Arizona State Library

What Arizona State Library does

Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records is a multi-branch state government library system operating as a division of the Arizona Secretary of State, headquartered in Phoenix and founded in 1915. The institution coordinates library services, archival preservation, and public records management across Arizona through six interconnected divisions: Archives and Records Management, the E-Rate Program, Library Development, the State of Arizona Research Library (STARL), the Talking Book Library, and the Digital Arizona Library (DAZL). Its core technology platform includes the Arizona Memory Project for digitized primary sources, the ASK archival catalog, Archive-It for web archiving (covering 500+ Arizona-related websites since 1996), and BARD for accessible audio and braille downloads. The organization administers federal pass-through funding including E-Rate ($1.84B channeled to Arizona schools and libraries since 1998), LSTA grants, ARPA funding ($3.6M), and CARES Act funding ($657K), while maintaining irreplaceable historical collections of approximately 180,000 photographs, 32,000 maps, and 75,000 genealogical items.

The institution's business model is governmental and non-commercial: services are free to Arizona residents, with revenue derived from state appropriations and federal grants (LSTA, ARPA, CARES). Go-to-market is sales-led in the sense that it provides direct services, training, grant administration, and consulting to 90 public and tribal library systems statewide, plus schools, state agencies, and print-disabled individuals. Customer segments include public library systems (primary), school libraries, state government employees, academic researchers and genealogists, and individuals with visual or physical limitations. Pricing is structured as freemium access to collections with nominal pay-as-you-go photocopying fees ($0.10-$1.00 per copy by volume tier). Distribution is regional (Arizona-only) through direct service delivery, digital collections, OCLC interlibrary loan, and the Talking Book Library's mail-based services.

Name

Arizona State Library

Legal name

Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records

Website

https://azlibrary.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arizona State Library is a state government library and archives division under the Arizona Secretary of State, providing library coordination, archival preservation, and records management services to 90 public and tribal library systems, schools, state agencies, and Arizona residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Government Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ), National Archives, Records & Information Governance (BPAIAAAG)

Keywords

• State library services
• Archival records management
• Government library development
• Accessible reading services
• Library grant administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. State Appropriations: State government funding from Arizona for operating the State Library, Archives, and Public Records division
2. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) LSTA Funding: Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds administered by IMLS, distributed as statewide initiatives and subgrants to Arizona libraries
3. American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA): One-time federal pandemic relief funding of $3,617,020 to help communities respond to pandemic and related economic needs, distributed to public and tribal libraries
4. CARES Act Funding: Emergency coronavirus relief funding of $657,694 for libraries to respond to pandemic, including device distribution and digital inclusion efforts

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records is a division of the Arizona Secretary of State that provides statewide library coordination, archival preservation, records management, federal funding administration (E-Rate, LSTA, ARPA), digital library access, and specialized accessibility services through its Talking Book Library. It serves Arizona's public, tribal, school, academic, and special libraries, as well as state government employees, researchers, genealogists, and print-disabled residents.

Product overview

The Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records is a multi-branch state government library system providing archival, research, and library services to Arizona residents and government agencies. The core infrastructure includes six interconnected service divisions: Archives and Records Management (permanent records preservation and public access), E-Rate Program (technology funding coordination), Library Development (consulting, grants, and training), State of Arizona Research Library or STARL (state government research services), Talking Book Library (services for visually impaired patrons), and the Digital Arizona Library or DAZL (digital collections portal). DAZL serves as the primary digital gateway, incorporating the Arizona Memory Project for historical primary sources, and integrates with physical branch services including genealogy collections, government documents (AZDocs), and the Talking Book Library's braille/audio download service (BARD). Funding programs including LSTA grants and State Grants-in-Aid support library services statewide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Archives and Records Management
• E-Rate Program
• Library Development
• State of Arizona Research Library (STARL)
• Talking Book Library
• Digital Arizona Library (DAZL)
• Arizona Memory Project
• Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA) Grants
• State Grants-in-Aid (SGIA)
• Arizona Center for the Book
• Continuing Education Programs
• Genealogy Collection
• Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD)

Quantifiable outcome

• Arizona schools and libraries have received $1.84 Billion in E-Rate reimbursements since 1998
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Center for the Book in the Library of CongresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2004Arizona Center for the Book is an official affiliate of the National Center for the Book. The affiliate network includes all 50 states, DC, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Marianas. Arizona received designation on January 2, 2004.
• Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary federal funding source for the nation's libraries and museums. IMLS provides Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding which Arizona State Library administers as statewide initiatives and subgrants. Also provides guidance for ARPA and CARES Act funding.
• OCLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides resource sharing platform for interlibrary loan. The Arizona State Library pays for statewide OCLC interlibrary loan subscription costs and facilitates WorldShare ILL training for Arizona libraries.
• University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for professional development and education. SIRLS offers undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs in library science, digital information, and related subjects available to Arizona library staff.
• WebJunctionStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline learning platform for library staff. Arizona State Library provides free access to WebJunction's self-paced online library courses to all Arizona library staff members.
• InfopeopleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining provider offering webinars and self-paced online courses. Arizona State Library has purchased a block of registrations making these courses free for Arizona library staff.
• PCI WebinarsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWebinar provider offering weekly live content specifically for library staff. Arizona State Library maintains a subscription providing access to one live webinar per week plus archived content through Niche Academy.
• Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNot-for-profit administrator of the Universal Service Fund through the FCC. Administers the E-Rate program which provides approximately $5 billion annually for schools and libraries to close the Wi-Fi gap.
• Arizona Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating with Arizona State Library on the State Broadband Initiative to help libraries and schools maximize E-Rate funding and coordinate broadband expansion efforts.
• ConnectAllAZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernor Katie Hobbs' initiative ensuring all Arizonans have access to information about statewide broadband programs, consolidating BEAD, Digital Equity, and Arizona Broadband Development Grant Program information.
• Arizona Libraries YouTube ChannelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouTube channel for recorded library-related presentations and training content from Arizona State Library programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New York State Library: New York's state library under the State Education Department, providing research services, library development, Talking Books, and federal funding administration. Functionally analogous state library model.
• Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Texas's equivalent state library and archives agency, providing library development, state archives, and records management. Directly comparable in mandate, statutory authority, and service scope to Arizona State Library.
• OCLC: Provides WorldShare ILL and WorldCat interlibrary loan infrastructure that Arizona State Library pays for statewide. A core technology partner and functional peer in resource sharing.
• California State Library: California's state library serving a much larger population. Operates library development, state archives (Sacramento), Talking Books program, and E-Rate support — the closest functional analog to Arizona State Library among state libraries.
• Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): Federal agency administering LSTA funds that flow through Arizona State Library to local libraries. The primary funding intermediary that defines Arizona State Library's grant distribution role.

Broad incumbents

• Library of Congress: The federal national library and the parent affiliate of Arizona's Center for the Book. Provides the national framework for state library coordination, LSTA distribution through IMLS, and programs like Great Reads from Great Places.
• National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): Federal records management and archives authority. Comparable in archives/records governance function to Arizona's State Archives and Records Management division, though at federal scale.
• Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC): Administrator of the federal E-Rate program that Arizona State Library helps local libraries access. Operational peer in distributing federal broadband/technology funds to schools and libraries.

Regional players

• Arizona Archives Alliance: Regional professional association co-sponsoring Arizona Archives Month and related programs with Arizona State Library. A peer in coordinating archives services within Arizona.

Emerging players

• Internet Archive: Nonprofit digital library archiving web pages, books, audio, and video. Comparable as a digital archiving infrastructure provider; Archive-It (used by Arizona) is an Internet Archive service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/statelibaz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@stateofarizonaresearchlibr2662
• Facebookfacebook.com/Arizonalibraries

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arizona State Library