Organization
The State Library of Pennsylvania has two
bureaus:
The Bureau of the
State Library traces its historic
roots to 1745 when the General Assembly requested that its Clerk, Benjamin
Franklin, order a set of the English Statutes and some maps for reference
use. It has grown to one of the largest
collections of materials about Pennsylvania and serves the information and research needs
of all branches of State Government. As
a statewide resource center and law library, the State Library provides
residents with Pennsylvania State and U.S. Government Documents, print
materials, digitized collections, online reference services and automated
resources. Rapid access to other state and national collections is available
through online systems, networks, interlibrary cooperation and databases. The
Rare Collections Library includes the Provincial Assembly Collection, a
historic collection of rare colonial imprints and the largest collection of
Pennsylvania newspapers in the world.
The Bureau of Library
Development coordinates and aids
in supporting a network of state-aided local, district and statewide resource
libraries established under the provisions of the Library Code. The Bureau
coordinates continuing education to the broad library community and addresses
the reading and literacy needs of children, young adults and their parents and
special services to seniors and the visually and physically handicapped. The
Bureau of Library Development provides support to libraries within state
supported institutions, academic libraries, special libraries, and school
libraries in public and non-public schools.
