Libraries
Comprising about 30 departmental and subject libraries, the University of Illinois Library is the second largest academic library in the country. Within the Library you can find everything from an esteemed collection on Renaissance music to the personal papers of John Milton, Marcel Proust, H.G. Wells, and Carl Sandburg. In total, the Library holds over 14 million volumes and 24 million other items, including electronic books, maps, slides, audio tapes, microforms, DVDs, videotapes, laser discs, and video games. If there happens to be something you can’t find on the shelves, you can take advantage of the Library’s thorough online database selection and extensive interlibrary loan program.
Have questions about the Library? Use the Ask a Librarian service to chat, email, or call the Library.
As you begin to explore the library system you’ll find departmental libraries ranging from the Map Library to the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music. Here’s a sampling of libraries that a student in Art + Design may become closely acquainted with:
Architecture and Art (Ricker) Library
The Ricker Library has useful guides on finding resources on art and architecture.
ACES (Funk) Library
The ACES collection includes City Planning and Landscape Architecture resources.
Communications Library
The Communications Library is home to newspapers, journals, print advertisements, and books. This includes books on graphic communications in popular culture.
Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library (SSHEL)
SSHEL focuses on the social sciences, anthropology, economics, gender and women’s studies, geography, psychology, and sociology, as well as interdisciplinary biomedical sciences research.