About the Libraries

Mugar Memorial Library opened in 1966, its 377,000-volume collection formed from the holdings of small libraries and reading rooms scattered across the campus. Since then, librarians at Mugar and its branches have continued to build on this foundation and to develop collections that support the research and instructional needs of the University community. Today, Mugar and its branches have more than 1.6 million volumes. The library collections also include 20,800 serials and 2.7 million microform units. Our 130 electronic subscriptions provide users access to more than 12,000 full-text journals and other resources. We have strong collections in many areas of the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Located in Mugar, the African Studies Library is one of the foremost collections of Africana in North America. Our history collection is broad based and offers strong collections in several areas, including European medieval history, the U.S. Civil War, and twentieth-century international and diplomatic history. In the humanities, areas of strength include English-language materials in Renaissance, Northern and Italian Baroque, and modern art. The Science and Engineering Library, one of Mugar's major branches, offers substantial holdings in electrical and computer engineering.

Since 1962, Boston University has been a member of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), a prestigious organization comprised of approximately 124 leading research libraries in the United States. ARL's mission is to advance the future of libraries within the framework of scholarly communication. Boston University is also a founding member of the Boston Library Consortium (BLC), a group of nineteen research libraries in New England dedicated to sharing collections, building staff expertise and jointly acquiring expensive electronic resources. Of the five academic BLC members who are also ARL Libraries, Boston University has the largest collection of journal and serial publications, manuscripts and archives, and microforms. Among these five institutions, Boston University invests the most in serials and in total library expenditures. Boston University has the fourth largest library system in New England with more than 2 million volumes and 30,000 serials.

Boston University has four major libraries-- the Alumni Medical Library, Pappas Law Library, School of Theology Library and Mugar Memorial Library-- and a renowned Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center. The first three libraries serve the needs of the faculty, staff and students in the Medical School, the Law School and the School of Theology. In conjunction with these three specialized libraries, Mugar Memorial Library is the primary information resource for the Boston University community, offering user-focused services, knowledgeable staff, and access to resources regardless of location and appropriate facilities. Mugar has eight branches:

The directors of the four main libraries are:

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