When the Commonwealth of Virginia chartered Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ in 1819, a library — instead of a chapel — was at the University's center. By today’s standards, this seems common practice. But at a time when universities were structured around the church, this was radical.
Today, the University of Virginia’s many libraries remain central to advancing human knowledge, educating leaders and cultivating an informed citizenry. Inspired by the collecting policies of the , which emphasizes all subjects are important to leadership of the country, the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Library collects, preserves, organizes and shares materials of all varieties, providing unfettered access to an accumulation of knowledge, more than two centuries in the making.

Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Library includes six locations, many specialized facilities and more than 20 million books, manuscripts, artifacts, databases and resources.
5M
Books
3M
E-books
20M
Manuscripts and Archives