The D. B. Weldon Library is the largest academic library

Academic library

An academic library is a library that is attached to academic institutions above the secondary level, serving the teaching and research needs of students and staff...

 on the University of Western Ontario

University of Western Ontario

The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...

 campus in London, Ontario

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, and one of the largest academic libraries in the country.

Colonel D. B. Weldon

The library is named after Colonel Douglas Black Weldon, who fought in the First World War and commanded the London Regiment of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada

The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada

The Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. Prince Andrew, as a member of the Canadian Royal Family, acts as Colonel-in-Chief. Previously, this post was held by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon....

 during the Second World War. He served on the university's Board of Governors from 1946-1967, and his son David Black Weldon. was Chancellor of the university from 1984-1988. The library of the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum

Royal Canadian Regiment Museum

The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum is a military museum located at Wolseley Barracks in London, Ontario, Canada, the historic home of the The Royal Canadian Regiment .-History:...

 in London is also named after him.

Architecture

The building itself is "modernist" and "angular", an example of the "new, sharply-planed brutalism" typical of buildings constructed on campus during the 1960s. It was built from 1968-1972 by Toronto architects Murphy, Schuller, Green & Martin, and was opened on June 1, 1972. It underwent renovations in 1997-1998 and 2006-2007, and current renovations begun in 2008 will be completed in 2011.

Collections

Weldon Library serves the faculties of Arts & Humanities, Information & Media Studies and Social Science. Highlights of the collection include materials in the Government Publications Research Collection and an extensive collection of research materials on microfilm and microfiche.

The library has approximately eight million items in print and on microfilm, making it the fourth-largest academic library in Canada. The university archives are also located in the library, along with other special archives, including the Canadian Tire

Canadian Tire

Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada...

 Heritage Collection, and the J.J. Talman Regional Collection, which archives material from throughout southwestern Ontario

Southwestern Ontario

Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...

.

The ground floor contains periodicals and microfilm, and the first floor, where the entrance is located, contains circulation and research desks, as well as archives of government publications. The second through fifth floors contain the main collection of books, as well as reading and study areas.