I recently attended a seminar on the Tennessee State Library & Archives given by Chuck Sherrill, Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist. He has published more than twenty books on Tennessee historical records. While I have visited the Tennessee State Library & Archives’ website, I did not realize until this lecture how many resources it provides. Here are a few of their collections you can take advantage of – some from the comfort of your own home, and others on location in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tennessee Documents & Images -

• Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA)
• Nashville City Directories (A collection of complete Nashville city directories, beginning with 1853/1854.
• Tennessee Landmark Documents
• TSLA Photograph Database
• Tennessee Government Web Archive

Civil War Resources -

• Civil War Era Database
• Civil War Sourcebook
• Looking Back: The Civil War in Tennessee

Historical Newspapers - 19th Century Newspapers

READS Audio and Ebooks - Regional Ebook and Audio Download System (READS) -- READS offers thousands of digital ebooks and audio books to patrons of public libraries that belong to the Tennessee Regional Library System.

Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) - Available ONLY to Tennessee residents.

TSLA has a great Research & Collections section that has the following sections:

• African American Records
• Bibliographies
• Birth & Death Records
• Census Records
• County Records
• Governor’s Papers
• Manuscripts
• Military RecordsNative American Records
• Newspapers
• Place Name & Maps
• State Records
• Tennessee Acts & Petitions
• Tennessee Postcards
• Additional Resources

The TSLA Resource Guides are very informative. Here are some of the guides they offer:

• Guide 01 - Architectural Resources @ the Tennessee State Library & Archives
• Guide 02 - Legal & Legislative Materials Available @ the Tennessee State Library & Archives
• Guide 03 - Civil War Soldiers and Citizens: Tracking Your Ancestors @ TSLA
• Guide 04 - Materials at TSLA Pertaining to the War of 1812
• Guide 05 - Searching For Your Ancestors @ TSLA
• Guide 06 - Tennessee in the Great War, 1914-1918: A Guide to Collections @ TSLA
• Guide 07 - Women’s Studies @ the Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Guide 08 - Worth a Thousand Words: Photographs and Images @ the Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Guide 09 - African American Genealogical Resources @ TSLA
• Guide 10 - Early North Carolina / Tennessee Land Grants @ the Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Guide 11 - Tennessee in World War II: A Guide to Collections at TSLA
• Guide 12 - Cemetery and Funeral Home Records @ the Tennessee State Library and Archives
• Guide 13 - “Gloriously Fighting a Glorious Cause” : Tennesseans in the War with Mexico, 1846-1848
• Guide 14 - Korean War Resources @ the Tennessee State Library and Archives

TSLA has an Interlibrary Loan Policy. While an individual can not order it, their local library can place an order.