Connecticut State Library

The Connecticut State Library is the state library for the U.S. state of Connecticut and is also an executive branch agency of the state. It is located in Hartford, Connecticut directly across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol. The State Library provides a variety of library, information, archival, public records, museum, and administrative services to the citizens of Connecticut, as well as the employees and officials of all three branches of state government. Students, researchers, public libraries and town governments throughout the state are also served by the State Library. In addition, the State Library directs a program of statewide library development and administers the Library Services Technology Act state grant. "The mission of the Connecticut State Library is to preserve and make accessible Connecticut's history and heritage and to advance the development of library services statewide."
History.
The Connecticut State Library was established by an act of the Connecticut General Assembly in May 1854. James Hammond Trumbull was appointed the first State Librarian. There have been only eleven State Librarians. The collections were first kept in the State Houses in Hartford and New Haven and then in the present day Capitol. In 1910 they were relocated to the State Library and Supreme Court building in Hartford where they are housed today.
Governance.
The Connecticut State Library is an Executive Branch agency of the State of Connecticut. The State Library Board determines policy for the State Library and provides for the supervision of the State Library by a State Librarian appointed by the Board. The State Library Board is within the Department of Education for administrative purposes only.
The State Library Board consists of:
The terms of appointed members are coterminous with the term of their appointing authority. The State Librarian, who serves as the chief administrative officer of the Board, is appointed by the Board.
Statutory charge and responsibilities.
Section 11-1 of the Connecticut General Statutes assigns to the Board the responsibility for:
Under the direction of the State Library Board, the State Librarian is responsible for developing and directing a public records management program.
The State Library Board approves rules and regulations for the state publication depository library system; the retention, destruction, and transfer of documents; the "borrowIT CT" (formerly known as Connecticard) program; and statewide library programs.
Areas of service.
Support for local libraries.
The Division of Library Development administers many programs to support public libraries in the state:
Museum of Connecticut History.
The Museum of Connecticut History consists of Memorial Hall, a magnificently restored Beaux-Arts style gallery, and three adjoining exhibit areas. On permanent display are portraits of Connecticut Governors as well as historical documents, including the State's original 1662 Royal Charter, the 1639 Fundamental Orders, and the 1818 and 1964 State Constitutions. The focus of the Museum and its collections is Connecticut's government, military, and industrial history.
Architecture.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Connecticut State Library and Supreme Court Building was held on July 29, 1908. Architects Donn Barber of New York and E. T. Hapgood of Hartford envisioned a design based on an adaptation of the Italian Renaissance style of architecture. The design includes three wings off a central lobby, the State Library on the left, Memorial Hall in the center and the Supreme Court on the right. Construction began on October 23, 1908, with Marc Eidlitz & Son of New York as the builder and general contractor. On November 28, 1910, State Librarian George Godard and his staff moved into the new building.
An addition to the East Wing in 1969 was designed by Architects Jeter & Cook. Bartlett-Brainard & Eacott, Inc. was the general contractor. The addition featured Museum exhibition space, an extensive stack area, and administrative office space.
The library building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, recognizing both its architecture and its significance as a repository of state history.