University of Michigan Library

University of Michigan Library
Name	University of Michigan Library
Established	1838
Location	Ann Arbor, Michigan
Collection size	Over 13.8 million volumes
Director	Elisabeth Long
Website	https://www.lib.umich.edu/

University of Michigan Library is one of the largest academic research libraries in North America, serving the University of Michigan and a global scholarly community. Its origins date to the university's founding in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it has grown into a system of multiple libraries housing vast and diverse collections. The library is renowned for its deep special collections, leadership in digital initiatives, and commitment to open scholarship, playing a central role in the university's mission of research, teaching, and public engagement.

History

The library's history is intertwined with the early development of the University of Michigan, with the first collection established in 1838, just two years after the university's move to Ann Arbor, Michigan. A significant early figure was Andrew Ten Brook, who served as the first official librarian and helped shape its initial academic character. The construction of the General Library Building (now the University of Michigan Museum of Art) in 1883 provided its first dedicated home. Throughout the 20th century, it expanded dramatically under leaders like Warner G. Rice and through the post-World War II growth of American higher education, necessitating the construction of the Graduate Library and numerous subject-specific branches. Its modern era has been defined by pioneering work in digital preservation and access, beginning with projects like Making of America in the 1990s.

Collections

The library's collections exceed 13.8 million volumes, encompassing vast holdings across the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and engineering. It is particularly strong in areas such as papyrology, Middle English manuscripts, American history, Japanese studies, and the history of science and technology. Its renowned special collections include the William L. Clements Library of Americana, the Bentley Historical Library documenting the state of Michigan, and the Special Collections Research Center which houses rare books, archives, and materials like the Papyrology Collection. The library is also a federal depository for United States government publications and holds significant collections of maps, audio-visual materials, and data sets.

Facilities

The library system is physically centered on the university's Central Campus and North Campus. The flagship Shapiro Library building houses the Shapiro Undergraduate Library and the Hatcher Graduate Library, connected structures that serve as the primary study and research hubs. Other major facilities include the Taubman Health Sciences Library, the Fine Arts Library in the Alumni Memorial Hall, and the Duderstadt Center on North Campus, which integrates advanced technology and collaborative workspaces. The system also includes numerous branch libraries dedicated to specific disciplines such as law, business, and public policy.

Services and programs

It provides a comprehensive suite of services supporting all stages of research, teaching, and learning. These include extensive research support from subject specialists, instructional services for developing information literacy, and interlibrary loan through networks like the Big Ten Academic Alliance. The library offers robust digital scholarship support, assisting with data management, digital publishing, and text analysis through units like the Digital Scholarship & Publishing Studio. It also manages the university's institutional repository, Deep Blue, and provides copyright and scholarly publishing guidance to the campus community.

Governance and organization

The library is led by the University Librarian, Elisabeth Long, who reports to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of Michigan. Its operations are organized into several major divisions, including Collections, Research, and Publishing. It collaborates closely with other major university units like the University of Michigan Press and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. Advisory input comes from faculty committees, including the University Library Committee, and it participates in consortia such as the Association of Research Libraries and the HathiTrust digital library partnership.

Notable initiatives

The library has been a national leader in several transformative initiatives. It was a founding partner of Google Books Library Project, contributing millions of volumes to the mass digitization effort. This partnership directly led to the creation of HathiTrust, a major digital preservation repository and research platform co-founded and headquartered at the university. Other landmark projects include the Text Creation Partnership, which produces standardized, searchable versions of early printed books, and the Fulcrum platform for publishing interactive, open-access scholarly monographs. Its ongoing commitment to open access is demonstrated through initiatives like the Open Access Monograph Publishing fund and leadership in the Library Publishing Coalition.

Category:University of Michigan Category:Research libraries in the United States Category:Libraries in Michigan Category:Buildings and structures in Ann Arbor, Michigan