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FRIEDSAM MEMORIAL LIBRARY 
General Information

Friedsam Memorial Library is the central repository and dissemination point of recorded information on St. Bonaventure University's campus.

The Library's basic book collection exceeds 250,000 volumes. The periodical back use collection numbers more than 30,000 volumes. The University subscribes to approximately 1,200 current periodical titles, representing all academic disciplines.

Aside from the main collection, the Library also has three separate, specialized collections. The Curriculum Center maintains a collection of materials for education majors, which includes elementary and secondary school textbooks, along with books for children and young adult readers. The Library is also a selective depository of U.S. federal documents and has been since 1937. Part of this collection includes New York State documents. The last collection is that of the Franciscan Institute. This unique collection centers on Franciscan history, theology and philosophy, along with auxiliary materials about the Middle Ages.

Microfilm holdings include the Microbook "Library of American Civilization," the Microbook "Library of English Literature," along with portions of the Vatican Library collection and the "Short Title Catalog." Also, the Library has a number of newspaper files including the complete set of the New York Times and the Washington Post.

There are reference librarians to assist you in making the fullest possible use of the materials we have and to guide you to resources we may not own. An interlibrary loan service is available for obtaining resources from other libraries.

The collection of manuscripts, incunabula and other rare books belonging to the University and the Franciscan Institute has been described as a "unique national asset." The collection consists mainly of works on philosophy, theology and Franciscanism.

The University archives are housed in the Library and include items relating to University history, local history and important collections of Thomas Merton and Robert Lax.

The library's mission statement is as follows:

Friedsam Memorial Library is the primary repository on campus of recorded information and a gateway to off-campus information sources. The library supports a globally aware, liberal education grounded in the Franciscan tradition by:

• Building a collection spanning a wide array of disciplines and perspectives,

• Providing ordered access to the resident collections, and

• Providing access to collections and informational resources of other institutions worldwide.

These resources and services, which conform to existing national standards, are provided for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff of St. Bonaventure University, and for the broader scholarly community.

The library further supports the university's Franciscan tradition by sharing its unique resources and the talents of its staff with the greater library community.