Hello. The librarians at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Main Library welcome you… [Jazzy music starts loud, plays for around 8 seconds before fading and playing in the background until the “unfettered access” part] Central to the intellectual life of the University by providing and stewarding collections and content both current and retrospective, the […]

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Part 1: Introduction: welcome to the Main Library

The University Library was founded in 1867 in the charter establishing the school that became the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In fact, the library predated the University. On November 26, 1867 at a meeting of the Trustees of the then Illinois Industrial University, the first library purchases were approved. This was an initial $1000 […]

Part 2: Library History

We are standing in the Marshall Gallery and you’ll notice the oil paintings on the walls. These are the past Presidents of the University. The digital signage and exhibit space, located in the middle of the Gallery, are changed out approximately once per month. The Social Science, Health, and Education Library covers Education, Geography, Political […]

Part 3: Marshall Gallery, Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library, and Sculptures

From the Marshall Gallery, either climb one of the large marble staircases or take the elevator to the second floor. From here, you should see four large murals flanking the staircases. Muriel Scheinman’s book “A Guide to Art at the University of Illinois” is a broad history of the public art at the university. From […]

Part 4: Grand Staircase

Make your way into the Literature and Languages Library, commonly known as the Reading Room, which is on the East side of the building at the top of the stairs. Take note of the stained glass windows featuring printers’ marks. A printer’s mark usually appears on a title page of a book, and acts as […]

Part 5: Literature and Languages Library

Walk back toward staircases to the information desk. Feel free at any time to ask the reference staff questions that you may have about doing research or using the library including our many online resources.The Research and Information Services unit is the University Library’s central hub for research assistance, leading patrons to the discovery of […]

Part 6: Research and Information Services

The circulation desk, located at the entrance of the Main Stacks, is managed by the Central Access Services Division of the Library. Here, you can check out items from the Main Stacks, pick up interlibrary loan items, get help with your library account, request a courtesy card if you are not affiliated with the University, […]

Part 7: Circulation Desk and Surrounding Portraits

Let’s proceed to the main stacks. If you’re carrying food, beverages, backpacks, or purses, please place them in one of the lockers just outside the entrance. The Main Stacks are designated as closed stacks, meaning that it is not open to the general public. If you have an icard, you are welcome to enter the […]

Part 8: Main Stacks

Exiting the Main Stacks, turn left and go through the set of doors next to Hugh Atkinson’s portrait. North of the main stacks is a hallway that will lead to the History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library, or HPNL, and the African American Research Center. The HPNL provides subject expertise and serves the disciplines of history, […]

Part 9: History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library

The Scholarly Commons opened in August 2010 to serve the emerging needs of faculty, researchers, and graduate students pursuing in-depth research and scholarly inquiry. It serves as a consultation space in the Main Library where experts are available to support exploration of new models for teaching, learning, and research in a contemporary academic environment. Data […]

Part 10: Scholarly Commons

The Rare Book and Manuscript Library, or RBML, is the principal repository for early manuscripts and rare books and for literary manuscripts in the broad fields of literature, history, art, theology, technology, and the natural sciences. Established in 1936 from Professor Harris Fletcher’s John Milton collection and Professor Thomas Baldwin’s Shakespeare collection, the RBML has […]

Part 11: Rare Book and Manuscript Library

The Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, or IHLC, collects, preserves, and provides access to print and manuscript materials documenting the history of Illinois and its inhabitants, including the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The IHLC serves to support research and learning in the areas of Illinois history and Lincoln studies. The collections contain tens […]

Part 12: Illinois History and Lincoln Collection

In 2012, the University of Illinois Library formed the International and Area Studies Library, or IAS, to coordinate patron and research focused services while continuing to build nationally prominent collections of materials from outside of the United States. This created for the first time at Illinois, one unit that combined the library’s strong faculty, services, […]

Part 13: International and Area Studies Library

The Map Library is the University Library’s primary location for cartographic materials including maps, atlases, and Illinois aerial photography flown between 1939 and 2005. The collection includes more than half a million maps and photographs. Map and atlas coverage includes worldwide materials produced during the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. Complementary to the cartographic materials, […]

Part 14: Map Library

Established in 1963, the University of Illinois Archives includes thousands of cubic feet of office records, publications, and personal papers from the University and the Urbana-Champaign campus. This is one of three service locations – others include the Sousa Archives across the street in the Band Building, and the Student Life and Culture Archives in […]

Part 15: University Archives

A podcast by the University Library featuring audio tours of library spaces and more!

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