New Jersey State Library

Library in Trenton, New Jersey, US

New Jersey State Library

Location| Trenton, New Jersey, United States
Type| Public
Established| 1796
Other information
Website| [1]

The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and information services to all New Jersey residents.[1] The State Library is an affiliate of Thomas Edison State University and is located in the Capitol Complex in Trenton.

## History

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Although scholars debate the New Jersey State Library's founding date, the collection began almost a century earlier. Between 1664 and 1702, New Jersey existed as two propriety colonies – East New Jersey and West New Jersey – with all governing documents in manuscript form.[2] In 1704, two years after becoming the Royal Colony of New Jersey, William Bradford began printing laws for the colony. This included An Act to Regulate the Purchasing of Law from the Indians, the first printed law in New Jersey, and a collection of laws passed between 1703 and 1709. In 1711, the assembly began consistently printing its laws and minutes and, by 1725, the “pages of Votes & Proceedings,” the colonial legislative publication, “were being sent to the printer weekly.”[3]

In 1742, the assembly began actively purchasing books and reference materials for the legislative collection, with their minutes referring to them as “books belonging ‘to the Colony of New Jersey.’”[4] By the 1750s, committee reports listed the sources used in each deliberation, which included several reference texts, such as law dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks on parliamentary procedure.[5] In the 1760s, there are several mentions of the assembly ordering boxes, shelving, and cases for their growing collection. The boxes and cases also enabled the assembly to safely transfer necessary documents and books between Perth Amboy and Burlington, the colony’s two capitals. In 1792, after Trenton was selected as the official capital, the collection received a permanent home, though, according to John T. Shaw, the “collection saw periods of neglect until the position of state librarian was created by the legislature in 1822.”[6] According to John Shaw "By 1873 the collection consisted of over 18,000 volumes and the library was well on its way to becoming the great research institution that it is today."[7]

## Activities

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The State Librarian serves as a representative to the office of the Governor of New Jersey, the New Jersey State Legislature, the various New Jersey state agencies, and other statewide organizations. The State Library Information Center provides resources and services to employees of the Government of New Jersey as well as to employees and students of Thomas Edison State University. Those same resources and services are available, through the Library Network, to residents throughout New Jersey.[8]

Other significant departments and activities within the State Library include the New Jersey State Library Talking Book & Braille Center, founded in 1967; the JerseyConnect infrastructure backbone and service capability; the Lifelong Learning unit; the Innovation & Strategic Partnerships unit; the Library Support Services unit; and the Office of Communication, Marketing & Outreach.[8]

## See also

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* New Jersey portal

* New Jersey Library Association
* New Jersey State Museum
* Thomas Edison State University

## References

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Notepads handed out at TEDxNJLibraries, 2010

1. ^ "About Us", New Jersey State Library. Accessed May 29, 2008.
2. ^ John T. Shaw, "The Origins of a State Library: New Jersey, 1704-1824," Information & Culture 48, no.1 (2013): 8-25.
3. ^ Shaw, "The Origins of a State Library," 12.
4. ^ Shaw, "The Origins of a State Library," 9.
5. ^ Shaw, "The Origins of a State Library," 14.
6. ^ Shaw, "The Origins of a State Library," 16
7. ^ Shaw, J. (2008). History. New Jersey State Library. https://www.njstatelib.org/about/history/(
8. ^ a b "Departments". New Jersey State Library. Retrieved 2020-11-13.

## External links

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* Official website
* Official Facebook Page

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City of Trenton

Neighborhoods|

| North Ward|

* Battle Monument (Five Points)
* Top Road

|

South Ward|

* Chambersburg
* Duck Island (parts in Hamilton)
* Lamberton

East Ward|

* Coalport/North Clinton
* Ewing/Carroll
* Four Corners
* Greenwood/Hamilton
* Wilbur

West Ward|

* Berkeley Square
* Cadwalader Heights
* Fisher/Richey/Perdicaris
* Hillcrest
* Hiltonia
* The Island

Downtown|

* Hanover/Academy
* Mill Hill

Public Transportation|

* Trenton Transit Center (NJ Transit/SEPTA/Amtrak service)
* Trenton-Mercer Airport (Ewing)
* GO Trenton! (Isles, Inc.)
* NJ Transit 600-series buses

Delaware River Crossings|

* Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge (Northeast Corridor)
* Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge (US 1)
* Lower Trenton Bridge (US 1 BUS)
* Calhoun Street Bridge (Calhoun Street/Lincoln Highway)

Education|

* Trenton Public Schools
* Trenton Catholic Academy
* Islamic School of Trenton
* Thomas Edison State University

History|

* William Trent (William Trent House)
* Old Barracks Museum
* Battle of Trenton
* Battle of the Assunpink Creek
* French Arms Tavern
* George Washington's reception at Trenton (painting)
* Relocation of the United States Government to Trenton
* Peter Cooper
* John A. Roebling
* Trenton Six
* Art All Night shooting
* State House Historic District
* Trenton Ferry Historic District

Government|

| New Jersey state capital|

* New Jersey State House
* New Jersey State Library
* New Jersey State Museum
* Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
* New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles Building
* New Jersey State Prison
* Trenton War Memorial

|

Other government|

* Mercer County Courthouse
* Clarkson S. Fisher Federal Building and United States Courthouse
* Trenton City Hall (list of mayors)

Landmarks|

* CURE Insurance Arena
* Trenton Thunder Ballpark (Trenton Thunder)
* Trenton Battle Monument
* Historic Trenton Masonic Temple (Old Masonic Temple)
* Trenton City Museum
* National Register of Historic Places

Media|

* The Times
* The Trentonian
* New Jersey 101.5
* 94.5 PST

Culture|

* Trenton tomato pie
* Taylor ham
* Italian Peoples Bakery
* Trenton people
* USS Trenton
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton (St. Mary’s Cathedral)
* Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey (Trinity Episcopal Cathedral)
* Trentoniana
* Stephanie Plum book series

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Catalonia

40°13′16″N 74°46′20″W﻿ / ﻿40.2210°N 74.7723°W﻿ / 40.2210; -74.7723
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