Information Services Division

Using the Library
(860) 757-6500

Tel: 860-757-6565, Fax: 860-757-6503
Hours, Directions/Parking
Director: Lynne Newell
Information Services Division, Connecticut State Library
231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106

CSL Catalog and Collections | CSL Research Resources
Borrowing Materials | Copies, Copiers, and Change | Policies for Patrons | Using Secured Collections

As the principal library for all branches of state government, the Information Services Division provides access to comprehensive collections in law and legislation; public administration and policy; state, federal and local government; CT history and genealogy; newspapers; and archives.

Mission
The Mission of the Information Services Division is:
-- to provide high quality library and information services to state government and the citizens of Connecticut, and
-- to preserve and make accessible the records of Connecticut's history and heritage.

Patrons
The Library is open to the public, and is frequently used by state agency employees, legislators and their staffs, judges, law clerks, attorneys and legal researchers, historians, genealogists, students, and business people. All patrons are requested to review and comply with the Library's User Conduct Policy.

The Division also provides general library service to the visually impaired and physically handicapped public through its Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Rocky Hill.

Services
Reference
The Information Services Division has three reference service desks: Government Information, Law/Legislative Reference, and History & Genealogy which also provides reference service and access for the State Archives.

We encourage visiting the Library in order to make the most effective use of all resources. The staff will help in-house patrons devise search strategies; use catalogs, indexes, and research guides to identify and locate pertinent library and archival resources; use the collections and electronic resources; use the Internet; and operate photocopiers and microform equipment.

The Division staff responds to telephone, letter, e-mail, and fax inquiries regarding the collections and services, and to brief, factual, questions that pertain to Connecticut government, legal or legislative issues, and the history of Connecticut or its people.

The State Library receives hundreds of telephone calls, letters, e-mail messages, and faxes each month. We attempt to answer all in a timely manner, but in order to serve the thousands of researchers who visit the State Library in person each year, we cannot ensure immediate replies to telephone, e-mail, fax, or mail reference requests. All reference requests are normally answered in the order they are received.

For immediate information about Connecticut, consult the CSL Research Resources page and/or contact a local library.

Genealogical Index Search Service
For a fee, the History and Genealogy Unit will conduct a limited genealogical index search.

Electronic Resources
The Library provides access to a large number of electronic resources in support of its subject strengths. Consult the Subscription Databases & Full-Text E-Journals section of CSL Research Resources for lists and descriptions.

Electronic resources, including public Internet access, are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Computer workstations are reserved in two-hour segments. A patron can sign up for two additional hours if no one else is waiting.

The Library also offers free WiFi connections which provide access to both the Internet and the Library's licensed electronic resources.

Prior to using electronic resources, patrons must obtain a State Library library card and read the State Library's Requirements for Use of Electronic Information Systems.

Computer printouts cost $.15 per page and must be paid for with a vendacard.

Use of Offsite and Secured Collections
Due to a space shortage at the 231 Capitol Ave. building, the Connecticut State Library moved some of its archival and library collections to an offsite storage facility in early 2002, and shifted materials to use the vacated space.

Some materials including the State Archives are Secured Collections located in limited access areas. These collections require special care and handling because of their unique nature, their fragility, or a combination of factors.

For information on accessing books and journals designated "SL Offsite" in the catalog, or for Secured Collections including archives, manuscripts, 'SpecColl' materials, and original newspapers, please see Use of Offsite and Secured Collections.

Other Services
The Division also
  • provides indexing for the General Assembly,
  • provides legislative bill status information to the public,
  • compiles and distributes the Connecticut Union List of Serials available as the serials catalog part of reQuest, the statewide union list of library holdings, and
  • manages the Connecticut Newspaper Project.

    • Collections
    The Information Services Division maintains major collections in law; federal, state, and municipal government publications; public administration and policy; Connecticut newspapers, and Connecticut related history and genealogy. Other Divisions and sections of the Library also maintain collections, including the Museum of Connecticut History, State Archives, and Library Service Centers. Detailed information about the collections is available.

    Items that circulate may be borrowed directly by state employees and Connecticut residents, and through Interlibrary Loan by others. However, the majority of the collection does not circulate. The Guide to Borrowing Materials outlines the circulating and non-circulating collection groups, and the borrowing procedures.