About the University Libraries

Oakland University’s Libraries support the educational, research, and public service mission of the University by providing user-centered teaching, services, resources, and learning environments for the entire OU community. The University Libraries are committed to fostering academic excellence and knowledge creation, and promoting information literacy within the campus community and beyond.

Collections in 2023-2024

• 1,369,442 e-books
• 594,974 print book volumes
• 168,581 e-journals
• 10,763 print journals
• 363,821 digital media
• 204 online databases
• Special Collections
• University Archives
• Library OneSearch, a single-search tool

Research Services & Teaching in 2023-2024

• 4-credit course, LIB 2500, Research in the Information Age
• 183 information literacy sessions and presentations
• 3,276 patrons attended information literacy sessions and presentations
• 565 individual research consultations
• 2,000 research help questions addressed
• 493 subject, course, and topical guides online
• 114 tutorials online
• scholarly communication and research data support

Learning Spaces

• wi-fi enabled building
• Frankie's Cafe
• laptops for checkout
• more than 150 public computers
• breakout rooms and "cabanas" with presentation-screen computers
• more than 80 study rooms, some exclusively for medical students
• open seating for up to 1700 students
• 305,121 visitors used our building in 2023-2024
• 550,792 unique visits to pages on our website 2020-2021

Engagement

• Professional
  • membership in the MelCat network
  • reciprocal borrowing agreements with other libraries
• Community
  • open to the community
  • holding community events such as an annual poetry slam and monthly Alumni Book-to-Film Club
  • partnerships with International Baccalaureate high schools in the area