About

The Architecture and Fine Arts (AFA) Library, located in Fine Arts Building A, opened in 1965 with holdings of about 20,000 volumes. FAA Building, designed by the firm Kemp, Bunch, and Jackson, also bears the name Weaver Hall in honor of Rudolph Weaver, architect of the Board of Regents and long-time advocate for the creation of the library. Shaped under the influence of Dean Turpin Bannister, a founder of the Society of Architectural Historians, AFA Library’s substantive core collection included unique items ranging from 16th century imprints to a rare portfolio of Frank Lloyd Wright drawings. Today, with over 130,000 volumes and an array of other formats, AFA is one of the largest art library collections in the Southeast.

The collections of AFA Library primarily support academic programs associated with the College of Design, Construction & Planning and the College of the Arts. In addition to bound volumes (books, journals, musical scores), the library holds over 12,000 sound and video recordings.

AFA Library functions through the skilled work of three librarians, three additional full-time staff, and several student employees involved in a variety of public service, collection management, and technical service activities.

The AFA Library Website is a locus for information about the library and its resources, both physical and electronic. Accessible via this site are discipline-focused research guides which provide numerous links to databases and curated lists of research tools, as well as information about related physical collections, services, and tutorials.

The AFA Library’s specialization and size make it an important university, state, and regional resource. In addition to its resources, the library’s unique space continually impresses visitors. Our hallmark double-decker carrels, popular with students, dominate the wood-paneled, 20-ft ceilinged reading room. While generally a quiet space, the AFA Library reading room is enlivened with the activities of individuals inspired to enrich the world with their creative efforts.