University of Minnesota Libraries

The University of Minnesota Libraries is the library system of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, operating at 12 facilities in and around Minneapolis–Saint Paul. It has over 8 million volumes and 119,000 serial titles that are collected, maintained and made accessible.[1] The system is the 17th largest academic library in North America[2] and the 22nd largest library in the United States.[3] While the system's primary mission is to serve faculty, staff and students, because the university is a public institution of higher education its libraries are also open to the public.

University of Minnesota Libraries
Wilson Library, largest in the system
LocationUnited States
TypeAcademic library
Established1851
Branches12
Collection
Size7.7 million volumes[1]
119,770 serial subscriptions[1]
Access and use
Population served55,931 faculty, staff and students and the state of Minnesota
1.6 million visits[1]
Other information
Budget$41,225,580 annually[2]
DirectorLisa German
Employees391[2]
Websitelib.umn.edu

The Libraries hold a variety of notable, specialized and unusual collections. Examples include the world's largest assembly of materials on Sherlock Holmes and his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle;[4][5] the Kerlan Collection of over 100,000 children's books;[6] the Hess Collection, one of North America's largest collections of dime novels, story papers and pulp fiction;[7][8] the James Ford Bell Library of rare maps, books and manuscripts,[9] and the seventh largest law library in the United States, including over 1 million volumes and personal papers such as those of Clarence Darrow.[10]

The system is a Federal Depository Library, a State of Minnesota Depository Library and United Nations Depository Library. Among research institutions, it maintains the second-largest collection of government documents in North America.[11] The University of Minnesota was awarded the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2017.[12]

Library buildings and collections

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The Elmer L. Andersen Library. Home to the Charles Babbage Institute; Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts; and the University Archives
 
Walter Science and Technology Library
 
Law Library at Walter Mondale Hall
Minneapolis West Bank Campus
Minneapolis East Bank Campus
  • Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library, Rapson Hall
  • Health Sciences Library, Phillips-Wangensteen Building
    • Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, Phillips-Wangensteen Building
  • Eric Sevareid Journalism Library, Murphy Hall
  • Mathematics Library, Vincent Hall
  • Walter Library
    • Digital Technology Center
    • Science and Engineering Library
St. Paul Campus
  • Magrath Library
    • Kirschner Collection
  • Natural Resources Library, Hodson Hall
Off-Campus Locations

Services

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The library system makes various services available to faculty, staff and students such as:

  • Alumni and Visitor Services
  • Copyright Consultation
  • Instructor and Researcher Support
  • Peer Research Consultants
  • Scanning & Digitization Services

The system also offers services to citizens in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota through MINITEX, a publicly funded program that supports academic, state government, public, school and specialized libraries in the region.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "University of Minnesota Libraries Facts and Figures". University of Minnesota. 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "ARL Statistics 2008–2009" (PDF). Association of Research Libraries, Washington DC. 2011. p. 74. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  3. ^ "The Nation's Largest Libraries: A Listing by Volumes Held". American Library Association, Chicago. 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  4. ^ Baenen, Jeff (December 18, 2009). "Investigate Sherlock Holmes in Minnesota". The San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  5. ^ Lemanczyk, Sarah (December 21, 2011). "Sherlock's Archive". Studio 360. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  6. ^ Karen Nelson Hoyle (November 1978). "The Kerlan Collection". Children's Literature Association Quarterly. 3 (1–2): 13. doi:10.1353/chq.0.0642. S2CID 144666744.
  7. ^ "The Hess Collection". University of Minnesota. 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  8. ^ "Stanford's Holdings and Other Major Dime Novel Collections". Stanford University. 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  9. ^ "James Ford Bell Library". University of Minnesota. 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  10. ^ "Law School Profile". University of Minnesota. December 11, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  11. ^ ARL Statistics, p. 79
  12. ^ "2017 National Medal Winners". Imls.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
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