Cal Poly Pomona University Library

The Cal Poly Pomona University Library is the dynamic center of campus that serves all students. The library combines digital resources and state-of-the-art technology with traditional holdings. Expert librarians and staff encourage discovery, creativity, and collaboration, and expand the knowledge students gain in the classroom. The library offers shared and private spaces for more than 10,000 students each day to enjoy an independent learning environment, to explore information, and create their ideas. With the COVID-19 pandemic, library services moved to virtual space to respect state and county health guidelines. 
The library houses art paintings by Roy Lichtenstein and Le Corbusier.
The library participates in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Enhance program which allows the library to correct or add information to bibliographic records in WorldCat.
History.
"The Evolution of a Library: 1938-2020"
From one room with a few hundred books and one librarian to six stories with 2.4 million resource materials and a staff of 75, the University Library at Cal Poly Pomona has reason to celebrate as it begins its second half-century. The Library's commitment to excellence is an integral factor in the successful reputation enjoyed by California State Polytechnic University as a premier institute of higher education. 
In 1938, Cal Poly opened its doors to 80 students on September 15, 1938, on the former site of the Voorhis School for Boys in San Dimas This rural setting provided one room (measuring 33 feet by 45 feet) to be designated as the Library, with seating for 48 students. It came complete with study tables, a fireplace, and a few hundred books remaining from the Voorhis School. This collection was quickly supplemented with materials necessary to support the agricultural orientation of the college. 
Lavina Penley was the first librarian to serve Cal Poly, Voorhis Campus, followed by Ruth Hoff, and then by Harold F. Wells in 1954. The number of volumes in the Library increased from 3,700 in 1948 to over 6,500 in 1954. 
In 1956, the Library collection continued to multiply as did the University's enrollment. By 1956 the facilities in San Dimas were outgrown and Cal Poly moved to its current site in Pomona, formerly the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Ranch. 
The new library was housed in three rooms of the Administration building (now the Science building) and had seating for 80 students. Mr. Wells directed the move of over 8,000 volumes from San Dimas to Pomona in the summer of 1956. That same year, to support an increasing student population and its expanded academic curriculum, the book call numbers were changed from the Dewey Decimal system, commonly used by smaller libraries, to the Library of Congress classification, used by larger libraries. 
In 1959, it was soon evident that the Library needed its own facility and in 1959 the first Cal Poly Pomona Campus Library building was completed. Mr. Wells again directed the transfer of the collection, then numbering 16,584 volumes. Within five years the volume count reached 63,138 and three years later, once again outgrowing the existing facility the Library completed plans for a new building. 
By the winter of 1968, the new $4.2 million Cal Poly Pomona Library building was ready for occupancy. A four-story structure (with floors numbered ground through 3rd) was designed to allow for the later addition of two stories to accommodate future growth. More than 1,000 students, faculty, and Library staff combined efforts to move over 150,000 books, furnishings, and equipment. 
Harold F. Wells served 29 years as Library Director. Upon Mr. Wells's retirement, Harold B. Schleifer was appointed Acting Director in 1983, Director in 1985, and became the first library Dean until his retirement in December 2008. 
In 1986, the library held the first First Golden Leaves Award. This event is held every year to highlight and honor faculty publications. A copy of each book is added to the Library’s collection. 
January 1988 marked the start of construction of the new 4th and 5th floors of the University Library addition at a cost of $7.4 million. Featuring advanced computer technology and serving a Cal Poly Pomona campus community of nearly 20,000, the Library building now has 205,000 square feet and seating for approximately 2,600 students. 
The Library's collection currently boasts over 1,000,000 microforms, 500,000 books; 58,000 technical reports; 10,000 maps; and 3,500 software packages. As part of "Partners in Progress," Cal Poly Pomona's 50th-anniversary capital campaign, an endowment fund has been established for the continued growth of the University Library collection. 
Celebrating a half-century of growth with the University, the six-story Library was dedicated on September 18, 1989, during the ceremony the 500,000th volume, "Ansel Adams: Letters and Images", was officially added to the Library's collection. 
An architectural site study was completed in April 2000. The resulting Library Master Plan formed the basis for a major capital outlay request to renovate and expand the library building to address future needs for capacity and services to support a campus enrollment of 20,000 students. In July 2003, the University Library website added the Rose Float Collection. Later that month, the library announced a major extension that would add an additional wing on the library. Three years later, the library extension groundbreaking ceremony happened. The extension added 101,853 square feet of space in addition to the 205,000 square foot space. This extension added classrooms, additional library space, offices, and a 24-hour computer lab. On June 23, 2008, the library had a soft reopening with the new extension. 
On July 29, 2008, the Chino Hills Earthquake struck, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake south of Cal Poly Pomona. The earthquake didn’t cause structural damage, but there were lots of cosmetic damage, such as scattered books, cracked paint, and loose light fixtures. The library closed the third to the sixth floor for two days to resheve all the fallen books. In some aisles, “hundreds of fallen books created impassable piles nearly two feet high."
In 2012, the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library opens to the public. Located on the 1st floor, the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library houses unique and rare books and periodicals collections, memorabilia, photographs on W.K. Kellogg, Arabian horses, and Cal Poly Pomona. In 2013, the Huntley Gallery opened, named after Don Huntley, alumnus and benefactor of Cal Poly Pomona, the gallery is the permanent home for the Don Huntley Western Art Collection. The gallery features artwork from Cal Poly Pomona faculty, students, and staff each semester. The installation of the gallery was a collaboration between the University Library and the College of Environmental Design. 2013 was the 75th anniversary of the Cal Poly Pomona W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library. 
In November 2019, the University Library awarded the inaugural Lynn and Claude Coppel Endowed Student Scholarship which recognizes outstanding library student employees and Library Club members who exhibit academic excellence and made exceptional contributions to the University Library and campus community. On August 19, 2019, the Maker Studio officially opened on the 2nd floor of the University Library. The Maker Studio was funded by the Office of Academic Innovation, the iLab, and grants. It is available for students and faculty.   
Special Collections and Archives.
Special Collections and Archives consists of 4 main collecting areas surrounding themes relevant to the mission of the university. Many great resources are available online to help you better utilize these collections and get you jump-started with your primary source research needs. In accordance with the university move to virtual instruction and services, only online access is available currently. 
Some audio and video recordings in our collections have been 