Schenk, 1942-1945
- Carma Zimmerman, 1945–1951
- Marayan Reynolds, 1951-1975
- Roderick Gardner Schwartz, 1975-1986
- Nancy Zussy, 1986-2002
- Jan Walsh, 2002-2010
- Randall Simmons, 2010-2015
- Cindy Altick Aden, 2016-2020
- Sara Jones, 2021-present day[26]
References
- ^ "Wyman names Cindy Aden as new WA State Librarian". Washington Secretary of State. June 13, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ a b "Washington State and Territorial Library: An Historic Overview". Washington State Library. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ McDonald, Lucile (July 19, 1959). "Treasured Collections Installed In State Library's Washington Room". The Seattle Times. p. 7.
- ^ a b c Crowley, Walt (February 22, 2003). "Washington State Library". HistoryLink. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Territory's First Library Custodian Met Violent End". The Seattle Times. March 8, 1953. p. 7.
- ^ Roach, Matthew (May 29, 2013). "The Voyage of the "Unknown Steamer"". Washington State Library. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Oh, the places you'll go!". Washington State Library. September 25, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Reynolds & Davis (2002), p. 3
- OCLC 2392232. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Chapter VIII: Commissions" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1889–90. Washington State Legislature. March 27, 1890. pp. 254–259. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
- .
- ^ "Historic Sites of the Washington State and Territorial Library: 1853 to the present". Washington State Library. 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Condon, Patrick (October 25, 2001). "Library set for move to Tumwater". The Olympian. p. B1.
- ^ Ammons, David (December 2, 2002). "Not much room to negotiate as Capitol squeeze continues". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. p. B3.
- ^ a b c Guiterrez, Scott (January 19, 2004). "State library survives transformation". The Olympian. p. B2.
- ^ Koepp, Autumn (January 28, 2002). "Reading the library its last rites? - Locke proposes closing facility to save money". The Seattle Times. p. B1. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Ammons, David (April 24, 2002). "Her library is safe, so leader is going". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. p. B2.
- ^ "Washington State Library Merges with Secretary of State's Office". American Library Association. September 2002. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Condon, Patrick (December 4, 2002). "Locke has library on the block, Reed fears". The Olympian. p. B1.
- ^ Condon, Patrick (December 19, 2002). "State library would stay open, but not to public". The Olympian. p. A1.
- ^ Drew, James (April 25, 2019). "New state library-archives building and the $2 fee to pay for it are closer to reality". The News Tribune. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ "Secretary of State shows off reasons the state needs a new building for its archives". The Olympian. January 29, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ "Branch Libraries". Washington State Library. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- Washington Secretary of State/Washington State Library. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Territorial Librarians". Washington State Library. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "State Librarian". Washington State Library. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
Further reading
- Reynolds, Maryan; Davis, Joel (2002). The Dynamics of Change: A History of the Washington State Library. Pullman, Washington: OCLC 464873581.