New Hampshire State Library

The New Hampshire State Library is a library in Concord, New Hampshire, and also a state agency, overseen since 2017 by the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR).^[2] The physical building is located across the street from the New Hampshire State House.

New Hampshire State Library

State Library logo
State Library building in Concord
Agency overview
Formed	January 25, 1717
Jurisdiction	New Hampshire
Headquarters	20 Park Street Concord, New Hampshire
Agency executives	Michael York, State Librarian Melinda Atwood, Administrator of Library Operations
Parent agency	New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
Website	www.nhsl.dncr.nh.gov
Footnotes
[1]

History

The library's origins pre-date the United States: "The beginnings of the State Library were in 1717 and it is generally considered to be the oldest such institution in the United States."^[3] Originally housed in Portsmouth, the state library has been located in Concord since 1808.^[4] The current building opened in 1895, and also housed the New Hampshire Supreme Court until 1970.^[4]

In March, 2025, Rep. Joseph Sweeney (American politician) proposed an amendment to the state's budget bill that would eliminate funding for the library, as well as for the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.^[5]