Sharing Knowledge: The Washington State Library as a Valuable Resource

washington state library
A statue of Mark Twain in front of the library is one of several Western themed statues near State government office buildings in the area. Image courtesy Washington State Library.
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By Jennifer Crooks

putnam lieb logoThe Washington State Library (WSL), a part of the Secretary of State’s Office located at 6880 Capitol Boulevard in Tumwater, is perhaps one of the area’s best kept secrets. While many people may have seen the statue of author Mark Twain reading his novel Huckleberry Finn on a park bench on the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Israel Road, most people do not know that the State Library behind it is open the public. With the mission to collect and preserve materials of value for the entire state of Washington, the Washington State Library gives public access to a variety of invaluable resources to a wide swath of society from students to historians.

washington state library
A statue of Mark Twain in front of the library is one of several Western themed statues near State government office buildings in the area. Image courtesy Washington State Library.

Although it has only been located in Tumwater after the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake, the State Library dates back to the earliest days of Washington Territory and has grown into a large organization with many branches and subdivisions. These include the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library which services the visually and physically impaired, and Institutional Library Services which operates branch libraries in state prisons and mental hospitals. The State Library also serves as a repository for state government and federal government documents. These include all types of official government documents, from proclamations to reports.

The Washington State Library has a variety of important programs, from support of public libraries around the state, partnering with Microsoft to provide the IT Academy to sponsoring the “Letters About Literature” contest for state schoolchildren in grades fourth through high school. The State Library has great resources for students and genealogists that include the Ask-WA, a 24 hour, seven days a week online library question reference program.

The State Library also gathers and preserves an invaluable collection about Washington that is as good as a state university’s special collections. These include books, manuscripts, maps and newspapers. Some of these items have been digitized to increase public access within and outside Washington State. Digital collections include Historic Maps, Classics in Washington History (books on early life in Washington) and a number of historical manuscripts.

There are some digitized newspapers located on both the Historic Newspapers section of the State Library’s website and through the Library of Congress and National Endowment of the Humanities’’ Chronicling America site.

washington state library
The second floor of the State Library provides room for researchers and houses the Northwest Collection. Image courtesy Washington State Library.

Many more items can be found at the State Library than what has been digitized. As seen on their online catalogue, the Library has extensive collections. It contains the most comprehensive set of microfilmed Washington State newspapers in the world, from both major cities like Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane to small rural communities.

The Library also houses an extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts as well as more recently published items. These include Washington themed biographies, art catalogues, local histories, and works of fiction set in Washington. In addition, visitors to the State Library in Tumwater have free access to databases such as Ancestry.com and Newsbank, which are helpful to both genealogists and historical researchers.

Anyone with proof of Washington State residence can obtain a Washington State Library card free of charge to check out circulating items from the Northwest Collection. Although many rare and more fragile items naturally cannot be checked out, they are available at the library for people to look at.

washington state library
Visiting the Washington State Library, 69880 Capitol Boulevard in Tumwater, is always an adventure in discovery. Image courtesy Jennifer Crooks.

The main State Library building at 6880 Capitol Boulevard South in Tumwater is open to the public from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Visiting the Washington State Library is easy. Only the second floor is open to the public, so visitors must enter the first floor lobby and take the elevator. The spacious second floor houses the Northwest Collection of books, microfilm readers and computers. The other floors of the building are dedicated to rare collection storage and offices. Friendly staff at the Reference Desk will be happy to assist you with any questions.

The State Library, in all its forms and branches, is a valuable asset to Washington State. Through its irreplaceable collections and wide-ranging services, it benefits many throughout the region. Unfortunately, the institution faces the threat of budget cuts and needs all the support it can get. So next time you’re near the Library, take a look inside it. You will find it a wonderful place for learning.

Note: The author would like to sincerely thank the staff of the Washington State Library for their assistance with this article. Researching at the State Library every week for the past two years has always been a pleasure!

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