University of Washington Libraries

University of Washington Libraries
Map
47°39′21″N 122°18′36″W / 47.6557702°N 122.3100314°W / 47.6557702; -122.3100314
LocationSeattle, WA
TypeAcademic library system of the University of Washington
Established1861
Branches16
Collection
Items collectedmore than 9 million items, including 1 million e-books, 180,000 ejournals and 923,000 maps, videos and other multimedia materials.
Size9 million (2018)
Other information
Employees70 subject librarians
Websitelib.uw.edu

The University of Washington Libraries (UW Libraries) is the academic library system of the University of Washington.

The Libraries serves the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell campuses of the University of Washington and the university's Friday Harbor Laboratories. The library system is the largest collection in the Pacific Northwest, closely followed by the University of British Columbia Library, and is among the largest academic research libraries in North America. UW Libraries won the 2004 ACRL "Excellence in Academic Libraries Award".[1]

University of Washington library in 1922

The University of Washington Libraries have a collection of more than 9 million books, journals, millions of microforms, thousands of maps, rare books, film, audio and video recordings. The Libraries' website provides the connection to a wide range of print and electronic resources available in the Libraries and on the World Wide Web.

The UW Libraries special collections holds over three-thousand audio recordings of Pacific Northwest indigenous languages. They document over fifty native dialects.

Services and resources are provided primarily for University of Washington students, faculty, and staff as part of the Libraries' mission to support teaching, learning, research, and service at the University of Washington. Visitors who come to the Libraries are welcome to use most resources and many of the services. Researchers throughout the world have access to a broad range of materials and various interlibrary loan and document delivery services.

The Libraries system is composed of the Suzzallo and Allen Libraries, the primary location for information and services in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences; the Odegaard Undergraduate Library (OUGL) which houses the Odegaard Learning Commons and is open 24 hours weekdays during school days; the Health Sciences Library and Information Center (HSLIC); the East Asia Library; fifteen specialized branch libraries; the Bothell/CCC Library; and the Tacoma Library. The Marian G. Gallagher Law Library and Elisabeth C. Miller Library are administered separately from the UW Libraries system.

  1. ^ "Excellence in Academic Libraries Award". ACRL. January 28, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2015.