House Concurrent Resolution 51

(As Adopted by House and Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE STATE LIBRARY UPON THE SPECTACULAR OCCASION OF ITS 200TH ANNIVERSARY.

WHEREAS, on January 31, 2018, the State Library will celebrate the marvelous occasion of its 200th anniversary, honoring its two centuries of outstanding service to the State of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, while officially established by an act of the Legislature in 1838, the State Library traces its inception to a resolution passed by the Legislature on January 31, 1818, for the purchase of the state's first collection of books and maps; and

WHEREAS, by 1891, the State Library was considered to be the second finest library of its kind in the Union, outranked only by the Massachusetts Library, with the emphasis of the library's collection being legal works, and also containing material on travel, medicine, biography, church history and many other topics; and 70 years later, in 1961, the State Library achieved notoriety once again by being recognized as the third largest law library in the United States; and

WHEREAS, first located in the Old Capitol building, the State Library later relocated to the New Capitol building, until 1973, when it moved to the Carroll Gartin Justice Building, and then relocated once again in 2008 to the new Carroll Gartin Justice Building, where it is currently situated; and

WHEREAS, by an 1860 act of the Legislature, the State Library was placed under the control of the Trustees of the Library, its members at that time being the Governor, Judges of the High Court of Errors and Appeals and the Attorney General; and, in 1989, the Legislature placed the State Library under the control of the Mississippi Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, the State Librarian has been elected by the Legislature since 1842, with the current State Librarian, Stephen Parks, being chosen by the Supreme Court and elected by the Legislature in 2016; historically, however, in 1820 and 1828, legislation directed the Secretary of State to be the State Librarian, and for a time, the State Librarian and the Keeper of the Capitol were one and the same, until the 1890 Constitution separated the two offices, with the Secretary of State becoming Keeper of the Capitol; and

WHEREAS, in 1876, the State Librarian was a woman, appointed by a man who was selected by the Legislature, until 1892, when, for the first time, a woman was a candidate for the position of State Librarian and was re-elected in her own name; and the Mississippi Constitution of 1890 stated that any woman of the age of 20 years was eligible for the office, until it was amended in 1978 to remove the specific qualifications for the position; and

WHEREAS, in 1938, the Legislature created the Legislative Reference Bureau and placed it under the State Library's supervision for the members of the Legislature, the Governor and the various departments, institutions and agencies of the state to use, with the State Librarian being its director, until 1980, when the Legislative Reference Bureau was placed under the supervision of the Legislature itself; and

WHEREAS, for 200 years each State Librarian has contributed tremendously to the development of a rich heritage of primary legal materials for the State Library's collection, with many volumes being original printings, including English and Canadian court reports from 1801 to 1982; the Congressional Record from 1789 to current issues; the Federal Register from 1936 to current issues; selected U.S. Government depository items since the mid-1880s and an extensive collection of Mississippi primary and secondary legal resources; and

WHEREAS, being a federal depository library of the Third U.S. Congressional District of the State of Mississippi since the mid-1880s, the State Library's mission is to provide law library services to the Mississippi Supreme Court and other state courts, to state officials and to the general public; and

WHEREAS, the State Library has received recognition within the past year by being awarded the Excellence in Marketing Award and Best Newsletter from the American Association of Law Libraries, and has received further recognition when the State Librarian, Stephen Parks, testified before the congressional Committee on House Administration regarding proposed changes to the Federal Depository Library Program; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize and commend outstanding institutions in Mississippi that have left a profound impact on its citizens and continue to serve a positive, vital role in present and future vitality and sustainability of this great Magnolia State:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize and celebrate the 200th anniversary of the State Library and express best wishes for its continued success.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the State Librarian and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.