Libraries and Museums
Washington and Lee’s libraries and museums support the University’s educational mission by providing a wide range of materials for teaching, learning, and research. Our library and museum professionals support faculty and students and augment the classroom experience through their spaces, services, exhibitions and collections.
Libraries
The University Library is a multifaceted teaching organization that provides physical spaces for independent study and collaboration, access to scholarly resources, and expert research support. The library’s role extends beyond its physical buildings, as library faculty and staff deliver embedded instruction across the disciplines and teach for-credit courses in the university’s Digital Culture and Information minor.
The University Library consists of two physical locations: James G. Leyburn Library, which houses most of the physical collection and services, and Robert Lee Telford Science Library, which houses the science collection. Both libraries are open to current members of the W&L community 24 hours a day, seven days a week, during undergraduate academic terms. Both locations offer individual and group study spaces and public computers. There is a separate library in the School of Law.
Leyburn Library
Located in the center of campus, Leyburn Library is the main library for undergraduate students. The Information Desk, which is co-located with the Information Technology Services Help Desk on Leyburn’s main floor, serves as the contact point for help with library services such as course reserves, academic poster printing, room reservations and inter-library loan. Librarians offer scheduled consultations either in person or virtually, and lecture on information literacy in undergraduate courses. The lower levels have carrels, special study spaces that all students can reserve, and locked studies for students working on honors theses.
Telford Library
The Telford Science Library is located inside the Science Center, next door to Leyburn Library. Telford is a specialized library which offers resources and research materials for the sciences. In addition, Telford offers special study carrels for students who want to study inside the Science Center.
The Law Library
The Law Library is a physical and intellectual cornerstone of W&L Law, with a collection of over 500,000 print volumes across four floors and a full complement of digital resources to support the Law School’s mission. The Law Library offers innovative programs, expert reference and research support, and teaching the required Legal Research course for all first-year students. It is recognized nationally and internationally for its valuable and unique assets for scholars, such as the Lewis F. Powell Jr. Archives and W&L Law Journal Rankings.
Special Collections and Archives
Located on the first floor of Leyburn Library, Special Collections and Archives collects, preserves, and makes accessible materials supporting the diverse teaching and research needs of W&L’s students, faculty, staff, and the greater community. Its holdings include rare books, manuscripts, unique primary sources and university records, and support a wide array of topics across many disciplines, such as History, Art History, Africana Studies, Earth and Environmental Geosciences, English, East Asian Languages and Literatures, Journalism, Religion, and Accounting.
Museums
The Museums at W&L advance learning through direct engagement with the collections and facilitate an interdisciplinary appreciation of art, history, and culture.
The Art Museum and Galleries
There are approximately 15,000 objects in Washington and Lee’s decorative and fine arts collection, which is composed of two primary collections: the Art Collection and the Reeves Collection of Ceramics. The Art Museum and Galleries, which include the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, the Watson Galleries, and the McCarthy Gallery, promote learning through direct engagement with the collections, foster an interdisciplinary appreciation of art, history, and culture through permanent and rotating exhibitions, and offer students and faculty opportunities for research, internships, employment, and educational programs.
The Institutional History Museums
Washington and Lee’s Institutional History Museums include University Chapel and Galleries, the Washington Hall Galleries, and the forthcoming Institutional History Museum. Together, the museums collect, care for, exhibit, and interpret artifacts to help visitors understand the many people and events that shaped Washington and Lee’s history. The museums support the university’s educational mission by serving as a resource for instruction and learning for the campus community and the general public.