Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library


The Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library is the main library at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. It is named for the father of philanthropist Ward Melville, who donated 400 acres of land and money to establish Stony Brook University in 1957.

History

Originally constructed in 1962 as a modest sized three-story building, it was renovated almost immediately and greatly expanded and re-dedicated in 1967-1971. It holds more than 2.1 million bound volumes and over four million rolls of microfilm. The library is a member of the Association of Research Libraries, a consortium of the top 120 research libraries in the country. The library has a Special Collections Department which houses over 16,000 rare books, 800 antique and hand-drawn maps, and over 150 collections, including the papers of Senator Jacob K. Javits, the Environmental Defense Archive, and the William Butler Yeats Microfilmed Manuscripts Collection.
In 2016 the North and Central Reading Rooms were renovated and modernized with new furniture and technology improvements to become a "knowledge commons." The redesign included adding new independent study areas, more natural light, better acoustics, new flooring, more electrical outlets, and new computer workstations.

Description

The building consists of six floors, and a commuter lounge, and is located on the Academic Mall of the university. There are also separate branch libraries in Math, Physics & Astronomy, Chemistry, Music, Computer Science, and Marine Science. The Library also contains offices for different academic departments, as well as classrooms, computer labs, a career center and a bookstore.

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