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Home Collections of the California State Library

Collections of the California State Library

Access to the collections of the California State Library is available from our public service sections:

The Main Catalog provides searchable descriptions of materials in our collections, including books, periodicals, microfilm, microfiche, maps, and other formats.

The Picture Catalog indexes selected images in the Library's rich collections of historic photographs, prints, drawings, and sheet music.

The Braille and Talking Book Catalog indexes the materials available to eligible users of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

 

Braille and Talking Book Library

(Location and hours)

The Braille and Talking Book Library loans cassette, record and braille books produced by the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to eligible residents in Northern California.

Only print titles in the reference collection of the Braille & Talking Book Library are listed in the State Library's Main Catalog. For braille, casette, and record titles, please use the Braille and Talking Book Catalog
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California History Room

(Location and hours)

The California History Room collection covers all aspects of life in the State from prehistoric times to the present. In addition to the books and periodicals listed in the Main Catalog, there are many other materials available such as Newspapers, Maps, and Ephemera. Items such as photographs, prints, vertical file materials, telephone books, some maps, city directories, and special indexes are not listed in the Main Catalog. However, the California State Library Picture Catalog lists some of the Library's graphic materials, including some photographs and prints. Manuscript collections of the California State Library are described in the Online Archive of California.

Staff are available in the History Room to provide assistance in using the online catalogs and the many special materials and files. Staff also provides access to the Rare book collection.
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Information Services and Government Publications Sections

(Location and hours)

The Information Services and Government Publications desk is the service point used for accessing materials from the Information Services and Government Publications Sections.

The Information Services Section manages the State Library's general circulating and reference collections, including the State Workforce and Training Materials and World Languages collections.

The general collection contains books, journals, videos and other materials primarily in subject areas of interest to State government, such as business, education, environment, public policy, social sciences, and technology, as well as almanacs, dictionaries, directories, indexes, and encyclopedias.

The Government Publications Section (GPS) is responsible for the Library’s government depository services and materials. The California State Library is the only regional depository of federal government information in California and receives all publications distributed by the United States Superintendent of Documents to depository libraries. The Library is also a full depository of California state government publications and is a Patent and Trademark Depository Library. The Section also provides access to California local government agency documents, as well as University of California research documents. Use the Main Catalog to explore these collections.

Some older materials and some special-format collections held in the government publications collection are not included in the Library's Main Catalog; however, these materials can be searched and retrieved by staff through specialized indexes and other finding tools:

  • United States Congressional documents issued prior to 1970.
  • United States Executive documents issued prior to 1976.
  • City, county, and special district documents received prior to 1981.
  • United States patent and trademark information in paper, CD-ROM, DVD, and microform formats.
  • Reports on microfiche from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
  • ERIC reports on educational research in microfiche.

For general information about California State Library services and to access materials from the general collection, contact the Information Services Section. For more information about Government Publications Section services and about accessing government documents, contact GPS.

Sutro Library

(Location and hours)

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The Sutro Library in San Francisco offers customers:

  • The most extensive genealogy collection west of Salt Lake City.
  • A comprehensive United States local history collection.
  • Adolph Sutro's rare book and manuscript collections.
  • Genealogical, family and local history catalogs.
  • Special indexes, guides, and bibliographies.

Sutro Library materials can be accessed through the California State Library Main Catalog, and Sutro staff is available to assist in-house customers with the resources. Sutro items may be borrowed by requesting an interlibrary loan through your local public library.

Group visits may be arranged by contacting the Sutro Library.

Genealogy Links

Witkin State Law Library of California

(Location and hours)

The Bernard E. Witkin State Law Library collection contains selected primary and secondary sources in American law. The hard copy collection includes current appellate court opinions, California and federal annotated codes and agency decisions, as well as annotated codes for ten other states. All states’ annotated codes, attorney general opinions and session laws are held in paper or microform until at least 2002. These primary sources are supplemented by California and federal digests and citators, law journals and periodicals, and current California practice materials. The Law Library is particularly strong in both California and older national primary and practice materials. Use the Main Catalog to explore these collections.

Special collections include Congressional bills, 1933- ; California bills (including those never passed) 1867- ; and Northern California land claims (records and briefs relating to Mexican and Spanish land cases). The Witkin State Law Library can also provide access to California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal briefs starting in 1863. Online access is provided to current briefs without charge.

Staff is available to assist users in their research.

The Witkin State Law Library is named, by statute (Education Code §19328) for Bernard E. Witkin (1904-1995), the preeminent commentator on and teacher of California law.