by Faye D. Fischer “One who believes that he has mastered the art of horsemanship has not yet begun to understand the horse.” Author Unknown Horses. A strange but accurate place to start a history of the Utah State Library. The library’s beginnings can be traced back to a renovated livery/coach house behind the Kearns Mansion. Early histories of the

April 23-29 is National Library Week – a time set apart to celebrate and promote everything libraries mean to our communities. Here are some of the reasons our staff at the Utah State Library think that libraries are worth celebrating. “I grew up in Murray, and when I was a kid, I used to ride my bike to the old library on

“Poetry and beauty are always making peace. When you read something beautiful and find coexistence; it breaks walls down.” Mahmoud Darwish April is National Poetry month. We think this is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the poetry collection at the Utah State Library! Our collection includes many distinct and classic poets from Emily Dickenson and Sylvia Plath, to Robert Frost

by Faye D. Fischer In celebration of Women’s History Month we wanted to take a look at some of the women who shaped the library profession. It may seem that librarianship has always been a female dominated profession, but access to the profession had to be earned. According to a census taken by the Oxford University Press “Today, 83 percent

by Faye D. Fischer You may have heard that the Utah State Library for the Blind offers a variety of specialized services to blind and print disabled patrons in several states. We provide braille material and talking book library services to patrons from the east to west coast at no charge. But do you know that we also record our

by Faye D. Fischer January; the month named after the Roman god of beginnings and transitions. This moniker makes it sound like it should be magical opportunity to rejuvenate and set goals. Yet, in our corner of the world it is also the darkest, coldest, and bleakest month of the year—which feels more like a call for sweat pants, and

by Katie Larsen The Utah State library has accepted an invitation to join the Utah Health Literacy Coalition (UHLC). UHLC is an interagency coalition that includes representatives from the University of Utah, Network of the National Library of Medicine, Salt Lake County Library, local public health centers, and others. This group of individuals are teaming up to work toward one BIG goal, to improve the health

This year has been amazing for the Utah State Library. We want to share with you some of the notable things we have done in 2022. Utah State Library for the Blind Lisa Nelson and her team at The Utah State Library for the Blind participated in a pilot program with the National Library Service for the Deaf and Blind

by Faye D. Fischer Thanksgiving is here! Hopefully you can find a little quiet time for reflection in the whirlwind of the holiday and focus on all there is to be grateful for. I notice that I always feel a little bit better when I think about what I have instead of what I don’t. Research on gratitude is still

by Faye D. Fischer Earlier this year Marie Erickson Hyatt and the Resources Team worked to make some updates to our collection policy.  A well-developed collection plan helps a library use their resources in ways that support and maintain their mission and avoid ending up with a collection that reflects bias or passing trends. It is more important than ever

Earlier this year the Utah State Library Board elected Rebekah Cummings as the new board chair. Rebekah Cummings is the Interim Director of Digital Matters at the University of Utah Marriott Library where she coordinates digital humanities research, teaching, and support. Prior to her current position, Rebekah was the Assistant Director of the Mountain West Digital Library and the Data

by Faye D. Fischer Preface: Every library has a ghost story. The State Library is no exception. The following is an adaptation of true events. Some liberty has been taken, but many of the staff walk a little faster past the stacks at dusk and dawn or report feeling like they are being watched when they work late at night.