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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 
    The State Library of Pennsylvania

    Contact Us

    The Office of Commonwealth Libraries provides services Monday through Friday, 9 AM–5 PM (except holidays).

     

    The State Library of Pennsylvania Main Reading Room will be open (except holidays or in the case of a Commonwealth issued delay or closing) as follows: 

     

    Tuesday-Thursday: 10 AM–6 PM

    Library stacks.

    Visit the State Library of Pennsylvania

    The State Library of Pennsylvania is located within the Forum Building in Harrisburg. Spaces include the Main Reading Room, Law Library, Rare Collections, STEMlab, Genealogy Room, and Digitization Department.

    Mailing​ Address

    Forum Building
    607 South Drive
    Harrisburg, PA 17120

    Directions

    Please visit our Google Maps listing.

    Parking

    The Harrisburg Parking Authority includes information on parking garages within walking distance. 

    If you contact the library​ to make an advance reservation for a research appointment, space within the Forum Place Parking Garage may be made available.

    Accessib​​il​​ity

    The Library is accessible through the main entrance. Individuals who need assistance should contact library staff.​

    Additional Contact Information

    Staff provide virtual services and programming Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM and can be contacted directly via phone or email below: 

    Area of InterestEmailPhone
    Circulation/Public Servicera-circulation@pa.gov 717-787-3169
    Interlibrary Loanra-ill@pa.gov717-787-4130
    Reference and Rare Collectionsra-reflib@pa.gov717-783-5950
    Law and Government Documents Referencera-law@pa.gov717-787-3273

    Submit an online reference request for assistance from staff at the State Library of Pennsylvania.

    Ask a question and get answers from a librarian via Chat with a Librarian. The Chat with a Librarian service is a part of POWER Library

    See the current schedule of Events and Programs or view past recordings.

    Visit the State Library STEMlab (by appointment only):
    State Library of Pennsylvania
    607 South Drive,
    Harrisburg, PA 17120
    ​​ra-edmakerspace@pa.gov

    Bureau of Library Development

    The Bureau of Library Development (BLD) in the Office of Commonwealth Libraries supports libraries and library services for Pennsylvanians through the administration of state and federally-funded programs and grant opportunities including LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act), Library Access, LAMP (Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians), the Public Library Subsidy, and Keystone Grants for Public Library Facilities. BLD also provides advisory services, professional development, and continuing education for library staff at public, school, academic, and special libraries.

    If you have a request or question that is related the following items, please direct your inquiry to the corresponding email address:   

    • Library Service and Technology Act (LSTA) grants and programs - ra-edbldadmin@pa.gov     
    • State funded contracts (Library Access, Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians) - ra-edbldadmin@pa.gov     
    • Keystone Grants for Public Library Facilities – ra-keystone@pa.gov     
    • State Aid to Public Libraries (Public Library Subsidy) - ra-stateaid@pa.gov     

     All other requests or questions should be sent to ra-libdev@pa.gov.