About

The Schaffer Library offers rich collections and thoughtfully designed 21st century physical and virtual learning spaces that broaden educational experiences beyond the traditional classroom. The library fosters student research and engagement through collaborative faculty, community, and organizational partnerships, and through its commitment to diversity in its collections and hiring decisions.

We contribute proactively to the educational mission of Union College by providing services, information resources, technology, and unique historic and cultural collections for students, faculty and the Union community; by educating our users to engage critically and productively with an evolving and complex information ecosystem; by inspiring creativity through the design of an inclusive, intellectually rich, and welcoming physical environment; and by collaborating with and contributing to the world-wide community of scholars.

Schaffer Library provides access to information resources that support the educational mission of Union College and we teach the critical and analytical skills necessary for the intelligent use of those resources.

History

Since its founding in 1795, the Union College library has been housed in various places on campus. Throughout the nineteenth century, its resources were supplemented by those of a number of College literary societies, whose materials were eventually incorporated into the general library collection. From 1903 until 1961 when the current building was completed, the central library was located in the Nott Memorial. In the summer of 1961, the books were transferred to what is now known as Schaffer Library. The building was transformed in 1999 with the completion of a major expansion and renovation project.

The library houses many of the documents related to the founding of Union College, including nearly all of the materials purchased to create the first College library in 1795. "First Purchase" books are housed in the library's Special Collections & Archives, which also contains many other treasures added to the library's collections over the years. Among the College's most prized possessions kept in Special Collections are an elephant folio edition of Audubon's Birds of America, which the College purchased directly from the artist; the original Ramée drawings for the campus; the Trianon editions of William Blake's works; and the original College charter.

Schaffer Library Today

Schaffer Library provides access to millions of items in print and electronic formats. The general collection includes books, videos, audio materials, scholarly journals, patents, government documents, and more. Many items are available electronically, and the library's vast holdings can be searched using Primo, our online discovery tool. The library has also been a partial depository for federal government documents since 1901. The library's active digitization and repository programs help to make collections available online; collections include rare and unique archival materials, art, and scholarship such as student honors theses.

The library's open and welcoming spaces provide a variety of options for study or meeting, including individual study carrels, study tables, group study rooms, and research workstations dispersed throughout the four floors of the building. The basement houses periodicals, government documents, CDs, DVDs, and books. The first floor contains a large number of research workstations, including a Bloomberg Terminal, in the Learning Commons area, as well as the Service Desk, current print periodicals, newspapers, and the Current Reading Area. The second floor contains the remaining books that circulate and the Mandeville Gallery/Permanent Collection Office. The third floor houses the Administrative Office and Union College's Special Collections and Archives.

Library staff offer a wide variety of services including information literacy classes, course specific library instruction, digital scholarship services, one-on-one research assistance, and interlibrary loan and document delivery service. Librarians are available via appointment, email, and chat to facilitate questions and help advance the research process.

Beyond the library's collections and services, Schaffer also houses the following offices and services on the 2nd floor:

• Engaging Technology Lab for course technology
• Mandeville Gallery and Union College Permanent Collection
• Office of Accommodative Services
• Writing Center