State Library of Kansas

What State Library of Kansas does

The State Library of Kansas is a state government agency established in 1836 (with a conflicting founding-year signal of 1861) and headquartered on the third floor of the Kansas Capitol building in Topeka, operating with approximately 42 employees. Its core mission is to provide free library and information services to all Kansas residents, state legislators, state agencies, and K-12 students, with a distinct accessibility vertical (Kansas Talking Books) for residents with print disabilities. The agency's portfolio encompasses 78 licensed research databases (46 from EBSCO plus Britannica, Gale, ProQuest, Mango Languages, Infobase, and others), 250,000+ digital books and audiobooks via CloudLibrary, Freading, and Comics Plus, a toll-free Kansas Legislative Hotline, the State Data Center (Census-data coordination), continuing-education programming for Kansas public librarians, and cultural programs such as the Kansas 250 Bookshelf and Great Reads from Great Places. Technology is delivered through a Springshare-powered web platform (LibApps, Ask a Librarian chat) integrated with vendor APIs and accessible 24/7 online, with a secondary physical location at Emporia State University housing the Talking Books Division.

The business model is non-commercial: the agency is funded entirely through Kansas state appropriations as part of the executive branch of state government, and all services — databases, digital lending, Talking Books, legislative research, accessibility materials — are provided free of charge to Kansas residents. Distribution is executed through the library's website portal, the Kansas Library eCard system, a statewide public library network for eCard issuance, direct mail for Talking Books, and the NLS-affiliated BARD download platform. Customer segments are intentionally horizontal: general Kansas residents, K-12 students and educators, legislators and legislative staff, state agencies, and a vertical accessibility segment (blind, low-vision, dyslexic, or otherwise print-disabled Kansans). Strategic posture is mandate-driven rather than market-driven: the agency competes not for customers but to demonstrate service breadth and resident coverage to justify continued state appropriations, while maintaining core vendor relationships and federal cooperative affiliations (Census Bureau State Data Center, Library of Congress Center for the Book, NLS for the Blind and Print Disabled).

Name

State Library of Kansas

Legal name

State Library of Kansas

Website

https://library.ks.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1836

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Legislative Bodies (92112), Legislative Bodies (921120), Administration of Education Programs (92311), Other General Government Support (921190)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Library Operations & Community Branch Management (EDAEAGAC), Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL)

Keywords

• Public library services
• Government information services
• Digital book lending
• Accessible library services
• Legislative research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Topeka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriation: State Library of Kansas is a state government agency funded through Kansas state appropriations. All core services including databases, digital books, Talking Books, and research assistance are provided free of charge to Kansas residents.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The State Library of Kansas is a state government agency that provides free public library services to all Kansas residents, including access to digital books, audiobooks, 78 licensed research databases, government and legislative information, and specialized accessibility services. It operates the Talking Books program for Kansans with print disabilities, the Kansas Legislative Hotline for legislative research, the State Data Center for Census and demographic data, and statewide K-12 educational resources.

Product overview

The State Library of Kansas is a government library system providing public library services, digital resources, and government information to Kansas residents. The portfolio includes digital book lending (CloudLibrary, Freading, Comics Plus, Vooks), educational databases (Britannica, Scholastic BookFlix, Explora, Mango Languages, LearningExpress, UniversalClass), accessibility services (Talking Books for print-disabled patrons), government resources (Kansas Legislative Hotline, State Data Center, KS Government Information Library), and specialized programs (Kansas 250 Bookshelf, Summer Reading Program). The service model centers on the Kansas Library eCard for digital access, with physical locations in Topeka (Capitol building) and Emporia (Talking Books Division).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Talking Books Free library service providing audiobooks, braille materials, eBraille, adaptive equipment, and digital downloads via BARD to eligible Kansas residents of all ages who are blind, have limited vision, difficulty holding books, dyslexia, or other print disabilities.
• Digital Books (CloudLibrary, Freading, Comics Plus) Digital book and audiobook lending platform offering over 250,000 titles across fiction, nonfiction, children's, comics, graphic novels, and manga accessible via the Kansas Library eCard.
• Research Databases A-Z collection of 78 licensed research databases covering business, health, genealogy, government, education, and student use, including EBSCO (46), Britannica (10), Gale, Infobase, Mango Languages, NewsBank, ProQuest, Sage, and Ancestry products.
• Kansas Legislative Hotline Toll-free hotline (800-432-3924) providing Kansas residents, legislators, and staff with bill status, tax policies, legislative process information, and elected official contact details, answered by professional librarians.
• State Data Center Cooperative Census and demographic data program coordinating Kansas Statistical Abstract, custom data tables, and Census Bureau data distribution through a network including IPSR at the University of Kansas (lead agency since November 2018), Wichita State CEDBR, Fort Hays Docking Institute, and Pittsburg State Kelce BERC.
• K-12 Student Resources Student learning platforms for Kansas K-12 students and educators including Britannica School (elementary, middle, high school), Scholastic BookFlix, Explora, Mango Languages, LearningExpress (GED, ACT, ASVAB prep), and UniversalClass (600+ online courses).
• Ask a Librarian (Chat Reference) Live chat service connecting patrons with professional librarians for research assistance and reference questions, powered by Springshare LibChat during business hours.
• Kansas 250 Bookshelf Monthly themed reading list program celebrating Kansas literature and history in support of America 250, featuring Kansas Notable Books, available via local Kansas libraries, interlibrary loan, CloudLibrary, and Talking Books collections.
• NFB-NEWSLINE Free audio and braille newspaper service providing access to current information from local and national news sources for blind and print-disabled Kansas residents.

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institute for Policy & Social Research (IPSR) at University of KansascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2018Since November 2018, IPSR serves as the Lead Agency for the State Data Center program, working with a network of coordinating and affiliate agencies. State Library remains involved as a coordinating agency in this Census data distribution network.
• Emporia State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTalking Books Division is physically located on the Emporia State University campus, providing a collaborative environment for the specialized library service program serving Kansans with print disabilities.
• Center for Economic Development and Business Research (CEDBR) at Wichita State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the State Data Center network, CEDBR contributes business, economic, and demographic research and data for the region.
• Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the State Data Center network, providing public policy research and community development services.
• Kelce Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) at Pittsburg State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the State Data Center network, focused on economic development research for Southeast Kansas and the Tri-State region.
• U.S. Census BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe State Data Center program is a cooperative program between the states and the Census Bureau that makes Census data available locally to the public through state agencies and universities.
• National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS)coreTechnology or IntegrationKansas Talking Books is part of the NLS network, providing standardized accessible reading materials and equipment to eligible Kansas residents.
• Library of Congress (Kansas Center for the Book)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Kansas Center for the Book is affiliated with the Library of Congress and collaborates on the Great Reads from Great Places program and other literary initiatives.
• EBSCO Information ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary database vendor providing 46 databases including Academic Search Premier, MasterFILE Premier, Newspaper Source Plus, and EBSCO eBooks through the library's licensed subscriptions.
• BritannicacoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides 10 databases including Britannica School (elementary, middle, high school levels), Britannica Collective eBook collection, and Britannica Escolar for Spanish speakers.
• ScholasticcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides BookFlix (paired fiction/nonfiction for early readers) and other educational resources through the LearningExpress platform.
• Library Ideas (Freading)coreTechnology or IntegrationDigital ebook lending platform providing access to over 200,000 titles from leading publishers in various genres and languages.
• CloudLibrary (Baker & Taylor)coreTechnology or IntegrationDigital book and audiobook lending platform providing popular titles, bestsellers, and classics accessible via app or web browser.
• Mango LanguagescoreTechnology or IntegrationLanguage learning platform providing courses in more than 70 languages for patrons to learn new languages.
• SpringsharecoreTechnology or IntegrationPowers the library's website platform, LibApps, and chat/Reference services including the Ask a Librarian functionality.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/libraryofks
• Facebookfacebook.com/statelibraryofkansas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/statelibraryofkansas
• Instagraminstagram.com/statelibraryofkansas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about State Library of Kansas