Archibald S. Alexander Library is the oldest and main university library for
Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, New Jersey's public research university. It is located in New Brunswick and Piscataway. It is the oldest campus of the university, the others bein ...
. It houses an extensive humanities and social science collectionLibrary Facts and Figures Accessed 15 September 2014Archibald S. Alexander Library Collection Description Accessed January 10, 2007 and also supports the work of faculty and staff at four professional schools: the
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...
, the Graduate School of Education, the Graduate School of Social Work, and the School of Communication and Information. In addition, Alexander supports major interdisciplinary programs in African studies, Latin American studies, medieval studies, and South Asian Studies.
The Alexander Library is also a Federal Depository Library, maintaining a large collection of government documents, which contains United States, New Jersey, foreign, and international government publications.
The library is named after Archibald S. Alexander, an American lawyer, civil servant, and politician who was for several years on the university's Board of Trustees.
History
Construction for the library began in 1953. The building was originally designed to house one-half million books and 12,000 people. Alexander became the main library of Rutgers University when it opened in 1956, replacing Voorhees Hall.Perrone, Fernanda "Voorhees Hall: Rutgers' First Modern Library" in ''Journal of the Rutgers University Libraries'', Volume 61 (2005), 1-27.
The library was awarded $16 million in funds for renovations and expansion in 1988. The Scholarly Communication Center (SCC) was one of the additions made from this project. Rutgers librarians created the initial concept for the SCC.
From 2011 to 2013, the library housed the a cafe known as the "Scarlet Latte Cafe". The cafe closed due to low sales and was replaced by vending machines for food and drinks.
Special collections
The library contains the diary of Dinah Van Bergh, who was wife to the founder of Rutgers University (originally known as Queen's College). Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, Rutger's founder, married Dinah Van Bergh on 18 March 1756 at
John Cotton Dana Library
The John Cotton Dana Library, referred to simply as the Dana Library, is the third largest library of Rutgers University and the main library on its Newark campus. The library collections focus on business, management, and nursing. The fourth flo ...