About the Library

Library Mission

The Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery fulfills the information needs of a research university with a distinctive undergraduate and graduate experience. We strive to offer the highest quality resources and services for UMBC's growing and evolving teaching, learning, research and service environment.

Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery Vision

Annual Report for FY2007-2008PDF document

Our Name

The Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery was dedicated in 1982 in honor of Albin Owings Kuhn, the founding Chancellor of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

The Gallery:

The Library Gallery is nationally recognized for its presentations of three to four exhibitions yearly featuring art from the UMBC Library Special Collections or from other collections and artists. Click here for information about current exhibitions.

Library Facts

Library Brochure PDF Document

Library Organizational ChartWord Document

Attendance:
  • seating capacity for 1,146
  • 530,000+ attendance per year, average

Library Collections:

  • 1,000,000+ books & bound journals (max. capacity bound volumes = 1.1M to 1.2M)
  •         3,500+ current subscriptions
  • 1,800,000+ photographs and slides
  •       30,000+ sound recordings
  • 1,000,000+ microform pieces
  •         1,200+ linear feet of manuscripts/archives
  •     180,000+ government documents
                   Federal Depository since 1972
                   Maryland State Depository since 1984
  •     100,000+ slides [Slide Library, Fine Arts 216]

Library Hours:

  • 94 service hours per week, Fall & Spring semesters
  • 80 hours per week, Summer sessions
  • 76 hours per week, January session and interim periods
  • Click here for current Library Hours or call 410-455-2233.
  • The Library atrium and building lounge are open for study 24 hours per day.

Library & Gallery Faculty and Staff:

Library & Gallery Building:

  • West wing ("Phase I") constructed in 1968
  • East wing ("Phase II") constructed in 1975
  • Tower ("Phase III") and refurbishing completed in 1995 at a total cost of $23 Million
  • Tower ("Phase III") architects were Shepley, Bullfinch, Richardson & Abbott (Boston) and Cho, Wilks, Benn (Baltimore)
  • Total Net Assignable Square Feet of Phases I & II = 90,000
  • Total Net Assignable Square Feet of Phase III = 90,000; Gross Square Feet = 131,000
  • Furniture in the AOK Library: Descriptions and Photographs

Library Catalog: catalogusmai

contains more than 3 million bibliographic records linked to more than 5 million campus holdings records for more than 7 million items held in a total of 16 libraries on the 12 campuses of the University System of Maryland and the 2 affiliated institutions of higher education in Maryland.

Participating campuses are those of the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions (USMAI). The affiliated institutions are Morgan State University and St. Mary's College of Maryland. The catalog is part of the USMAI's Library Information Management System (LIMS) which supports the acquisitions, cataloging, circulation and financial records and transactions, and other library support functions in addition to the online catalog. This system contains over 195,000 current patron records. It was implimented under contract with Ex Libris on January 6, 2003.

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