The 50th Anniversary of 91ÖÆƬ³§'s main library building is an opportunity to remind our community of how the 91ÖÆƬ³§ Libraries support them every day in their learning, research, teaching, well being, and community engagement. Throughout fall 2025 and all of 2026 we will host programming and events designed to enlighten, entertain, and draw attention to the amazing resources and staff of the 91ÖÆƬ³§ Libraries. We invite all of our community members to attend and engage with us in creating a library for the next fifty years and beyond. You can start by joining the Friends of 91ÖÆƬ³§ Libraries and/or with . You can designate the specific Libraries collections or efforts you'd like to support; from the Naro Video at 91ÖÆƬ³§ Libraries to Special Collections and University Archives, there is something to match most interests.
Check out our calendar of events to see what's happening. We'll be adding events throughout the year, so check back often!
About the Libraries
Hughes Library, in what is now Dragas Hall, was opened in 1959 as the University’s first dedicated library; however, the University was growing quickly, and the library’s collections soon exceeded capacity. The New Library Building, as it was called at the time, opened in 1976. A 76,000 square foot addition was completed and dedicated in April 1999 in honor of Patricia Perry, class of 1989, and her husband Douglas Perry, co-founder of Dollar Tree. Another addition, including the Perry Library Learning Commons and the building’s iconic tower, was completed in 2011.
In 1982, the art library was added to the existing Visual Arts Building and formally dedicated as the Elise N. Hofheimer Art Library; an endowment named for Ms. Hofheimer continues to support new acquisitions of art books and other resources. In 1997, the F. Ludwig Diehn Composers Room opened within the Diehn Center for the Performing Arts; the space features a music library and a reading room for viewing composers' manuscripts. With the merger of 91ÖÆƬ³§ and Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) in 2024, the Edward E. Brickell Medical Sciences Library became part of the 91ÖÆƬ³§ Libraries, offering specialized collections and services to meet the needs of students and faculty in the newly renamed Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at 91ÖÆƬ³§.
You can read more about the history of the University Libraries on the .
