Library History and Facts

CSUN University Library

The California State University, Northridge's University Library provides educational, cultural and information services and resources to the students, faculty, and the community. Its primary mission is to support and supplement classroom and independent learning; facilitate student and faculty research; and provide students with lifelong skills in identifying, locating, evaluating and synchronizing information.

All library materials are housed in the University Library, a 234,712 square foot state-of-the-art facility. Of note are 3 computer equipped library instruction labs totaling 100 desktops, 100 desktops in various library locations, and over 120 laptops and tablets available for lending to currently affiliated CSUN Students, Faculty, and Staff. The first floor Learning Commons is a modern, expansive and flexible space that includes an Information Technology help desk and a state-of-the-art Creative Maker Studio. There are over 2,500 seats for in house study. During the fall and spring semesters, the building is open 85 hours a week. The Library maintains and provides access to electronic information 24 hours a day.

University Library collections include 2 million titles, 1.2 million of which are electronic book titles, as well as 200,000 serials and journals, over 160,00 electronic media titles, and nearly 300 online databases. The archives and manuscript collection exceeds 11,000 linear feet of materials, with nearly 45,000 items housed in Special Collections. See Library Statistics for further details.

The Library portico features 45 towering columns, 55 feet high, and weighing 40 tons each.