The Vermont State Library provides a number of unique collections open to the public at our Barre office. Various individuals qualify for a State Library card and are able to check out items directly from the State Library. Members of the public are able to obtain materials through interlibrary loan and should contact their local library for assistance.
Some items in our collection may be searched online using the Department of Libraries' catalog. For any questions about our collections or their use contact VTLIB using our Contact Us form.
Vermont Collections
Vermont Newspapers
The Vermont Newspaper Collection has been moved to the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration. VSARA is located at 1078 Route 2, Middlesex, VT 05602. You can find more information at their website. A portion of the collection can be searched and viewed online as part of the Vermont Digital Newspaper Project.
Vermontiana
The Vermontania Collection is a wide-ranging collection consisting of documents which are related in some distinct way to Vermont, but were not published by a government. The majority of materials in the collection are nonfiction and are generally restricted to use in the State Library only. If possible an electronic copy of the item can be sent via interlibrary loan.
Within the collection you will find Vermont town histories, local folklore, Vermont encyclopedias, periodicals, biographies, diaries, and much more.
General Collections
Library Sciences
A comprehensive collection of both monographs and periodicals is selected and maintained to meet the professional development needs of Vermont librarians, trustees, and library staff. While emphasizing materials of interest to public librarians, the collection includes materials appropriate to all types of librarianship.The collection circulates directly to employees of libraries in Vermont and to others through interlibrary loan.
Rare Books
The Rare Books Collection contains many documents obtained through exchange arrangements with other states, the U.S. Government Printing Office, and Her Majesty’s Stationery Office dating from the 17th Century. The Collection also includes many rare 19th Century sermons, geographies, grammars and other chapbooks printed in Vermont. A significant percent of the Rare Books Collection was once a part of the extensive library of collectors Harold Rugg and Henry Stevens.