James M. Milne Library Endowment

Dedicated to supporting the instructional and research activities of the college, the Milne Library has been recognized by our students and faculty as an important part of their educational experience.  On the Student Opinion Survey, students rank the Library at the top of the list of services and facilities. 

Our Library is a source of pride and enhances the reputation of our College. The attractive, five-story building located in the center of campus houses our print collections (including videos, CDs, and tapes) as well as a 40-station computer lab and space for individual and group study.

To supplement the print collections, the web site also serves as a gateway to resources beyond the library's walls, including the Internet. The Library’s annual budget provides much of these resources. However costs of books, periodicals, electronic and other non-print resources have increased dramatically in recent years, greatly outpacing inflation. Our goal is to establish an endowment to maintain the margin of excellence that has resulted in the excellent library collection that our College has built over many years.

Whether you are an alumnus/a, parent, student, faculty, staff or friend, we would welcome your special gift in support of our library. Click here to make a gift to the James M. Milne Library Endowment.

Interesting Facts about the James M. Milne Library

• The James M. Milne Library was named after the first principal of the Oneonta Normal School. The five-story building is a centrally located resource center with materials to support the instructional and research activities of the college.
• On the Student Opinion Survey, students rank the library at the top of the list of services and facilities, and the scores for satisfaction have increased in each of the last three administrations of the survey.
• The Milne Library has the second largest collection of the SUNY colleges of arts and sciences, with about 550,000 volumes.
• Milne Library houses a 40 station computer lab, college archival materials, over 89,000 government documents, and a substantial collection of maps.
• The Dewey Room, which supports the teacher education program contains 19,000 volumes of children’s literature and 12,000 textbooks and curriculum materials.
• During the academic year the library is open seven days or 93 hours a week.
• A one-credit course is offered that provides a detailed introduction to the library.
• The Alden Room contains special-interest book collections, faculty publications, and a fine collection of early textbooks.
• The Milne Library subscribes to 104 online databases that provide access to over 12,000 full-text journals and newspapers.