The Peter J. Shields Library or Shields Library is a four-story 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...

 named after Peter J. Shields

Peter J. Shields

Peter J. Shields is best known for his contributions leading to the establishment of the University of California, Davis, beginning in 1908 as the University Farm. The main library of UC Davis, Shields Library, is named in honor of Peter J. Shields.-External links:**...

. It is located in the eastern part of main campus of UC Davis

University of California, Davis

The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...

 in Davis

Davis, California

Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 near downtown Davis. The library is an essential study and resource location for many UC Davis alumni.

History

The rectangular building the large library occupies was built in three parts starting in the year 1940, when the oldest north wing was built. The main entrance used to face north towards the UC Davis Quad Area. When UC Davis shut down during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the main reading room was used to train the Army Signal Corps. Expansion of the library (stage two) began about 15 years later in the 1960, which added the south and east sides of the building. The front entrance also changed its orientation from facing north to facing east. The last expansion stage in the early 1990s added the western side of the library and once again moved the main entrance to the west. This orientation remains the same as of now.

The interior

The library contains 3.2 million volumes, making it the largest library in Yolo County

Yolo County, California

Yolo County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, bordered by the other counties of Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Lake, Colusa, and Sutter. The city of Woodland is its county seat, though Davis is its largest city....

 and the third largest in the University of California

University of California

The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...

 system. In addition to books, the Shields Library contains many study tables, computers, and pieces of art work scattered across the interior of the library.

External links

• University of California, Davis: Shields Library website
• Shields Library - on the Davis Wiki