Despite being one of the smaller states, New Hampshire is pretty well-known for some important moments in history. We hold the distinct honor of being the First in the Nation Primary, we were the first of the original 13 colonies to declare its independence from England and the state house is the oldest state capitol in which the legislature still meets in its original chambers. And those are just a few fun facts we came up with. Trust us, there’s lots more.
And you can add being home to the oldest state library to the list as well. While it’s not anything new that New Hampshire has the oldest state library, this year marks a very special milestone – at least we think turning 300 years old is a big deal. Apparently so does Gov. Chris Sununu, who declared 2017 New Hampshire State Library Year.
The N.H. State Library is so old that it actually predates the official formation of the state – and the country, for that matter. In the early days, it was housed in the statehouse that began in Portsmouth before moving to Concord in 1808.
Its current building was opened in 1895, and was shared with the state Supreme Court for many years before the courts were moved to One Charles Doe Drive (off Hazen Drive) in 1970.
Over the years, the focus of the library has evolved and changed into what it is today. At some point, it was a comprehensive library, meaning it housed a wide range of information including state and government documents. That is still the case today, with more than 600,000 items on hand, but the main focus of the collection is that of the social, natural and political materials that has to do with our beloved state.
“When you’re 300 years old, your mission changes from time to time,” said Michael York, state librarian and acting commissioner of the N.H. Department of Cultural Resources. “And we’re focused on what’s important to New Hampshire.”
While the library has a massive collection, which isn’t surprising since they’ve been bringing in materials for three centuries, the feather in its cap is the interlibrary loan program.
There are 234 public libraries in the state that are all independently run by a board of trustees. And each one has a budget, which means they can’t possibly purchase every book.
So through this program (that has been going on for more than 80 years), library patrons can walk into their local library and request a book from another town or city library that does have it.
And that’s where the state library comes in. Once the Manchester Library gets a request from a patron in, say, Keene, they put the book in a bin.
The state library has a delivery service, which runs five vans a day, making roughly 18 stops a day over 22 routes in a week.
The book is picked up in Manchester, brought back to Concord and put in the appropriate bin at the state library. The next time a van heads to Keene, that book will be dropped off. Within a week, you should have the book you were looking for.
“It’s the lifeblood of resource sharing, and it makes our libraries better,” York said.
In all, about 500,000 items, including books, DVDs, and CDs, are distributed throughout a year.
“We have a strong relationship with all of our libraries,” York said.
People also use the state library quite a bit for research. It’s a hub for those looking to learn more about New Hampshire and specifically the people of the Granite State.
“We still collect a lot of materials, but we focus on the materials about New Hampshire,” York said. “Our specialization is obviously the history of New Hampshire.”
Family histories are a big draw, as the staff will see people come in from all over the country to spend a week or two seeking knowledge about their lineage.
“People will often be directed here by their local libraries,” York said. “Because there are things that they will only find here.”
There are a lot of old phone books, which are quite popular for people looking into their families. So is the large collection of newspapers on microfiche and long history of town reports.
“It’s really a Mecca for studying New Hampshire families,” York said. “Concord is really the epicenter for that.”
A portion of the collection can be checked out from the state library, although you don’t need a library card to do so – you just have to be a New Hampshire resident with a valid state. ID. But there is also a lot of stuff – in some cases, one-of-a-kind materials – that can only be viewed in the library because of its value or fragile condition.
“It’s important for libraries to make sure we are providing access to people,” York said.
The library is home to the first official map of the state, created in 1784, as well as the Hitchcock Map, a 3-D representation of our charming little corner of the country made in 1877.
The thing about the state library is that it’s one of a kind. It’s unique to every other one in the country.
“A colleague once told me, ‘If you’ve seen one state library, you’ve seen one state library,’ ” York said.
While plans are still being finalized, there will be special events happening all year to commemorate 300 years. And for you social media users, there will be fun facts posted on the state library’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, Monday through Saturday, through the rest of the year.
The state library is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
If you’ve never been, it’s worth the trip. You could spend a lot of time just wandering around looking at all the stuff it houses. And read something, of course.
