History
The University Library grew from an original donation of Dean John Letcher Patterson's personal collection in the early 1900s. By 1950, the library had over 36,000 books in its collection. In 1956, the university gave the library its own building (now Schneider Hall) to accommodate the growing collection. [4]
By 1970, the collection contained over 200,000 items. At the end of the 1970s, the University Library building reached capacity, forcing parts of the collection to be placed in storage. Plans were made to create a new $14 million library to accommodate the growing collection. Named after Dr. William F. Ekstrom, a noted English professor and the first Academic Vice-President of the university, the Ekstrom Library opened on August 28, 1981. [5]
At the same time as the opening of Ekstrom Library, all the university's branch libraries, except for Law, were placed under the leadership of the University Librarian, rather than the deans of the corresponding schools. [6]
The new 230,000 sq ft (21,000 m2) building was designed by the Architect firm Louis & Henry of Louisville, Kentucky. The brick and exposed concrete design of the building incorporated the character of the open spaces on campus and the surrounding structures. The large glass windows featured a glazing system that allowed restricted solar heating. The new library earned the Kentucky Society of Architects Merit Award for outstanding design. [7]
The University Libraries were invited to join the Association of College and Research Libraries (ARL) as its 124th member in 2002. The offer was based on ARL's assessment of scope of the Libraries' collections, uniqueness of resources, contributions to scholarship, and research contributions to the field of information science. [8]
In 2006, a new wing was added to the library at a cost of $14.9 million. The new 51,000 sq.ft., three-story addition featured the relocated McConnell Center for Political Leadership, a new 24-hour study area, a café, new instruction labs, an auditorium, and the new Robotic Retrieval System (RRS). This temperature and humidity-controlled storage system, one of the first in the nation, has a 600,000 volume capacity and retrieves patron requests in approximately 2 minutes. [9]
Collections and departments
Ekstrom Library houses or provides access to several unique collections, including but not limited to:
- The Granville Bunton African American Collection—over 4,000 volumes focusing on African American and Pan African history, literature, and culture
- The Bingham Poetry Collection—over 6,000 volumes of poetry, with an emphasis on North American and British poetry
- The Louise Galloway Browsing Collection—a revolving collection of popular interest titles and bestsellers
- The Student Government Association Video Collection—a collection of feature films funded by the University of Louisville Student Government Association [10]
Archives and Special Collections, considered a separate library, is headquartered within Ekstrom Library. It includes 1) Photographic Archives housing nearly 2 million photographs, 2) Rare Books and manuscripts focusing on local, regional, national, and international topics, 3) the University Archives and Records Center, and 4) the Digital Initiatives office which is responsible for digital collections [11] of images, documents, and oral histories. [12]
Reference librarians at Ekstrom Library answer questions in person at the reference desk on the first floor or by phone, instant message chat, or e-mail. Individual research advisory appointments with a reference librarian are also offered. [13]
Ekstrom Library's Special Services Office helps those with disabilities use the library. In addition to providing adaptive technology equipment, library staff aid in retrieving books, making photocopies, and locating library materials. [14]
Other departments at Ekstrom Library include Circulation, Collection Development, Copyright Permissions Services, Current Periodicals and Microforms, Distance Learning Library Services, Information Literacy, Interlibrary Loan, Media Resources, Office of Libraries' Technology, Office of the University Libraries' Dean, Stacks Maintenance, and Technical Services. [15]
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical or digital access materials, and may be a physical location or a virtual space, or both. A library's collection can include printed materials and other physical resources in many formats such as DVD, CD and cassette as well as access to information, music or other content held on bibliographic databases.
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General Assembly to be a "Preeminent Metropolitan Research University". It enrolls students from 118 of 120 Kentucky counties, all 50 U.S. states, and 116 countries around the world.
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The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 127 research libraries at comprehensive, research institutions in Canada and the United States. ARL member libraries make up a large portion of the academic and research library marketplace, spending more than $1.8 billion every year on information resources and actively engaging in the development of new models of scholarly communications.
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The University of Louisville School of Medicine at the University of Louisville is a medical school located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Opened as the Louisville Medical Institute in 1837, it is one of the oldest medical schools in North America and the 9th oldest in the United States.
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an American independent, nonprofit organization. It works with libraries, cultural institutions, and higher learning communities on developing strategies to improve research, teaching, and learning environments. It is based in Alexandria, VA, United States. CLIR is supported primarily by annual dues from its over 180 sponsoring institutions and 190 DLF members, and by foundation grants and individual donations.
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