Oklahoma Department of Libraries

The ODL can trace its origins to the territorial days when on December 8, 1890 the First Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Oklahoma passed an act establishing a territorial library in Guthrie. George W. Steele, the governor of Oklahoma Territory also served as the first librarian. The library's name changed to Oklahoma Library in 1893, but the "Office of the State Librarian" was not officially established until statehood in 1907. The site of the library migrated to Oklahoma City in 1910 with the move of the state capital. The Oklahoma Library Code, passed in 1967, established the standards of governance of the library uses today. [1]

The Oklahoma State Archives housed at ODL preserves the permanent records of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of Oklahoma’s state government. The archives houses manuscripts, photographs, maps, and some artifacts, and the collections primarily include minutes, correspondence, annual reports, and publications. Records range from the 1890s until present, with the bulk being between 1907 and 1980. Prominent collections include the Office of the Governor, Office of the Attorney General, Oklahoma State Legislature, Oklahoma Supreme Court, Oklahoma Department of Education, and Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

Selected records from the holdings of the State Archives are available on the agency’s electronic library, Digital Prairie. The collections, largely composed of digitized materials, highlight the work of Oklahoma’s state government and Oklahoma history and culture.

Archives.OK.Gov includes more than 1,700 publications and documents from the State Archives. The collection primarily includes state agency reports and newsletters, and the records range from 1907, when Oklahoma became a state, until 1978. Archives.OK.Gov complements Documents.OK.Gov, which provides access to over 26,000 state government publications dating back to 1978. Notable records in Archives.OK.Gov include the Department of Education’s annual Educational Directories, the Department of Charities and Corrections’ annual reports, and the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Outdoor Oklahoma magazine.

Early Interurban Electric Railway Car from the Oklahoma Lines from Images of Oklahoma Collection on Digital Prairie

Images of Oklahoma is a state digital collection building project funded by IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) to make unique social, cultural, ethnic, and historical content from local collections accessible across the state. The collection features more than 1,600 records from over 40 Oklahoma libraries, archives, and museums that have participated in the project since 2014. The collection includes yearbooks, photographs, postcards, and other records reflecting Oklahoma’s history and culture. Some collections include the Eugene Meacham Photography Collection from Kingfisher, the Stillwater Woman’s Club Collection, and the Oklahoma Railway Museum Collection.

Confederate Pension Records and Index Cards are collections of the finding aid (index cards) and complete files of more than 7,000 individuals who applied to the State Board of Pension Commissioners under the Confederate Soldiers’ Pension Bill. The index cards are organized by name and often include the address, name of the spouse, date of marriage, date of death, and information about the veteran’s military service. The files include applications and correspondence, which provide information about the applicants’ locations and situations. These records are often used for genealogical research.

The Department of Libraries is governed by a seven-member Libraries Board, with each member appointed by the Governor with the approval of the Oklahoma Senate. There is one Board member for each of Oklahoma's five U.S. House districts, and two members are appointed "at large." The Board is responsible for establishing Departmental policy and for appointing higher level executive officers of the Department. The Director of the Department serves as an ex officio, non-voting, member of the Board and as the Board Secretary. [2]

The current members of the Board are:

Melody Kellogg serves as the current Director of ODL and secretary for the board. [3]

• ODL Official Website
• Digital Prairie - State Collections Online