Stanford University Libraries SUL

History and Founding

Stanford University Libraries (SUL) is the library system of Stanford University in Stanford, California. Its origins date to the university's founding in 1885, with the first library housed in the northeast corner of the inner quadrangle. The Thomas Welton Stanford Library, a dedicated building, replaced it in 1900. A larger structure was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake before completion. The modern library system grew substantially through the twentieth century, aided by major endowments including Jane Stanford's 1905 direction that her jewels fund library acquisitions—establishing the Jewel Fund, now worth approximately $20 million. SUL today encompasses more than 24 libraries across the university campus.

Collections and Holdings

The SUL system includes the main Cecil H. Green Library, Lathrop Library (a 24-hour student resource), the Hoover Institution Library and Archives, the Lane Medical Library, the Branner Earth Sciences Library, the David Rumsey Map Center, and numerous subject and departmental libraries. The Hoover Institution holds nearly one million volumes and over 6,000 archival collections from 171 countries, focusing on war, revolution, and peace. Digital collections include digitised manuscripts, rare books, the EarthWorks geospatial data repository, and an extensive web archiving programme.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

SUL subscribes to major national and international newspaper databases, providing access to titles including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. The libraries are known for sustained web archiving work spanning more than 15 years, including participation in the End of Term Archive project since 2016, which preserves US federal government websites at the conclusion of presidential administrations. Special Collections and University Archives hold personal papers of notable journalists and public figures, as well as documentation of Silicon Valley's media and technology industries.

Access and Usage

SUL resources are primarily available to Stanford students, faculty, and staff. Special Collections materials are available to external researchers by appointment. The online catalogue SearchWorks provides access to over 12 million physical and digital resources. Digital collections are publicly accessible online. Subject specialists across more than 50 disciplines are available to assist with research.