A treasure trove of rare ephemera waits to be found at the California State Library | Opinion
As a child, I loved the book, “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” by E. L. Konigsburg; a story about two siblings who run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Had I known about the California State Library back then, I might have tried to run away there instead.
While you might only be familiar with the gleaming, white marble façade on Capitol Mall, the State Library is a vast complex that stretches deep into the basements of two buildings, with a Cold War-era corridor between the two, some 30 feet under N Street. (The other entrance is at 900 N Street, with a pristine foyer and dome ceiling, and a secret at the heart of the inlaid floor that I encourage you to find.)
It’s the kind of place locals often overlook and tourists are rarely recommended to visit, but it is nevertheless a quiet and stunning asset within the city of Sacramento. The priceless records and artifacts housed at the State Library help humanize the past — and perhaps help us avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
For bibliophiles and amateur historians like me, there’s something deeply comforting in the smell and feel of an old book, so it’s also a nice place to slow down, enjoy the free air conditioning and stop staring at computer screens for a few hours. I often feel human again with a book in my hands.
“It is something like leaving current reality behind and exiting in a time capsule,” said Jessie Knox-Jenson, Assistant Chief of State Library Services, about the library’s rare collections. “It’s magical to have this snapshot of the state’s history.”
Home to more than 6,000 maps and more than 250,000 photographs, the State Library is the central reference and research library for state government and the Legislature. It was established in January 1850, about nine months before California became a state.
These days, it is both a State and Federal Depository Library and is home to the State Law and Braille and Talking Book libraries. Its archives support the collections of the hundreds of smaller, local libraries throughout the state via lending programs.
There are endless rows upon rows of priceless books — more than anyone could ever read in a lifetime — and rare treasures stored in a temperature-controlled room. There are numerous, seemingly secret passages; gorgeous statues and architecture; and bright, beautiful reading rooms with plush, comfortable chairs.
The rare items room is a trove of oddities worth millions, including first editions of John James Audubon’s Birds of America book; a fountain pen used to sign the California constitution; and a map of Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, hand-drawn by sawmill operator and noted gold-finder, James Marshall.
There’s also the historic Bible upon which many California governors (and a few Secretaries of State) have sworn their oath of office, then annotated and signed. (Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handwritten entry in 2015 reads: “This Bible teaches us that we are many parts, but one body — when one part suffers, we all suffer.”)
Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are required for visits to the special collections, and that’s partially because many of the items and books have to be kept in light- and temperature-controlled rooms.
That rule extends to most of the library’s archives, where rooms were quiet and shrouded in darkness until I stepped in. I got lost after a few turns, but I’m pretty sure it was in the cavernous basement where I saw editions of the first newspaper ever printed in the state, the Daily Alta California, so fragile that I was scared to even breathe near it.
In the law library, I saw books on the Visigothic Code, the Trial of Captain Kidd, transcripts of the case against Lizzie Borden and the judgment of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Another display in Gillis Hall’s magnificent reading room held books about magic and mystery, with intriguing titles such as “Books Fatal To Their Authors” by P.H. Ditchfield and “Books Condemned to be Burnt” by F.A. Farber.
I want to read them all — and I can.
“It’s your library,” said the library’s Communications Director, Alex Vassar, his eyes as wide as mine as we wandered through cool, shadowy rows of priceless Shakespeare, Austen, Wordsworth and Hemingway, like kids with a credit card in a candy shop. “We’re here anytime you need anything.”
The California State Library’s Gillis Hall reading room in the Library and Courts Building is open Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The California History reading room is open Tuesday through Thursday, with the same hours.
This story was originally published May 23, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
