Vermont Department of Libraries

**Mission & Department Overview** Guided by [22 V.S.A. §601-635](https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/22/013), the mission of the Department of Libraries is to provide, administer, and maintain access to information in a variety of formats to the three branches of State government, libraries statewide, the general public, and Vermonters with special needs; to support, strengthen, and foster new means for statewide cooperation and resource sharing among all types of libraries and government agencies; to lead a service of advice and consultation to all libraries, in order to assist them in realizing their potential; and to increase public awareness of libraries and their services. Inherent in this mission is the belief that libraries are essential to the general enlightenment of citizens in a democracy and that every Vermonter should have access to the educational, cultural, recreational, informational, and research benefits of libraries.