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The University Libraries consist of the University Library in Kingston, the URI Providence Campus Library, and the Pell Marine Science Library in Narragansett. The University Library is located on the main campus of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston and sits in the center of campus a short distance from the northwest corner of the Quadrangle. The Library was founded in 1892 and occupied all or part of seven buildings on the campus before moving to its present location in 1964. In 1976, a two-floor addition was constructed, and in 1993 the present structure was completed, with shelf space for 1.4 million volumes and seating for 1300 readers. In 2000, a Mezzanine storage facility was created on Level 3 to house archival materials and lesser-used serial volumes, alleviating crowded conditions in the Lower Level stacks. The College of Continuing Education Campus Library is housed in the newly renovated, historic Shepard Building in downtown Providence. The CCE Library has supported the information needs of College of Continuing Education students since 1945. The Pell Marine Science Library, located on the University’s Narragansett Bay Campus, opened in 1968. The Pell Library provides resources and services that support the instructional and research programs at the Bay Campus. The collection emphasizes oceanography, marine biology, fisheries, atmospheric chemistry, and coastal and estuarine habitats. Collectively, the University Libraries hold over 1.1 million books and receive 8,000 current periodicals. Holdings of government documents, audio/visual materials, computer files, manuscripts, archives, maps, nautical charts, and microforms amount to nearly 2.3 million additional items. (Additional library statistics are available elsewhere on this site.) The University Libraries house a number of specialized collections.The Special Collections Unit in the University Library contains the University Archives; the Rhode Island Collection of materials on Rhode Island history; a Rare Book Collection containing general interest books as well as those organized around a particular theme, subject, or author; a Manuscript Collection of personal papers and records of businesses and organizations of Rhode Island interest; and a collection of local history interviews on various aspects of Rhode Island life in the twentieth century. The University Library is also a depository for federal and state government publications. The National Sea Grant Library is housed in the Pell Marine Science Library and is a cooperative venture of the University of Rhode Island and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It was founded in 1971 and has 72,000 documents in its archives and lending library. Other special collections at the Pell Library include the scientific reports of major oceanographic and polar expeditions since 1873. The Libraries’ collections can be searched through the HELIN library catalog, the shared public access catalog of the Higher Education Library Information Network of Rhode Island. HELIN includes the libraries of the University of Rhode Island, Bryant College, the Community College of Rhode Island, Johnson & Wales University, Providence College, Rhode Island College, Roger Williams University, and Salve Regina University. Students and faculty at these institutions enjoy reciprocal borrowing privileges. HELIN runs on an Innovative Interfaces system. Access to a number of major databases and full-text digital publications is offered through the web pages of the University Libraries. The University Library operates an electronic classroom and a wireless Teaching-Learning-Technology Center, in which librarians instruct students in the use of information resources. There are also a number of PC’s available in public areas of the Library for searching databases and the Internet. In addition, the University’s Information and Instructional Technology Services department maintains the Library Student Computing Facility, which offers approximately 100 workstations for student, staff, and faculty use. The University Library is fully accessible to the disabled and is open to the public. Any Rhode Island resident age 18 or older may borrow material from the Libraries, which are open approximately 100 hours a week. More information on the Libraries’ access policies is available. The University Libraries are active participants in the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the Consortium of Rhode Island Academic and Research Libraries (CRIARL), the HELIN consortium, New England Library Information Network (NELINET), Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), and the Rhode Island Library and Information Network (RHILINET). |
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