From stagecoach to high-speed internet, delivering books to Idahoans has changed in many ways since the Idaho Territory was officially established on March 4, 1863. But the concept of getting reading material to people who want it remains at the core of library services and is the unwavering promise of library workers and those who support them.
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The Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL) builds the capacity of the more than 850 public, school, academic, and special libraries in Idaho to best serve their communities. The ICfL provides programs and resources, grants, consulting, and continuing education to libraries throughout the Gem State.
But when a statewide library service got started in Idaho, it looked very different from the ICfL of today.
Traveling Library
The Columbian Club of Boise formed a traveling library in 1899. They traveled by stagecoach with wooden boxes that contained volumes for every age and interest. They brought culture and education to 51 settlements in Idaho Territory. (Idaho became a state the next year on July 3, 1890.)
The Columbian Club turned over library service to the newly created Idaho State Library, which was established on April 1, 1901, by the Idaho Legislature. The State Library was given an annual operating budget of $3,000. Charged with organizing new libraries and improving existing ones, Idaho took pride in its State Library services. An article in the “Idaho Statesman” from March 7, 1903, stated: “This system of disseminating literature is one of the best things ever established in Idaho.” The traveling library brought a civilizing and educational force to 51 settlements – including large towns like Boise, Moscow, and Pocatello and small ones including Preston, St. Anthony, and Salmon.
Stagecoach delivery of books by the Idaho State Library in the early 1900’s.
Wooden box used to transport reading materials by stagecoach throughout Idaho in the early 1900’s.
Library Growth
By 1904, 100 communities were receiving books. By 1910, the state’s population had grown to 326,000 from 88,500 in 1890. Tax-supported public libraries had been established in 12 cities, and nearly every school district had a school library. The Idaho State Library had more than 12,400 volumes. By the 1920s, every major city in Idaho and many smaller communities boasted a library.
There were many Idaho state librarians through the years. Margaret Stevenson Roberts held the post four times — 1905-1907, 1911-1917, 1919-1933, and from 1947 until her death in 1952. Roberts was known as the “Petticoat Governor of Idaho” for her efforts supporting women’s suffrage and other progressive reforms. During her second tenure as state librarian, Roberts expanded the free traveling library system and established the Idaho State Library Association, now the Idaho Library Association. Lalla Bedford was state librarian from 1933-1939. She wrote a library development plan for the state. Walter Lockwood succeeded Bedford. He was Idaho’s first professionally trained librarian in the role.
In 1950, the state’s population was 588,637. The Idaho State Library moved to the basement of the Idaho State Historical Society’s Museum. In 1957, the Idaho State Library first received federal funding. This was made possible after the Idaho Legislature increased the library’s budget, allowing the State Library to qualify for federal grants following the passage of the federal Library Services Act in 1956. Many Idaho libraries used this funding for bookmobiles. After the Library Services Act was revamped in 1964, federal dollars could be used toward library buildings. Those types of grants ended in 1998, although some federal facilities grant funding was awarded through the ICfL to Idaho libraries in 2023.
Over the years, the State Library was housed in several Boise locations. On November 23, 1970, a new building was dedicated that housed the State Library and the Historical Society and Genealogy Library. The ICfL is still at that 3rd Street location in the Capitol Mall area of downtown Boise.
In 1973, the Idaho State Library was designated by the Legislature as the site for the regional library for blind and physically handicapped services. That year, the Talking Book Library loaned approximately 16,000 talking book discs and 1,000 talking book cassettes to Idahoans unable to read standard print. By 1984, the Talking Book Library had 2,908 users and circulated 87,947 items. In 2025, as a cost-saving measure, the Idaho Talking Book Service (TBS) was contracted to the Utah State Library. Under this agreement, Idahoans still enjoy the same level of service and continued access to more than 100,000 fiction and nonfiction audiobook titles as when the Talking Book Service was managed by ICfL staff.
Charles Bolles served the longest uninterrupted term of any Idaho state librarian, from 1980-2005. The State Library was reorganized in 1984 to include library development and other work.
Name and Mission Change for the State Library
In 2006, the name and mission of the State Library changed when it became the Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL), the state’s library development agency.
In 1998, the ICfL launched an online platform of databases called Libraries Linking Idaho, known as LiLI. Through the lili.org site, Idahoans have free, 24/7 access to a wide range of online resources that support their education, business, and recreational needs. In 2020, the ICfL expanded public and school library access to e-books and e-audio content through the Idaho Digital E-Book Alliance (IDEA). In IDEA, there are more than 18,000 e-book titles and over 7,000 audio titles freely available to support student learning throughout Idaho.
Ann Joslin was state librarian from 2005-2019. Stephanie Bailey-White became state librarian in 2019 and continued until her retirement in 2025. Bailey-White worked for the ICfL for 34 years in various capacities. In late 2025, Dylan Baker became the 21st state librarian in Idaho. Baker’s extensive library experience, from his start as a shelver through technology-related roles to the position of deputy state librarian, make Baker well-positioned to take the ICfL into the future.
What does the future hold for Idaho’s libraries? It is likely they will continue to be the hub of their communities – big and small – providing programs, resources, and support to patrons in ways not yet thought of on April 1, 1901, when the Idaho State Library got its official start.