From an initial collection of less than 2,000 books, the Miami University Libraries have grown to include nearly three million volumes, subscriptions to over 20,000 publications, 110,000 maps, 30,000 videos and sound recordings, the Walter Havighurst Special Collections, and a large government repository.

Today’s university libraries are no longer defined simply by books and campus buildings. To serve Miami students, faculty, and alumni in Ohio and around the world, the libraries have entered a global information network and serve as an international port-of-call for electronic information.

Advancing Technology Endowment
The university libraries’ Center for InformationManagement (CIM) provides Miami students, faculty, and staff access to the latest tools for presenting information in various electronic formats. Resources include digital, large format, and 3-D scanning and printing facilities; digital audio and video production and editing equipment; and multimedia presentation, statistical analysis, Global Information Systems, and web design software.

Staffing Endowment
The libraries seek to develop the knowledge and skills of existing staff and to plan for future staffing needs in areas such as historic document preservation, integrated digital services, new media exploration, and integrated curriculum development.

General Acquisitions Endowment
Currently, the need to add new materials while continuing to support existing collections far surpasses the libraries’ materials budget. A general acquisitions endowment will allow the libraries to continue providing support for all academic curricula without cutting funding to other services.

Special Projects
Miami’s Walter Havighurst Special Collections Library houses rare books, manuscripts, and other research. Two current special projects involve the establishment and development of a Miami Tribe Repository and the addition of items to the Cradle of Coaches collection. Both projects are focused on creating a repository for preserving materials vital to Miami’s history as well as that of the United States.