There’s a Library for That: Special Libraries

The Washington State Law Library holds a special place in state history, tracing its origins to the Washington Territorial Library, established by the Organic Act of the Territory of Washington which passed on March 2, 1853. The State Law Library is also a “special library,” or a library that provides resources on a particular subject or serves a particular group.

In 1909, John Cotton Dana founded the Special Libraries Association (SLA) as a professional organization for librarians working in libraries with specialized collections. They include corporate, law, medical, military, and religious libraries, among others. Many academic library systems have libraries or sections of libraries dedicated to a specific topic, or that perform a specific type of research. As an example, the University of Washington has many libraries including the Art Library, Built Environments Library, East Asia Library, Gallagher Law Library, Mathematics Research Library, and Music Library.

Special libraries may not always be open to the public, and while the numbers have decreased over the past several years, there are still over 7,000 special libraries in the United States, including the State Law Library. There are also many unique special libraries and librarian positions, at everywhere from Dunkin’ Donuts, to Harley Davidson, to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. In the 12,000 square foot Design Library, the stacks are full of fabrics, patterns and dye, not books. Among the entries in the American Library Directory you will find libraries for Pepsi Co., Hallmark, General Mills, the National Association of Convenience Stores and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.

For more information about special libraries, visit the Special Library Association website. (LE)