This article is about the library in Muncie, Indiana. For the library in Kingston, Ontario see Bracken Health Sciences Library

Bracken Health Sciences Library

The Bracken Health Sciences Library at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, occupies two floors of Botterell Hall. It offers complete library services and its staff are committed to excellent user service...

.

The Alexander M. Bracken Library is the main library

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

 on the campus of Ball State University

Ball State University

Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...

. Completed in 1975, the facility is located in the geographic center of campus and is distinguishable for its unique, Brutalist architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 with an exterior resembling a shelf of books.

The main collection of Ball State's University Libraries, the Bracken Library holds a collection of over 1.5 million books. It also has a collection of CDs and DVDs, its own archives and special collections unit, and access to 90 academic databases and its own Digital Media Repository. The library is one of the largest in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

by square footage, having a space nearly equal to seven football fields spread over five floors. 4,200 students utilize the library's services daily. The Bookmark Café, serving coffee, sandwiches, and pastries, was added in the spring of 2007.

A recent addition to the Library is "The Helen B. and Martin D. Schwartz Special Collections and Global Digital Complex" which, according to Dr. Arthur W. Häfner, Dean of University Libraries, "brings tremendous new capabilities to the University Libraries for offering new and exciting services in support of teaching, learning, and research using emerging and mature media."

In spring of 2011, renovations began on the first floor in order to create an area which will house the university's technology support and computer store.

Archives and Special Collections

The Archives & Special Collections collects, preserves, and provides access to archival and printed materials that support the research and instructional needs of the University. This unit offers access to collections of photographs and archival documents, such as the Middletown Studies Collection and Stoeckel Archives of Local History, for research, class projects, instruction, or publication, including scanning upon request.

Educational Resources Collections

The Educational Resources Collections support classroom instruction across the University campus with a variety of media materials and circulating digital equipment. The Collections support coursework leading toward teaching certification in Indiana with access to K-12 state adopted textbooks, youth books for pre-school through grade 12 reading, and curriculum resources for K-12 instruction.

GIS Research and Map Collection

The GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) is an integrated GIS lab and traditional map collection, which consists of a wide range of geospatial materials, including over 145,000 paper maps, GIS data, atlases and more. The GRMC has its own computer classroom with over 25 workstations along with two plotters to print maps and posters. The GRMC is used not only by the University community, but also by major corporations from across the country.

Music Collection

The Music Collection contains musical scores, books on music and music recordings, with more than 17,000 CDs in a wide variety of genres. The Music Collection also has an extensive selection of Music Reference books and staff members with advanced degrees in music to answer music reference questions. The Music Collection also has a listening laboratory for courses in music history, appreciation, and theory; and computers with Finale 2008TM music notation software that allows users to compose their own music and play it back.

Schwartz Complex

The Helen B. and Martin D. Schwartz Special Collections and Digital Complex is a collaborative and interactive instructional environment. Its spaces digitally connect students and faculty to the numerous digital media assets and special collections available through the University Libraries, allowing students and faculty to reach across the globe to understand better the stories and customs of world cultures through digital media. The Complex also provides access to media from around the world — a digital “newsstand” that provides access to international media, broadcasts, podcasts, and multimedia.

Lore

• The design of Bracken Library is said to resemble a stack of books.
• "Forest Idyll" is a statue located in the center of the library's foyer and is one of the most common places for meeting on campus. The statue is a nude woman with two deer, and is more commonly known as "The Naked Lady". During the school year, students will leave notes at her base indicating informal meetings throughout the building.

External links

• http://www.bsu.edu/library
• Historic photographs of Bracken Library from the Ball State University Digital Media Repository