With a history longer than the nation itself, the State Library of Pennsylvania has continued to evolve with the times to better serve its citizens. Originating in 1745 as a library for members of the colonial Assembly, the State Library was created by an act of the legislature in 1816 to consolidate several library collections into single library, under an appointed State Librarian. Up through the 1870s the mission of the State Library was focused entirely on serving the needs of the legislature and state government. A public-oriented mission emerged with the appointment of a series of three State Librarians who expanded collections and services to include genealogical materials, Pennsylvania newspapers and imprints, manuscripts, and other collections. The State Library soon developed into one of the largest research libraries in the state.
In 1919 the office of Library Extension, the forerunner of the current Bureau of Library Development, was brought into the library to continue the work of the predecessor Free Library Commission established in 1899. The Commission was charged with giving advice to existing libraries, or any community proposing to establish a library, as to establishment, administration, cataloging, and other matters connected with library work. The Commission was instrumental in the founding of more than 300 public libraries and traveling book collections in Pennsylvania. The Extension Division assumed an additional role with the enactment of the 1931 County Library Aid Law that made funding available to libraries requiring assistance. Federal and state-level library legislation breathed new life into statewide library programs in the 1950s and 1960s. The passage of the federal Library Services Act in 1956 made funds available for the first time to aid state libraries in extending public service to rural areas. The Library Code, first enacted by the General Assembly in 1961, provided state support to supplement and stimulate local support of public libraries. Amendments to the federal legislation (now called the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)) and The Library Code have periodically broadened the State Library's responsibility. The Code was revised again in 2012 and is now known as the Public Library Code.
During the last three decades of the 20th century, the State Library made significant use of federal dollars to hasten the use of automation to support improved service to Pennsylvania's library users. LSTA funding provided for the adoption of online, shared cataloging; the use of microcomputers to improve management and administration of libraries; the widespread use of telefax equipment for reference, interlibrary loan, and improved communication; and, more recently, access to Internet services through libraries and the digitization of historic collections. A comprehensive plan in 1983 provided the impetus to bring school libraries into the statewide resource-sharing program, and to start a statewide library card program for public libraries. Under the Access Pennsylvania/Power Library banner, a blend of federal, state, and school district funds has supported the development and expansion of a statewide database of library catalogs, electronic resources, and digital objects from Pennsylvania libraries, accessible on the Internet across the Commonwealth.
Today, the Bureau of State Library continues to serve the public and state government by providing access to 4.5 million items consisting of collections of general and law materials, Pennsylvania newspapers, Federal and Pennsylvania state government documents, genealogical, and rare materials. The Bureau of Library Development administers and distributes the state public library subsidy, Keystone facilities grant program, and promulgates regulations and service standards for local public libraries, district library centers, and public library systems.
