Second Saturday Tours of the Tennessee State Library & Archives End This Week

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Don’t miss this year’s last Second Saturday tours of the beautiful new state-of-the-art Tennessee State Library & Archives in Nashville this Saturday, Oct. 9.

"Through our Second Saturday tours, we have been able to share what an incredible resource the Tennessee State Library & Archives is for our great state with Tennesseans of all ages," said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. "If you are interested in Tennessee history and culture, I urge you to join the Library & Archives staff for the last Second Saturday tours this year.”

Second Saturday guided tours begin at 10 a.m. and will run every hour, on the hour, with the last tour starting at 3 p.m. During each tour, guests will have the opportunity to explore the Library & Archives' exhibits, see the state-of-the-art equipment in the new conservation lab, walk through the grand reading room and see the high-tech Automated Storage and Retrieval System in action. This family-friendly event is free to the public. Reservations are not required.

“Our staff has enjoyed leading the Second Saturday tours,” said Chuck Sherrill, Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist. “We are always excited to give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at our vast and wide-ranging collection and to share about how we are using new technologies to preserve our state's history for current and future generations.”

Focusing on items about Tennessee and Tennesseans, the Library & Archives, a division of the Department of State, collects and preserves books, journals, maps, photographs, records and other documents of historical and reference value.

The Library & Archives is home to many irreplaceable historical documents, including Tennessee's three Constitutions, letters from Tennessee's three presidents, records from 55 former Tennessee governors, the archives of state government, records from every Tennessee courthouse and the original records of the State of Franklin.

The Library & Archives' wide-ranging collections include more than a million photographs, 5,000 maps, 360,000 books and journals, the state's largest collection of microfilm negatives and the most comprehensive collection of Tennessee newspapers, the earliest of which date back to 1791.

The new Library & Archives is located on the northeast corner of the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park at 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N., in Nashville. The lobby, featuring interactive exhibits highlighting the state's most precious historical documents, is open to the public Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. The library, microfilm and manuscripts reading rooms are open for research Tuesday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT.

For the latest information from the Library & Archives, follow their social media channels: Facebook: Tennessee State Library and Archives and Instagram: @tnlibarchives and the Secretary of State's Twitter account: @SecTreHargett.

For more information about the Library & Archives or the Second Saturday tours, call 615-741-2764, email ask@tsla.libanswers.com or visit sos.tn.gov/tsla/plan-your-visit.