The Montana State University Library (MSU Library) is the
academic library
An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution, which supports the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are an es ...
of
Montana State University
Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...
, Montana's
land-grant university
A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts, Morrill Acts of 1862 and ...
, in
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...
, United States. It is the flagship library for all of the
Montana State University System's campuses. In 1978, the library was named the
Roland R. Renne Library to honor the sixth president of the university. The library supports the research and information needs of Montana's students, faculty, and the
Montana Extension Service.
History
In January 1894, about seven months after Montana College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts was founded, the college began acquiring and housing a formal library collection for its students and faculty research use. For the first two years of the library's existence, students or instructors served part-time to provide library services. In 1896, Mabel Ruth Owens became the first full-time professional librarian to oversee the library's operations and collection development. In 1927, the library was moved to the second floor of Montana Hall.


In 1949, the library, its collection and research services were moved to a newly constructed library facility.
After the transfer of nearly 100,000 volumes from various locations around campus the library officially opened its doors on January 9, 1950.
Shortly thereafter, the then University Librarian Lesley M. Heathcote described the new facility as "not especially inspiring to look at" and embarked on expanding both the library building and its collections.
In August 1960, construction began on a new 125,000 square foot addition adjacent to the west side of the 1950 building. The basement and first floor of the new addition were opened on January 3, 1962 and the entire four-story new addition was completed for occupancy in November 1966. On October 14, 1978, the Montana State University library was officially named for Roland R. Renne, the university's sixth president.
The Montana State University Renne Library Building is 112,000 square feet in size and has a seating capacity of 1,100 and a total staffing of 74 part-time and full-time employees.
In 2002, a significant three-year remodeling and seismic bracing were completed. The remodel included providing additional individual and group student study space, adding a new coffee bar and installing MSU alumnus
Rudy Autio's ceramic sculpture ''Kosmos''. A remodeling in 2011 transformed the entire first floor into an
Information Commons. The newly reconfigured first floor opened up the area and added: movable furniture, multiple computer stations, portable classroom equipment, module group study rooms, increased power supply access for
mobile device
A mobile device or handheld device is a computer small enough to hold and operate in hand. Mobile devices are typically battery-powered and possess a flat-panel display and one or more built-in input devices, such as a touchscreen or keypad. ...
s, an expanded
Writing Center, and Library Commons Technical Support staff to assist students and faculty with technical expertise. The Commons was designed and implemented to meet the needs of academic research faculty and students in the collaborative 21st-century information technology environment.
The library has over 100 computers, many scanners and printers for walk-in use, and flexible module setting, tables and configurable group-study work areas. Laptops, handhelds and digital cameras are available for student checkout and there are numerous power-stations available for recharging handheld devices. Included in the Library Commons along with the Brewed Awakening Coffee Bar and Writing Center, are Browse and Reading Areas of current issues of magazines, daily newspapers, new book acquisitions and two sections of recommended books, one by university faculty and the other by library staff.
The Montana State University (MSU) Library website gives students, faculty and the Montana community online access to ''Ask A Librarian''
online chat
Online chat is any direct text-, audio- or video-based (webcams), one-on-one or one-to-many ( group) chat (formally also known as synchronous conferencing), using tools such as instant messengers, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), talkers and possi ...
, the
library catalog
A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliography, bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libra ...
, digital collections,
reserves,
interlibrary loan
Inter-library loan (abbreviated ILL, sometimes called document delivery, document supply, inter-lending, inter-library services, inter-loan, or resource sharing) is a service that enables patrons of one library to borrow materials that are held by ...
, student group-room reservations, and online retrieval of
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...
s and
academic journal
An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the ...
s.
Collections
Montana State University Library's collections include: books, e-books, digital media, multimedia, government documents, special collections, university archives, microform, and electronic and print academic, literary, and scientific journals and magazines.
Digital collections
There are several types of digital collections at Montana State University Library. One type includes collections held within the library's Archives and Special Collections that have been digitized for both online patron access and archival purposes. Collections currently available include the Thomas Brook photographs, the
Ivan Doig
Ivan Doig (; June 27, 1939 – April 9, 2015) was an American author and novelist, widely known for his sixteen fiction and non-fiction books set mostly in his native Montana, celebrating the landscape and people of the post-war American West.
W ...
papers,
Montana State University
Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...
photographs, Montana
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...
records, early
Montana Extension Service Bulletins,
Frank Craighead Grizzly Materials, and
John Heminway papers.
A second type of digital collection includes those that are unique
born-digital
The term born-digital refers to materials that originate in a Digital data, digital form.NDIIPP"Preserving Digital Culture,"Library of Congress. This is in contrast to digital reformatting, through which analog recording, analog materials become D ...
and
reformatted digitally scanned print research materials focused on a Montana State University's degree program such as the Department of Earth Sciences' Advanced Snow Science Degree in partnership with International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW), American Avalanche Association and Canadian Avalanche Center.
A third type of digital collection includes those collections culminating from a partnership grant to develop and distribute online research materials to faculty, students and the regional public. Examples of academic scholarly partnerships include th
Range Science Information System(RSIS), an academic scholarly partnership project between Montana State University Library, the
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963.
The un ...
, and the
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...
, and the Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains Digital Collection, which was a partnership grant from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) with
Little Big Horn College Library,
MSU-Northern Library,
MSU-Bozeman Library,
MSU-Billings Library, and the
Museum of the Rockies
Museum of the Rockies is a museum in Bozeman, Montana. Originally affiliated with Montana State University - Bozeman, Montana State University in Bozeman, and now also, the Smithsonian Institution. The museum is largely known for its Paleontology, ...
.
The library is home to the
Acoustic Atlas, a browsable collection of habitat and species sounds from throughout the Western United States. The Acoustic Atlas includes the Yellowstone Collection, a curated compilation of field recordings as well as a podcast series highlighting America's first national park. The audio collection offers a freely-accessible online archive of natural sounds, interviews and radio stories focused on the
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
ScholarWorks
ScholarWorks is an
open access
Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...
institutional repository
An institutional repository (IR) is an archive for collecting, preserving, and disseminating digital copies of the intellectual output of an institution, particularly a research institution. Academics also utilize their IRs for archiving published ...
developed and maintained by the MSU Library for the collection, storage and online retrieval of Montana State University's intellectual work and scholarly output focused on Montana State University's mission of teaching, original research and community education initiatives.
Archives and Special Collections
The
Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections contains
primary source
In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an Artifact (archaeology), artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was cre ...
s that include original manuscript materials, historical documents, and photographs covering collections on the
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem;
Native American People of Montana and the
Great Plains
The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
region; Montana and western United States agriculture, ranching, engineering and architecture; the
Trout and Salmonid collection, and regional writers.
Access to the
Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections is through the Burton K. Wheeler Reading Room.

*Ivan Doig papers: Manuscripts, proofs and galleys, typed and handwritten writing fragments, pocket notebooks, note cards, diaries, journals, photographs, audio/visual material, and memorabilia created or collected by
Ivan Doig
Ivan Doig (; June 27, 1939 – April 9, 2015) was an American author and novelist, widely known for his sixteen fiction and non-fiction books set mostly in his native Montana, celebrating the landscape and people of the post-war American West.
W ...
. The entire collection is also available online.
*Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem: Diaries, log books, correspondence, military records, scientific research,
scrapbooks,
stereographs and photographs created by early park employees and visitors from Yellowstone National Park's inception in 1872 through the late 20th century. Examples of individual collections include:
**
Gallatin National Forest
The Gallatin National Forest (now known as the Custer-Gallatin National Forest) is a United States National Forest located in South-West Montana. Most of the Custer-Gallatin goes along the state's southern border, with some of it a part of North ...
Ranger Log Books, 1906–1967
**
Yellowstone Park Company Records
**
Frank Jay Haynes Family Papers
**
Lt. Gustavus C. Doane's 2nd U.S. Cavalry historical exploration journals of 1870 and 1876
**
Frank Craighead papers on grizzly research in the GYC
*
Trout and Salmonid Collection: Over 11,000 books, periodicals and
grey literature
Grey literature (or gray literature) is material and research produced by organizations outside of the traditional publishing, commercial or academic publishing and distribution channels. Common grey literature publication types include reports (a ...
with
ephemera
Ephemera are items which were not originally designed to be retained or preserved, but have been collected or retained. The word is etymologically derived from the Greek ephēmeros 'lasting only a day'. The word is both plural and singular.
On ...
and
research
Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
materials including:
**
Bud Lilly Papers, 1926–2008
**Dr.
Robert J. Behnke Research Papers
*Prominent Montanans: Correspondence, professional and personal papers, publications, photographs, literary manuscripts, military papers, diaries, journals, gubernatorial, senatorial and
congressional papers. Examples of individual collections include:
**
Senator Burton K. Wheeler Papers, 1922–1975
**
F. Jay Haynes Photographs
**
Roland Roger Renne Gubernatorial Campaign Papers, 1963–1966
**
Merrill G. Burlingame Papers, 1880-1980
*Native Americans: Correspondence, photographs, reservation records, telegrams, treaties, allotment plats, hearing papers, diaries and Indian Claims Commission research papers. Examples of individual collections include:
**
Crow Agency
Crow Agency () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Big Horn County, Montana, United States and is near the actual location for the Little Bighorn National Monument and re-enactment produced by the Real Bird family known as Battle of the Lit ...
1876–1877 Fraud Hearings and 1928 Reservation Plats
**
Fort Peck Indian Reservation
The Fort Peck Indian Reservation (, ) is located near Fort Peck, Montana, in the northeast part of the state. It is the home of several federally recognized bands of Assiniboine, Lakota, and Dakota peoples of Native Americans.
With a total ...
Boarding School Student Roster, 1888–1892
**
Verne Dusenberry Papers, 1927–1966
**
James Willard Schultz Papers and Photographs
*Montana Agriculture, Ranching, Engineering & Architecture: Ranch business records, personal papers, ranching and farming organizations' records, photographs, scrapbooks, diaries and range science research materials of Montana ranchers, farmers, agricultural industry professionals and agricultural scientists starting from the 1870s through end of the 20th century. Examples of individual collections include:
**
August "Gus" Hormay Papers, 1900–1999
**Strode Family – Stirrup Ranch, 1896–1969
**Castle Mountain Cattle and Sheep Company, 1877–1971
**2,800 individual drawing sets and personal papers of architects' projects starting from 1828 through 1980
*University Collections: Contains manuscript, records, artifacts, and photographs of Montana State University.
Budget
The fiscal year 2020 total budget for Montana State University Library is $9,051,839. Included in that total are materials expenditures of $5,770,550 and personnel expenditures of $3,085,448. The Montana State University Archival collection total is 3,651 linear feet.
Special events
Montana State University Library's hosted special events include:
*
Tribal College Librarians Institute (TCLI).
*Paws to De-stress Program
*In 2018 Montana State University Library hosted the international Open Repositories Conference.
Awards
*2003 Montana Library of the Year award from the
Montana Library Association
The Montana Library Association is the state library association of Montana. It is run by librarians from across the state.
Their mission is, "to develop, promote, and improve library and information services and the profession of librarianship ...
*21st place on the ''100 Most Social Media Friendly College & University Libraries for 2013''
Memberships
Academic and research library memberships for Montana State University Library include:
*
Archives West
*
Association of College and Research Libraries
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes library, libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
History 19th ...
*
Coalition for Networked Information
The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) is an organization whose mission is to promote networked information technology as a way to further the advancement of intellectual collaboration and productivity.
Overview
The Coalition for Networke ...
*
Council on Library and Information Resources
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an American independent, nonprofit organization. It works with libraries, cultural institutions, and higher learning communities on developing strategies to improve research, teaching, an ...
*
Digital Library Federation
The Digital Library Federation (DLF) is a program of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) that brings together a consortium of college and university libraries, public libraries, museums, and related institutions with the stated ...
*
Dryad (repository)
Dryad is an international open-access repository of research data, especially data underlying scientific and medical publications (mainly of evolutionary, genetic, and ecology biology). Dryad is a curated general-purpose repository that makes data ...
*
DuraSpace
DuraSpace was a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2009 with the merger of the Fedora Commons organization and the DSpace Foundation, two of the world's largest providers of open source Digital library, digital repository software ...
*
HathiTrust
HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries. Its holdings include content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digit ...
*
Lyrasis
Lyrasis is a non-profit member organization serving and supporting libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage organizations around the world. Lyrasis is based in the United States. It was created in April 2009 from the merger of SOLINET an ...
*
Minitex
*
NISO
The National Information Standards Organization (NISO; ) is a United States non-profit standards organization that develops, maintains and publishes technical standards related to publishing, bibliographic and library applications. It was found ...
*
OCLC
OCLC, Inc. See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was founded in 1967 as the ...
Research Library Partnership
*
ORCID
The ORCID (; Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a nonproprietary alphanumeric code to uniquely identify authors and contributors of scholarly communication.
This addresses the problem that a particular author's contributions to the scien ...
*
Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition
The scholarly method or scholarship is the body of principles and practices used by scholars and academics to make their claims about their subjects of expertise as valid and trustworthy as possible, and to make them known to the scholarly pu ...
(SPARC)
References
{{authority control
University and college academic libraries in the United States
Library
A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...