10 Things
You Didn't
Know About Temple Libraries
From a robot that retrieves books from towering shelves to rare collections that preserve Philadelphia’s history, Temple University Libraries are full of surprises. With nine libraries and collections spanning Philadelphia, Ambler, Tokyo and Rome, the Libraries support student success, fuel groundbreaking research and connect the Temple community with new ideas and perspectives. Discover 10 things you might not know about the Libraries and the unique resources, stories and innovations that make them so much more than just a place to check out a book.
①
Temple’s first library opened in 1892.
1.
Just four years after the university was founded, Temple established its first library in a row home at 1933 Park Ave. It was far from comprehensive, with books donated by faculty, students and friends of the university. Temple would not open its own central library until 1936, when the Sullivan Memorial Library opened. Then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attended the opening ceremony, where he received an honorary degree.
②
Temple University Libraries span four locations around the world.
2.
Nine libraries and collections make up Temple University Libraries, with locations and collections across Philadelphia, Ambler, Tokyo and Rome.
③
Charles Library is an architectural and environmental landmark.
3.
Opened in 2019 and designed by internationally renowned architecture firm Snøhetta, the Charles Library is one of a handful of internationally acclaimed libraries constructed over the past decade. The firm is also responsible for internationally acclaimed buildings around the world, including the Oslo Opera House, the redesigned Pavilion of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, the headquarters of Groupe Le Monde in Paris and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt at the site of one of the earliest libraries. Charles Library is also home to one of the largest green roofs in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
④
Millions of titles have been added to the Libraries’ collection.
3.
The one millionth title added to the collection was a copy of the Cromwell Bible in 1971. The two millionth was Larry Kane’s Philadelphia, published by Temple University Press, in 2001. The three millionth was a rare copy of the Cranach Press Hamlet in 2008. The Libraries’ collection surpassed four million titles in 2019, the year Charles Library opened. As the Libraries’ collections have continued to grow and evolve, these milestones have become a part of their history, reflecting a collection that continues to expand in size and scope.
⑤
A robot named BookBot stores most of the books in Charles Library.
5.
Most of the books stored in Charles Library are actually located beneath the building on 50-foot-high racks. They are retrieved by a robotic automated storage and retrieval system affectionately known as BookBot. Only about 15 percent of the collection is available for browsing on the fourth floor.
⑥
You can explore decades of Temple yearbooks online.
6.
Temple has digitized the majority of its yearbooks, including The Templar, giving alumni and researchers the opportunity to explore Temple history and memories from years past. Click here to explore Temple's digitized yearbooks.
⑦
The Libraries are home to the Urban Archives, which documents Philadelphia’s history.
7.
The Urban Archives contains materials documenting the history of Philadelphia, making it a valuable resource for exploring the people, neighborhoods, institutions and events that have shaped the city. Click here to explore the Urban Archives.
⑧
The Libraries are home to one of the nation’s leading collections on the history and culture of people of African descent.
8.
The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection contains more than 500,000 items documenting the global Black experience, including books, manuscripts, sheet music, pamphlets, journals, newspapers, broadsides, posters, photographs and rare ephemera. Learn more about the Blockson Collection.
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