State Library of Oregon
library
The State Library of Oregon is the library for the U.S. state of Oregon, located directly northwest of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. Its mission is to provide leadership and resources to continue growing vibrant library services for Oregonians with print disabilities, the Legislature and state government, and all Oregonians through local libraries.
History
The Territorial Library was first housed in the Territorial Capitol Building, which burned down in 1855 with most of the library collection lost to the fire. The library collection was lost again in 1889, when a storm blew the roof off of the new Capitol building.
The Oregon State Library was established as the Oregon Library Commission in 1905. The original mission of the Library was to establish public and school libraries throughout Oregon. Cornelia Marvin came to Oregon from the Wisconsin Free Library Commission to direct the commission, and later became the first State Librarian. Soon the State Library was also providing information to state government agencies and collecting and preserving the publications of state agencies.
From 1913, prior to the completion of a stand-alone building in 1939, the State Library was located in the basement and first floor of the Oregon Supreme Court Building. This building and the Oregon State Capitol were connected by tunnels used for heating and electricity.
The public source identifies “State Library of Oregon” as library. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around State, Library and Oregon.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “State Library of Oregon”, the useful work is to connect “library” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7101363. VIAF identifies the subject as 123122248. The Library of Congress control number is n50003489. Authority coordinates are 44.940, -123.031. 4 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1855, 1889, 1905 and 1913.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “State Library of Oregon”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow State Library of Oregon primary sources, State Library of Oregon archive and State research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “State Library of Oregon”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “State Library of Oregon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.