The State Library of Tasmania opened in 1943. It includes a lending library and a reference section which holds resources for family history searches. Since 2011, it has been a part of Libraries Tasmania (formerly known as LINC Tasmania).
The State Library of Tasmania began as a subscription library in 1849. In 1859, it received a government subsidy that provided free access for the public to the reading room.
The Library closed temporarily in 1867 through lack of funds, reopening as the Tasmanian Public Library in 1870.
Under the Libraries Act 1943, it became the State Library of Tasmania. It had its own department until 1989 when it merged with the Department of Education and the Arts. The State Library had a close association with the Archives Office of Tasmania, which evolved out of the Library's collection of government records, held since 1949. Administratively both were within the State Library Department until 1989.
Sources used to compile this entry: Wettenhall, RL, A Guide to Tasmanian Government Administration, Platypus Publications, Hobart, 1968, 206 pp.
Prepared by: Caroline Evans
Created: 11 April 2012, Last modified: 31 August 2018
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/tas/biogs/TE00426b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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