Main Page/Library



When Rollins College was founded in 1885, its library collection consisted of a Bible and a dictionary. Today, students have at their disposal library resources ranging from ancient tomes to the latest technology in information retrieval.

The Olin Library, a 4.7 million-dollar gift of the F.W. Olin Foundation, was dedicated in 1985. Near the shores of Lake Virginia, the four-level, 54,000 square foot library is built in the the Spanish Colonial style that dominates the campus. Open stacks with study areas throughout, conference rooms, group studies, and a tower lounge with exhibit space are some of the features that provide an inviting research and study environment. Patrons are able to use individual and group media rooms for viewing and listening.

A second gift of 2.7 million dollars established the Olin Electronic Research and Information Center. The Center features the latest technology, including computer workstations, scanners, color printers, audio and video digitizers, compact discs, videodiscs, and videotapes. These tools facilitate creativity as students pursue research questions, prepare multimedia presentations and create Web pages.

The Library’s collections reflect the liberal arts mission of the College and strongly support the curriculum through a generous budget. Holdings currently include over 280,000 volumes, 1,500 periodical subscriptions, 700 serial subscriptions, 4200 periodicals and 4200 serials available through electronic resources, 42,000 government documents, a number of special collections, and hundreds of compact discs, videodiscs, and videotapes. The College Archives and Special Collections Department, housed on the first floor of Olin Library, provides further opportunities for research in rare books and manuscripts and the historical records of Rollins College.

The librarians, in addition to providing individual reference and research consultation, teach library research methods to both undergraduate and graduate classes. From its inception, the library has been an integral part of the instructional, intellectual, and cultural life of Rollins College. --Jxmiller 18:52, 12 October 2006 (UTC)