Tennessee State Library & Archives

"The Tennessee State Library and Archives is an intellectual passport into the annals of Tennessee history, a Volunteer State repository of primary acquisitions, and a fortified fortress of facsimiles and rare printed publications. TSLA is where architectural beauty and recorded history produce information access in excess. A Middle Tennessee & Davidson County crown jewel of sorts. The curated electronic exhibits encourages the engagement of history via your fingertips. While hidden history may be researched on the accessible spectrum of 35mm microfilm reels to digitized Tennessee General Assembly proceedings. The resources are nearly limitless. TSLA is an overall gorgeous library and archive located in the heart of the Music City. A perfect location for discovery, touring, and bibliophiles alike. TSLA is more than shelved books, it's an institution of amassed documentation for any researcher seeking information for personal edification, and antiquarian intelligentsia contributions to Tennessee modernity. TSLA presents as a delicate trifecta between a public library, special collections, and an academic institution. Enjoy."

"I was there as part of the Southern Festival of Books. They have awesome signage and staff to help you find whatever you are looking for. Beautiful building full of history."

"This is a state of the art library with great resources and very helpful staff. I've been visiting the archives on a pretty much weekly basis for 20 years, The new buliding is wonderful, has space for meetings and great comfrotable ares to work in."

"First time visitors. My husband knows very little about his ancestry & he found the names of his great grandparents that he previously had not know. All the employees were extremely helpful"

"This is an incredible structure that has been in the makings for several years. Their older structure near the Capitol was needing to be upgraded, and so building a new building that was bigger with a more advanced technology focus was a great move. It is truly amazing to have a vast library of the most important Tennessee documents, books, and knowledge. Chuck Sherrill, our Tennessee state librarian, gave an excellent behind the scenes tour of the activities that go on behind the scenes that is not available for public access. He showed us the department where they digitize maps, historical documents, and even newspapers. He took us to an area where all damaged, torn, or crumpled documents go to be chemically and physically altered to restore them. We went to their -30° walk-in freezer that instantly freezes items without causing any condensation build up, instantly killing any bacteria that could be present and providing the most effective and safe sanitation. You never realize how cold a freezer like that is until you go in one. Finally, the pièce de résistance, is their technology used in their cataloging and storing facility. This massive warehouse stores hundreds of thousands of documents within a football field length and 5 story tall structure. Similar to an Amazon warehouse, robots control retrieving documents and sending them down to the library for people to read. Getting to see this machine work was a real treat, as you can’t fathom the size of their collection without seeing this room. For those who love Tennessee history, this is the place you have to visit."