NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Second Saturday tours of the beautiful new state-of-the-art Tennessee State Library & Archives on the northeast corner of the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville are back this Saturday, Aug. 14.

The free, family-friendly Second Saturday guided tours begin every hour, on the hour, starting at 10 a.m. with the last tour beginning at 3 p.m. This event is free to the public. Reservations are not required.

“Our first Second Saturday at the Library & Archives event in July was a great success,” said Secretary of State Tre Hargett. “We were able to introduce more Tennesseans to the Library & Archives and show them what an incredible resource it is for our great state. I encourage anyone interested in Tennessee history and culture to join us this Saturday.”

Focusing on items about Tennessee and Tennesseans, the Library & Archives, a division of the Department of State, collects and preserves books, journals, maps, photographs, records and other documents of historical and reference value.

The Library & Archives is home to many irreplaceable historical documents, including Tennessee’s three Constitutions, letters from Tennessee’s three presidents, records from 55 former Tennessee governors and original records of the State of Franklin.

The Library & Archives also houses the annals of state government, documents and recordings from legislative proceedings, records from every Tennessee courthouse, copies of all surviving Tennessee newspapers and records from families, businesses, civic organizations, etc.

“Our staff is always excited to give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at our vast and wide-ranging collection and to share about how we preserve our state’s history for current and future generations,” said Chuck Sherrill, Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist.

The new Library & Archives is located at 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N., in Nashville. The lobby, featuring interactive exhibits highlighting the state’s most precious historical documents, is open to the public Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT. The library, microfilm and manuscripts reading rooms are open for research Tuesday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT.

For the latest information from the Library and Archives, follow their social media channels: Facebook: Tennessee State Library and Archives and Instagram: @tnlibarchives and the Secretary of State's Twitter account: @SecTreHargett.

For more information about the Library and Archives or Second Saturdays call 615-741-2764, email ask@tsla.libanswers.com or visit sos.tn.gov/tsla/plan-your-visit.