From the Arts Commission to the Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee's government agencies provide timely and pertinent data and information to the public. Agencies produce these publications as a public record of its activities. State publications can be a tool for government accountability if Tennessee's citizens read them. Collectively, the archive of these documents record Tennessee's history, natural resources, socioeconomic condition, culture, and quality of life.
Rights
While TSLA houses an item, it does not necessarily hold the copyright on the item, nor may it be able to determine if the item is still protected under current copyright law. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections. Written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders is required for reproduction, distribution, or other use of protected items beyond that alloued by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Researchers should consult the agency itself for information about rights, contacts, and permissions. Responsibility for securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with those persons desiring to use the item.
Searching Tips
When searching for a Tennessee Document, search as "Tennessee Dept. of " then the agency that you are searching for. To help with this search use Tennessee Government Departments and Agencies. This will display a list of dates that the Agency was crawled. Click on the date and the URL will be displayed as it was on the desired date.
What does it mean when a site's archive data on the search results page has an asterisk (*) next to the date?
Some web pages are not updated very frequently while others are updated often. When our automated systems crawl the web, we find that only about half of all pages on the web have changed from our previous visit. The asterisk indicates that the content has been updated from the previously archived copy. If you don't see an asterisk next to an archived document, then the content on the archived page is probably identical to the previously archived copy (there may be cases where changes are not identified by the automated system).
Is there an easy way to compare two archived versions of a web site to see what has been changed/updated?
Yes. First, you need to be on the search results page that lists the various dates a particular site was archived. Click “compare archive pages” in the top right portion of the screen. The page will reload with check boxes next to each date the site was archived. Choose the two versions you would like to compare and hit the “compare two dates” button (remember that if you don't see an asterisk next to an archived document, then the content on the archived page is probably identical to the previously archived copy). Any deletions will appear in blue with a line through the text and any additions will appear in green.
What types of web content cannot be harvested?
As the crawler visits a site it will gather and organize the contents of the web that it encounters – this is known as harvesting. However, there are certain types of content that our crawler cannot harvest. These are:
Robots.txt — A robots.txt is something that a site owner puts on their site that keeps crawlers like our own from crawling them. When we encounter a robots.txt we stop harvesting the site.
JavaScript — JavaScript elements are often hard to archive and even harder to display, especially if they generate links without having the full name in the page. Plus, if JavaScript needs to contact the originating server in order to work, it will fail when archived. Instead, the user will be sent to the live web if the site contains a lot of Java Script. If the site only contains a small amount of Java script e.g. a counter, the site will display properly but the java code item will not. For example, the counter on the State Fair Web Site on the live web reads, “Only X number of days to the State Fair.” In the Web Site Archives, this counter cannot be displayed, and is replaced by a gray box.
- Who has access to the collection?
The materials from our collection are made available to the public for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to the U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Please read the rights notice above for more information.
Below is a list of the main error messages you may encounter while searching the collection. If you see an error message that does not have the Internet Archive Wayback Machine logo in the upper left corner, you are most likely looking at an archived error page or the live web.
Failed Connection — The server that the particular piece of information is stored on is down. Generally these errors clear up within two weeks.
Robots.txt Query Exclusion — A robots.txt is something that a site owner puts on their site that keeps crawlers like our own from crawling them. When we encounter a robots.txt we stop harvesting the site.
Blocked Site Error — Site owners or copyright holders have requested that the site be excluded from the collection. It is possible that the State Archives obtained a copy of the web site you are looking for directly from the agency without using the automated crawler.
Path Index Error — A path index error message refers to a problem in our database where the information requested is not available (generally because of a machine or software issue, however each case can be different). These errors may take time to fix.
Why can’t I see the images on a site?
Most images display properly in the archives. When there is a small red "x" where the image should be it means that the images are not available in the archives because technological issues prevented the capture of the image content. When an image is grayed out it means that the site owner used robots.txt exclusions to block access to the images directory.
Date Displays — If a site contains code to calculate the current date, the current date will appear on the site regardless of the date it was actually added to the collection.
Server Side Image Maps — Like any functionality on the web, if it needs to contact the originating server in order to work, it will fail when archived.
Streaming Media — This is a one-way transmission over a data network that is played as it is received and is not stored permanently on the requesting computer. While we can’t harvest streaming media, we can harvest downloadable media files.
Password Protected Sites — This includes https sites. The crawler cannot collect any site that requires a password or that is database driven because it requires user input.
Form Driven Content — If you need to fill in a form to get access to the content, the crawler typically cannot retrieve this content without user input.
State Depository Libraries
Six libraries located across the state have been designated depositories for Tennessee government publications in order to provide citizens access to their information. You can find links to their online catalogs and documents department contact information on the list of Tennessee Depository System Libraries. The librarians at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) have worked hard to create records for Tennessee State documents. Even if you are not geographically close to ETSU, you can use their online catalog to identify hard-to-find publications. The University of Tennessee also has a comprehensive electronic documents collection online catalog
The Law
Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) Title 12 Section 6 establishes TSLA and other libraries as depositories for government publications. This section also defines the responsibility of government agencies to provide the depositories copies of their publications for use by the public.
TCA § 12-6-107. Libraries as depositories for documents - Legislative library - Copies.
(a) The state library at Nashville, the library of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, the Cossitt Library at Memphis, and such other libraries as the governor may at any time name by executive order are designated depositories for state documents and for all publications issued by any official of the state.
(b) Upon request of a designated depository of state documents, such depository shall be entitled to receive, without charge, one (1) copy of the bills, resolutions, amendments, daily journals, informational services showing committee actions and the status of pieces of legislation, daily calendars, published committee reports and any official or unofficial published index.
TCA § 12-6-110. Copies to depositories, secretary of state, and other locations.
At the expense of such department, agency, board or commission, the person in charge of making such documents and publications shall furnish or have furnished:
(1) Two (2) copies directly to the librarian or person in charge of each of the depositories;
(2) Upon request, two (2) copies to the secretary of state; and
(3) Two (2) copies to any location or locations specified by the proper governing publications committee created pursuant to the provisions of chapter 7, part 1 of this title.
OTHER SERVICES AVAILABLE FROM THE TENNESSEE STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES
Highlights from the Collections of the Tennessee State Library and Archives
Tennessee residents have access to nineteen databases through their State Library, academic institutions, public libraries and schools.
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