The University of Alberta Library is the library system of the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

. The University of Alberta Library has 10 branches and divisions at the University of Alberta's

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

campuses and at University of Alberta Augustana Campus. , the Library's collection comprises more than 5.4 million titles and over 8 million volumes, including 140,000 scholarly ejournals, 1.92 million ebooks, 806 online databases, 120,000 digitized titles and 67,000 newspaper issues. The Library collection of 20,000 images and maps includes many records pertaining to the

Canadian prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

History

The

was founded in 1908, but a free-standing library branch,

Rutherford Library The Rutherford Humanities, Social Sciences + Education Library is the first free-standing University of Alberta library, opened May 15, 1951, and named after the founder of the university, and long-time chancellor, Alexander Cameron Rutherfo ...

, did not open until 1951. The university's founder,

Alexander Cameron Rutherford Alexander Cameron Rutherford (February 2, 1857 – June 11, 1941) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the first premier of Alberta from 1905 to 1910. Born in Ormond, Canada West, he studied and practiced law in Ottawa before h ...

, and its first president,

Henry Marshall Tory Henry Marshall Tory (January 11, 1864 – February 6, 1947) was the first president of the University of Alberta (1908–1928), the first president of the Khaki University, the first president of the National Research Council (1928–1935), and t ...

, worked with faculty members and the first librarian, Eugenie Archibald, to select the first purchases to start the University Library in 1908. The record of these first 200 selections is still housed in the University Archive and includes a set of the works of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

; fourteen volumes of the works of

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

; and various works by

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

Jean Froissart Jean Froissart ( Old and Middle French: ''Jehan''; sometimes known as John Froissart in English; – ) was a French-speaking medieval author and court historian from the Low Countries who wrote several works, including ''Chronicles'' and ''Meli ...

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English writer and magistrate known for the use of humour and satire in his works. His 1749 comic novel ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'' was a seminal work in the genre. Along wi ...

Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...

George Eliot Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English essayist, historian, and politician. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1789, is known for ...

, T. B. Macaulay,

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

John Richard Green John Richard Green (12 December 1837 – 7 March 1883) was an English historian. Early life Green was born on 12 December 1837, the son of a tradesman in Oxford, where he was educated, first at Magdalen College School, and then at Jesus C ...

Henry Hallam Henry Hallam (9 July 1777 – 21 January 1859) was an English historian. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, he practised as a barrister on the Oxford circuit for some years before turning to history. His major works were ''View of th ...

Tobias Smollett Tobias George Smollett (bapt. 19 March 1721 – 17 September 1771) was a Scottish writer and surgeon. He was best known for writing picaresque novels such as ''The Adventures of Roderick Random'' (1748), ''The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle'' ...

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

, and

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...

. By the end of 1911, the Library had acquired more than 7,000 volumes. By the end of Tory's tenure as president in 1928, the library owned 32,500 volumes. During the first few decades of the university's operations, library staff operated a small facility in the Main Teaching Building, or Arts Building, which had already become overcrowded by the 1930s. In 1947, during the tenure of President

Robert Newton Robert Guy Newton (1 June 1905 – 25 March 1956) was an English actor. Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the more popular actors among the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially with British boys. Known for hi ...

(1941–50), the university received approval from the provincial government to begin construction of a library building. When construction was completed on Rutherford Library, it was the first new permanent building on campus in 30 years.

Chief Librarians

* Eugenie Archibald (1909–1911) * D. E. Cameron (1911–1945) * Marjorie Sherlock (1945–1955) * Bruce Braden Peel (1955–1982) * Peter Freeman (1982–1989) * Ernie Ingles (1989–2013) * Gerald Beasley (2013–2017) * Dale Askey (2018–)

Major Branches

Augustana

The Augustana Campus Library provides services and resources to support undergraduate students and teaching faculty at University of Alberta Augustana Campus.

Bibliothèque Saint-Jean

Bibliothèque Saint-Jean supports the teaching and research programs of the University of Alberta Campus Saint-Jean in education, arts and social sciences, languages and literature, health sciences, natural sciences and business administration.

Cameron Science & Technology Library

Cameron Science & Technology Library collections are focused on the faculties of Engineering, Science, and ALES (Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences). The library is also home to the William C. Wonders Map Collection and the Canadian Circumpolar Collection.

Coutts Education and Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation Library (closed)

Herbert T. Coutts Library provides services and resources for the faculties of Education and Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. In June 2020, the permanent closure of the Coutts library was announced due to budget cuts. Interior view of Rutherford Library sky-lighted galleria

Interior view of Rutherford Library sky-lighted galleria

Rutherford Humanities, Social Sciences + Education Libraryy

The Rutherford Humanities, Social Sciences + Education Library is the second largest research library in Canada and the biggest library at University of Alberta.

Geoffrey and Robyn Sperber Health Sciences Library

The Geoffrey and Robyn Sperber Health Sciences Library opened on September 29, 2023. It is located on the ground level of Edmonton Clinic Health Academy (ECHA) and replaced the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library, which closed on August 11, 2023. The library's physical collection consists of health sciences materials, and now also features an ongoing exhibit of th
Dentistry Museum Collection
a Media Lab, VR Lab, and 3D printing services.

Weir Law Library

The Weir Library's research collection includes primary and secondary materials mostly from common law Anglo-American jurisdictions, although it does include some French language material from Quebec. The collection primarily contains material focused on common law, but also includes civil law material from Quebec, Scotland, and Louisiana. The library's Canadian government documents collection includes parliamentary and legislative materials and administrative decisions from both the federal and provincial level.

Winspear Business Library (closed)

The Winspear Business Library was the primary information service library for the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta. In April 2020, the Chief Librarian announced the permanent closure of the Winspear Business Library due to budget cuts; Winspear officially closed on May 1, 2020.

Other Library Units

University of Alberta Archives

Located in the new Research & Collections Resource Facility on South Campus, the Archives holds 9,000 linear metres of permanently valuable records in University of Alberta history, including institutional records and private papers from people in the university community including alumni, employees, and students, as well as other organizations related to the university. The Archives are designated a Class A Movable Cultural Property by the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

Bruce Peel Special Collections

Bruce Peel Special Collections contains over 100,000 rare books and additional archival materials. The Collections are designated a Class A Movable Cultural Property by the

Digital Scholarship Centre

The DSC is an academic centre located on the second floor of Cameron Library on the university's North Campus, which opened in September 2019. 8,000 sq. feet centre is a hub for digital scholarship on campus and contains a

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...

lab, a sound booth,

3D printing 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

and scanning, gaming-quality computers, an

Ideum Ideum is a company based in Corrales, New Mexico, United States that produces multitouch tables and walls, custom interactive exhibits, and custom hardware. The company was founded in 1999 by Jim Spadaccini, who created interactive exhibits for Sa ...

touch table, a large-scale, multi-touch visualization wall, and collaboration work spaces.

University of Alberta Press

Founded in 1969, the University of Alberta Press is a unit of the University of Alberta Library responsible for publishing scholarly books. University of Alberta Research and Collections Repository Facility

University of Alberta Research and Collections Repository Facility

RCRF Depository Library

The Research & Collections Resource Facility (RCRF) facility was built to house the library's growing Depository Library and opened to the public in July 2018. The facility provides storage for over 3.5 million items from the Library system that are not as often accessed by the university community. The RCRF also contains the University of Alberta Archives and is the location for a new digitization centre in partnership with the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

. RCRF is located near the

Saville Community Sports Centre The Saville Community Sports Centre is a sports facility operated by the University of Alberta's Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation in Edmonton, Alberta . It features a curling rink, tennis courts and a gymnasium. Opened in 2003, the c ...

and University of Alberta Farm on South Campus.

St. Joseph's College

The library is located in and provides services and resources for

St Joseph's College, Edmonton St. Joseph's College is a Catholic, undergraduate, liberal arts college on the University of Alberta campus. It also serves as a Dormitory, residence and place of worship. It is affiliated with the University of Alberta and the Roman Catholic A ...

. It is located in the basement of the college's east wing. The library houses 25,000 books as well as DVDs and other printed materials. The collection features materials on Christian theology, Catholic studies, ethics, the Bible, and philosophy.

Partnerships and collaboration

The University of Alberta Library is a member of The Alberta Library, the

Canadian Association of Research Libraries The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) was established in 1976 and brings together thirty-one research libraries. Twenty-nine members are university libraries, plus Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and the National Research Counci ...

, the Association of Research Libraries, and the

NEOS Library Consortium The NEOS Library Consortium consists of 17 Canadian university, college, government, and hospital libraries with 49 sites between them. Patrons (i.e. students, faculty, staff) belonging to any NEOS library have seamless access to most of the substan ...

. The Library has a partnership with the

, for the digitization and open access provision of material from across the university, including 22,000 master's and PhD theses, highlights from the Bruce Peel Special Collections, and historic postcard and playbill collections. Other Library partnerships include the

Public Knowledge Project The Public Knowledge Project (PKP) is a non-profit research initiative that is focused on the importance of making the results of publicly funded research freely available through open access policies, and on developing strategies for making thi ...

, the

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 ...

, and the Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library.

References

External links

University of Alberta Library
* University of Alberta's Internet Archive collection
{{Authority control

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 ...

Academic libraries in Canada Higher education in Alberta Libraries in Alberta Archives in Alberta