Tennessee's State Library: Borrowing System Explained

Tennessee has a State Library and Archives, located at 403 7th Avenue North, Nashville. The library uses federal funds from the Library Services and Technology Act to improve its services to residents and increase its capacity to serve its users. It also offers an interlibrary loan system, allowing users to request materials from other libraries across the US.

Interlibrary loan policies

Tennessee does have a statewide interlibrary loan system. The state's regional library system participates in OCLC WorldShare, which means libraries in the regional system also have access to library collections from across the US, including the academic libraries in Tennessee. This service supplements ShareIt and is not a substitute for it.

To borrow materials from the Tennessee State Library and Archives, users must review the Interlibrary Loan Policies. The specific policy varies depending on the region. For instance, if users are in the Falling Water River, Buffalo River, Red River, Obion River, or Hatchie River regions, their local library will contact the Falling Water River Region. On the other hand, if they are in the Clinch River, Holston River, Ocoee River, or Stones River regions, their local library will contact the Holston River Region.

The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) provides federal funds for states through the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The Tennessee State Library and Archives implements the "Grants to States" program to support statewide initiatives and competitive grant programs for libraries with federal funds received under the Museum and Library Services Act of 2010. LSTA funds are also used to provide all Tennessee residents with online access to essential library and information resources, including a statewide library catalog and interlibrary loan system.

Access to academic libraries

Tennessee does have a state library loaning system. The Tennessee State Library and Archives uses funding from the Library Services and Technology Act to improve its services to residents and increase the capacity of libraries in the state to serve their users. This includes providing a range of services and programs to public, academic, and school libraries and librarians, as well as Tennessee residents.

The state library participates in OCLC WorldShare, which means libraries in the regional system also have access to library collections from across the US, including the academic libraries in Tennessee. OCLC WorldShare supplements ShareIt, a service that allows users to make interlibrary loan requests out of state.

To borrow materials from the Tennessee State Library and Archives, users can review the Interlibrary Loan Policies. The state library also uses LSTA funds to provide all state residents with online access to essential library and information resources, including licensed databases, a statewide library catalog, and interlibrary loan systems.

Librarians use LSTA funding to help patrons access information on a wide range of topics, including training on resume development, web searches of job banks, and workshops on career information. They also provide links to essential educational and community services and assistive devices for people with disabilities.

Library Services and Technology Act

Tennessee does have a state library loaning system. The Tennessee State Library and Archives uses funding from the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) to improve library services for residents and increase the capacity of libraries in the state to serve their users.

The LSTA is the only federal program that provides funds exclusively for libraries. Administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency, the LSTA supports a range of services and technologies to every community in the United States. State library agencies use LSTA grants to support state and local initiatives, with a focus on technology services and access, and expanding services for learning and access to information resources for all individuals, regardless of age.

LSTA funding is used by librarians across the country to meet the growing demand for important community services. This includes workforce development, résumé building, interview preparation, accessing and applying for jobs online, assisting patrons in completing education or training certifications, supporting family literacy classes, helping students with homework, mentoring programs, and summer reading programs. LSTA funding also helps libraries deliver access to government information and provide a community forum for enhanced civic engagement.

Congress provides funding for the LSTA each fiscal year in the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. These federal resources help target library services to people of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as individuals with disabilities and limited literacy skills.

Tennessee State Library and Archives contact details

The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) was established in 1854 and currently operates as a unit of the Tennessee Department of State. The TSLA collects and preserves books and records of historical, documentary, and reference value, and encourages and promotes library development throughout the state.

The TSLA is located next to Bicentennial State Park on the corner of Rep. John Lewis Way and Jefferson Street in downtown Nashville. The building, which was designed by Tuck-Hinton Architects, broke ground in 2017 and cost an estimated $123.8 million. It features a climate-controlled chamber for storing historic books and manuscripts, a space-saving robotic retrieval system, a blast freezer for water- or insect-damaged materials, classrooms for student groups, and meeting space for training librarians and archivists.

The TSLA holds nearly 700,000 print volumes, over a million photographic images, thousands of vertical files, microfilm reels, and legislative audiocassettes. Its collections are housed in nearly 40,000 feet of storage, and it has a division called the Library for Accessible Books and Media, which holds approximately 240,000 items. The TSLA also holds the most comprehensive collection of Tennessee newspapers, dating back to 1791.

The TSLA offers a range of services and programs to public, academic, and school libraries and librarians, as well as Tennessee residents. These include online access to essential library and information resources, such as licensed databases, a statewide library catalog, interlibrary loan systems, and bibliographic services. The TSLA also provides training and workshops on various topics, such as resume development and career information.

To contact the TSLA, you can visit their website at https://sos.tn.gov/tsla/ or refer to the contact information provided on their website for specific departments and services. You can also call them at (615) 741-2764 or email them at [email protected]. Their mailing address is:

Tennessee State Library and Archives

403 Seventh Avenue North

Nashville, TN 37243-0312

OCLC WorldShare

Tennessee does have a statewide library loaning system. The regional library system in Tennessee participates in OCLC WorldShare, which means libraries in the regional system have access to library collections from across the US, including the academic libraries in Tennessee. OCLC WorldShare is a complete set of library management applications and platform services built on a flexible, cloud-based platform. It offers integrated management of library workflows and creates new efficiencies as libraries share work, data, and resources to save money and deliver value to their users. The OCLC WorldShare Platform is a global, interconnected web architecture that provides flexible, open access to WorldCat data.

WorldShare Interlibrary Loan enables the integrated discovery and delivery of electronic, digital, and print materials within a single interface. It is built with the latest standards and is FedRAMP-compliant. It integrates with local systems, including catalogs and circulation services, along with other ILL services and document suppliers. WorldShare ILL simplifies processes by showing other libraries' holdings, policies, and fees before a request is made. When one library cannot fulfil a request, it is automatically routed to the next one. It also automates processes to reduce staff intervention and achieve faster delivery.

WorldShare also offers other services such as WorldShare Acquisitions, which provides unified selection and acquisition management for all physical and electronic resources, and WorldShare Circulation, which is a complete circulation application that works on any laptop, tablet, or device with a web browser. Additionally, WorldShare Collection Evaluation provides quick and efficient access to information about current collections in relation to other individual, peer group, and benchmark libraries.

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