The Wesleyan University libraries consist of Olin Library, the main facility which houses collections in the humanities and the social sciences, the general reference collections, Scores & Recordings, the World Music Archives,  Special Collections & Archives, most U.S. Government Documents, and microforms.  Library administrative and processing departments, the CTW office, Interlibrary Loan, and the Develin meeting room are also located in Olin Library.  The following are brief descriptions of the library's branch units:  Art Library and Science Library, as well as some basic information about specialized library collections.

As for why these libraries are here at all, see the Library Mission Statement.  

Art Library

The Art Library houses a 24,000 volume collection supporting the subject areas of art and architectural history, photography, and studio arts. The actual art collection numbers close to 45,000 volumes, but because of the Art Library's size constraints, art books and journals are also shelved in Olin, Science Cutter and Storage collections. The most recent art publications are shelved in the Art Library.

Science Library

The Science Library, located in the center of the Science Complex, is the divisional library for the natural and physical sciences. While serving the information needs of the entire Wesleyan community, the Science Library primarily supports the Departments of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Earth & Environmental Science, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Mathematics and Physics. In all, it holds almost 190,000 volumes, 925 journal titles and provides access to a variety of electronic indexes, databases, and electronic texts.

Scores & Recordings

The Scores & Recordings Collection, located on the third floor of Olin Library, houses the library collections of musical scores and sound recordings of both spoken word and music. The Collection also includes the World Music Archives.

Special Collections & Archives

SC&A maintains and makes available library materials needing some special care in order to preserve them for the future. They may be unique or rare or fragile or awkward in format; they may be especially difficult or expensive to replace; they may have significant Wesleyan or other associational value. The materials do not circulate and must be read in the department's reading room.

U.S. Government Documents

Wesleyan University libraries contain United States Government publications (also called "government documents") from the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the United States government, in several formats: paper, microfiche, CD-ROM, diskette, videocassette, and online. Government documents cover many topics. Our collection emphasizes the social sciences, and is strongest in Congressional publications, statistics, and government policy.