Guided Tours of the Library & Archives are available by request, Tuesday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. Please email ask@tsla.libanswers.com to schedule your group tour.

 

Second Saturday Tours

The Tennessee State Library & Archives is excited to offer their popular guided Second Saturday Tours of the new state-of-the-art building again this year. On the second Saturday of each month from July to October, Library & Archives staff will give guests a behind the scenes look at the new building located at 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N. on the northeast corner of the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville. Tours begin every hour, on the hour, starting at 10 a.m. with the last tour beginning at 3 p.m. These events are free to the public.

 

Lunchtime Speaker Series Commemorating Tennessee’s 225 Years of History

Tennessee State Library & Archives is launching a new lecture series revealing the stories behind significant events in Tennessee’s rich 225-year history. The Lunchtime Speaker Series events will be in-person and live-streamed on the Library & Archives’ Facebook page and the Secretary of State’s YouTube channel. Each event will take place from Noon to 1 p.m. In-person attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch. This series is free to the public. In-person seating is limited. 

  • Sept. 10, 2021 - A Look Back at Tennessee’s Centennial Celebration in 1896/7 - the story behind world's fair style event in Nashville led by Historian David E. Ewing - Watch the presentation
  • Nov. 5, 2021 - Why Tennessee is Known as the Volunteer State - history of the nickname and Tennessee's service in military conflicts led by Lipscomb University Professor Tim Johnson - Watch the presentation
  • Feb. 11, 2022 - Tennessee Frontier - How Tennessee’s Land Influenced Where Pioneers Settled by historian and associate professor Aaron Astor – Watch the presentation
  • May 6, 2022 - Tennessee and the Fight to Win Women's Right to Vote by journalist and author Elaine Weiss - Watch the presentation 

 

Lunchtime Speaker Event - This Used to Be Nashville

The Library & Archives is pleased to welcome special guest Jim Hoobler for a lunchtime lecture on April 22, 2022, from Noon to 1 p.m. Mr. Hoobler, a local author and longtime State Museum curator, will present a talk entitled "This Used to Be Nashville." - Watch the presentation

 

Passport to Tennessee History

The Tennessee State Library & Archives, Tennessee State Museum, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park and the Tennessee State Capitol invite you to make a history day of it with the Passport to Tennessee History.

Inside the Passport to Tennessee History on Capitol Hill and Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, visitors will find information about four institutions of Tennessee history. 

Pick up your free Passport to Tennessee History at the Tennessee State Library & Archives, Tennessee State Museum, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park Visitor Center or Tennessee State Capitol to begin stamping your passport to Tennessee History. Admission to all four participating locations is free.