University of Maryland Libraries
Encyclopedia
The University of Maryland Libraries constitute the largest public research library in the state of Maryland
. Seven libraries are located at University of Maryland, College Park
campus, plus an additional library and media center located off-campus. A map showing the locations of the seven on-campus library branches can be seen here.
The UM Libraries support research by students, scholars, and the public. The Libraries feature over 3 million volumes, more than 50,000 journal titles, numerous archives and special collections and a host of technological resources which enable remote online access to the Libraries' holdings and services. Patricia A. Steele currently serves as the Dean of Libraries, taking over the position in the Fall of 2009.
The university's library became a Federal depository library
in 1925, a status it has held since. In 1965, the library system became the Regional Depository for Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.
Planning and policy decisions for the Libraries is made by the Library Executive Council (LEC), which is composed of the Dean of Libraries, the Assistant Dean for Organizational Development, Directors of the five Library Divisions, and the current chair of the Library Assembly.
The Library Assembly (LA) is primarily an advisory council for the Dean of Libraries and LEC. Faculty, staff, students, and administrators are all free to serve on the Library Assembly.
, the former Governor of Maryland
. McKeldin Library is one of the largest buildings on campus, consisting of seven floors and a basement. Located at the western end of McKeldin Mall
, the library houses the university's 90,000 volume East Asia Collection, serves as a regional Federal depository library
, housing the U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services collection, and hosts the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities
(MITH), to go along with the university's General Collection. Also housed in McKeldin Library is a computer lab, copy shop, and Footnotes Café.
McKeldin Library remains open 24 hours a day during most of the Fall and Spring semesters, in order to provide late night study hours for university students; A UM (College Park) identification card is necessary to gain access to the building during the study hours.
The new laptop-friendly learning commons opened for the Fall 2010 semester, with plans to add multimedia workstations and lockers which can recharge laptops in between classes. A graduate-only study room is planned to open during the fall semester.
, the Human-Computer Interaction Lab
, the Gordon W. Prange Collection the Broadcasting Archives which includes the Library of American Broadcasting and the National Public Broadcasting Archives
), the Nonprint Media Services Library the central campus audiovisual research and instructional library facility; the Katherine Anne Porter Room; and the Maryland Room, which houses numerous special collections (including the National Trust for Historic Preservation Library Collection). Hornbake Library is located in Hornbake Plaza, which sits east of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union
.
The other libraries located on the University of Maryland campus include the Architecture Library, located in the School of Architecture building, which holds 65,000 titles in the areas of architectural history, design, and theory, historic preservation, landscape architectural design, real estate development, and urban studies and planning; the Art Library, located in the Art/Sociology Building, which houses 100,000 volumes in the areas of art history, archaeology, decorative arts and the studio arts (including photography and graphic design); the Engineering and Physical Sciences Library (EPSL), located in the Mathematics Building, holds 400,000 volumes in physics, engineering, mathematics, geology, computer science, environmental sciences, water resources, and aerospace science; the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library, located in Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
, is home to the university's music, theatre, and dance materials (including the Special Collection in Performing Arts); and the Charles E. White Memorial Chemistry Library, located in the Chemistry Building, which houses 80,000 volumes in chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, enzymology, immunology, microbiology, and molecular genetics. The off-campus Shady Grove Library & Media Center is located in Rockville, Maryland
, as a support library for nine institutions in the University System of Maryland
.
are two such schools. Further compounding this problem is a cut in the budget of the libraries at the school. The university's student newspaper, The Diamondback
, has criticized this decision.
During 2010-2011, the front facade of McKeldin Library was featured in a series of television advertisements promoting the merger of Comcast
and NBC Universal
.
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Seven libraries are located at University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
campus, plus an additional library and media center located off-campus. A map showing the locations of the seven on-campus library branches can be seen here.
The UM Libraries support research by students, scholars, and the public. The Libraries feature over 3 million volumes, more than 50,000 journal titles, numerous archives and special collections and a host of technological resources which enable remote online access to the Libraries' holdings and services. Patricia A. Steele currently serves as the Dean of Libraries, taking over the position in the Fall of 2009.
History
A library/gym building was constructed on campus in 1893, which survived the Great Fire of 1912; the building, which stood where Tydings Hall now stands, was razed in 1958. A new library building, called Shoemaker Library (now known as the Shoemaker Building), was constructed in 1931 (named for Samuel M. Shoemaker, chairman of the Board of Regents from 1916 to 1933), and served as the university's main library until the construction of McKeldin Library in 1958.The university's library became a Federal depository library
Federal depository library
The Federal Depository Library Program is a United States program created to make U.S. federal government publications available to the public at no cost. As of June 2008, there are 1,252 depository libraries in the United States and its territories. A "government publication" is defined in the U.S...
in 1925, a status it has held since. In 1965, the library system became the Regional Depository for Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.
Administration
The Office of the Dean serves as the executive administrative unit of the University of Maryland Library system, headed by the Dean of Libraries. Below the Dean's Office are five additional administrative units, each led by a director: the Collection Management and Special Collections Division, the Information Technology Division (ITD), the Planning & Administrative Services Division, the Public Services Division, and the Technical Services division.Planning and policy decisions for the Libraries is made by the Library Executive Council (LEC), which is composed of the Dean of Libraries, the Assistant Dean for Organizational Development, Directors of the five Library Divisions, and the current chair of the Library Assembly.
The Library Assembly (LA) is primarily an advisory council for the Dean of Libraries and LEC. Faculty, staff, students, and administrators are all free to serve on the Library Assembly.
McKeldin Library
McKeldin Library is the main branch of the University of Maryland Library system. Constructed in 1958, the building is named for Theodore McKeldinTheodore McKeldin
Theodore Roosevelt McKeldin , a member of the United States Republican Party, was the 53rd Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1951 to 1959....
, the former Governor of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. McKeldin Library is one of the largest buildings on campus, consisting of seven floors and a basement. Located at the western end of McKeldin Mall
McKeldin Mall
McKeldin Mall is a nine-acre area in the heart of the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. Named after Theodore McKeldin, the former Governor of Maryland, McKeldin Mall is the largest academic mall in the United States.-Description:...
, the library houses the university's 90,000 volume East Asia Collection, serves as a regional Federal depository library
Federal depository library
The Federal Depository Library Program is a United States program created to make U.S. federal government publications available to the public at no cost. As of June 2008, there are 1,252 depository libraries in the United States and its territories. A "government publication" is defined in the U.S...
, housing the U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services collection, and hosts the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities
Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities
The Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities is an internationally recognized, rapidly growing research center that is helping to transform the humanities in an era of new media and global information...
(MITH), to go along with the university's General Collection. Also housed in McKeldin Library is a computer lab, copy shop, and Footnotes Café.
McKeldin Library remains open 24 hours a day during most of the Fall and Spring semesters, in order to provide late night study hours for university students; A UM (College Park) identification card is necessary to gain access to the building during the study hours.
Terrapin Learning Commons
Dean of Libraries Patricia Steele announced plans to gut the second floor of McKeldin during the summer of 2010 in order to make room for a new "Terrapin Learning Commons;" Steele hopes to "reevaluate" all seven of the library's floors, with the ultimate goal of (gradually) transforming McKeldin into a study-oriented, laptop-friendly central library for the university and perhaps creating a floor specifically designed for graduate students.The new laptop-friendly learning commons opened for the Fall 2010 semester, with plans to add multimedia workstations and lockers which can recharge laptops in between classes. A graduate-only study room is planned to open during the fall semester.
Hornbake Library
Constructed in 1972, Hornbake Library was named for R. Lee Hornbake, the former Academic Vice President of the University of Maryland. Hornbake Library is home to the College of Information SciencesUniversity of Maryland College of Information Studies
The College of Information Studies is a graduate school located at the University of Maryland, College Park in Maryland, United States...
, the Human-Computer Interaction Lab
University of Maryland Human-Computer Interaction Lab
The Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of Maryland, College Parkdesigns, implements, and evaluates new interface technologies that are universally usable, useful, efficient and appealing to a broad cross-section of people. To this end, the HCIL develops advanced user interfaces and...
, the Gordon W. Prange Collection the Broadcasting Archives which includes the Library of American Broadcasting and the National Public Broadcasting Archives
National Public Broadcasting Archives
The National Public Broadcasting Archives – housed as part of the Broadcasting Archives at the University of Maryland – preserves the history of American non-commercial broadcasting materials. It is housed at the University of Maryland, College Park in Hornbake Library...
), the Nonprint Media Services Library the central campus audiovisual research and instructional library facility; the Katherine Anne Porter Room; and the Maryland Room, which houses numerous special collections (including the National Trust for Historic Preservation Library Collection). Hornbake Library is located in Hornbake Plaza, which sits east of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union
Adele H. Stamp Student Union
The Adele H. Stamp Student Union, commonly referred to as "Stamp", is the student activity center on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. First constructed in 1954 , the building was renamed in 1983 for Adele H. Stamp, who served as the university's dean of women from 1920 to 1966...
.
Other Libraries
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is a performing arts complex on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. The facility houses six performance venues; the UM School of Music; and the UM School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. It also houses the Michelle Smith...
, is home to the university's music, theatre, and dance materials (including the Special Collection in Performing Arts); and the Charles E. White Memorial Chemistry Library, located in the Chemistry Building, which houses 80,000 volumes in chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, enzymology, immunology, microbiology, and molecular genetics. The off-campus Shady Grove Library & Media Center is located in Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, as a support library for nine institutions in the University System of Maryland
University System of Maryland
The University System of Maryland is a public corporation and charter school system comprising 12 Maryland institutions of higher education. It is the 12th-largest university system in the United States, with over 125,000 undergraduate, 43,000 graduate and roughly 13,000 combined full-time and...
.
Criticism
Currently, Maryland's libraries are considered to be below the standards set by the university's own designated peer institutions - UCLA and University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
are two such schools. Further compounding this problem is a cut in the budget of the libraries at the school. The university's student newspaper, The Diamondback
The Diamondback
The Diamondback is the independent student newspaper of the University of Maryland, College Park. It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin...
, has criticized this decision.
During 2010-2011, the front facade of McKeldin Library was featured in a series of television advertisements promoting the merger of Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
and NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
.