State Library of Kansas

The State Library of Kansas is a department within the state government of Kansas, with locations in Topeka and Emporia. Eric Norris was appointed State Librarian in April 2018.

State Library of Kansas
Agency overview
Formed1855
Preceding agency
  • Kansas Territorial Library
JurisdictionState of Kansas
Headquarters300 SW 10th Avenue
Topeka, Kansas
39°02′53″N 95°40′41″W
Agency executive
  • Eric Norris, State Librarian
WebsiteState Library of Kansas Website

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, Kansas.

Kansas Center for the Book

The Kansas Center for the Book is a state affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. 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, 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 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 Service heads a network of Kansas Talking Book subregional libraries located in Great Bend, Manhattan, 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. In order to use this service, a free software needs to be installed. The Library provides a Kansas Library Card, which allows access to these databases:

  • A list of databases available can be viewed on the State Library's website at kslib.info/eor

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, text message, instant message and email questions. Interlibrary loan service is also available providing material within the library's collection to people around the world.

References

    Further reading
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