National Library Week: Five Important NC State Publications Every Library Should Have

Of the hundreds of publications are produced by North Carolina state government every year, here are five titles that should be in every library’s collection.

The first is the North Carolina Manual, published by the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State. The Manual is a single-volume encyclopedia of North Carolina state government. Organized by branch of government, there are histories of departments, profiles of the public universities, information on county governments, and a great deal of directory information. Also published by the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State is the annual Directory of State and County Officials of North Carolina. In this concise volume, you find the names, titles, and telephone numbers of all officials in the branches of state government, in county governments, and in the University of North Carolina System.

The Old North State Fact Book (6th revised edition, 2008)

Another great state reference work is the 2008 edition of The Old North State Fact Book, published by North Carolina Historical Publications. This book contains all the official state symbols and interesting facts about North Carolina.

Another useful reference work is a digital publication that every library should link to. How North Carolina Compares, a publication of the Program Evaluation Division of the North Carolina General Assembly, provides North Carolina statistics such as per capita state taxes, population, unemployment rate, and infant mortality rate, and compares the data to the data from other states.

Finally, a fun one — The Official North Carolina Travel Guide gives you a tour of the entire state, with detailed information on where to visit, stay the night, and dine well. With summer coming, make sure this is in your collection to help your patrons plan their in-state vacations. The Guide is published by the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development.