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About the Library
Evergreen's Library staff are dedicated to providing the best possible service for academic programming, students, staff, faculty and community patrons. The team continually seeks new and innovative ways to:
- Deliver information in all possible formats to meet ever-changing research and academic needs
- Provide quality instruction in the use of available materials
- Serve as a repository of unique titles and collections
Mission, Vision and Values
Mission
The Daniel J. Evans Library empowers patrons to make meaning in their communities by providing access to diverse collections, accessible spaces, and welcoming support for all.
Vision
The Daniel J. Evans Library is the heart of The Evergreen State College’s Olympia campus. We are a center of inquiry and engagement, a hub for community and curiosity, and an incubator for imagination, experimentation, and creation. We help make meaning.
Values
- We value academic and intellectual freedom
- We value access to knowledge, fair use and the art of the remix
- We value growth and visible progress
- We value collaboration, transparency and inclusivity in our decision-making
- We value diverse opinions and viewpoints, building collections that reflect multiple perspectives
- We value generosity, we seek to be generous in both knowledge and spirit
- We value a community where everyone belongs and feels included
- We value curiosity and asking questions that may not yet have answers
“We are the music makers, / And we are the dreamers of dreams ….”
- from ‘Ode’ by Arthur O’Shaughnessy
“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?”
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Art in the Library
Display Cases
Each quarter, the library welcomes exhibits that showcase materials from our community and beyond. Recent exhibitions include The Solastalgic Archive and Indigepunk.
Displays & Exhibitions in the Library
Permanent Collection
The Library’s permanent art displays include work by faculty, a stained-glass installation, a multilingual quilt-themed mosaic and the magnificent 1970s-era doors from Evergreen's original art gallery. The Library also helps to preserve and manage the College's permanent art collection.
Current Exhibit
September 29 - December 12, 2024
Puget Sound Book Artists 13th Annual Members' Exhibition: Time Travel
Evergreen is pleased to welcome back the Puget Sound Book Artists annual exhibition, showcasing Artist Books from around the region.
Malcom Stilson Archives and Special Collections
Evergreen’s archive hosts a detailed history of the college, digital copies of the original Cooper Point Journal and its predecessor, the Weakly Drag, a historical collection of Evergreen’s documents and more.
As a member institution of the Archives West, which provides access to descriptions of primary sources in the northwestern U.S., correspondence, diaries, photographs, and digital reproductions of primary sources are available in some cases.
Archival collections continue to be digitized. Browse some of the Library's current digital collections and exhibits online.
Special Collections
Tailored to support your research, Evergreen's collections includes books, articles, films, maps, music, audiobooks, language resources, games and more. Search the online catalog and databases for any materials you need.
Not finding what you're looking for? We partner with local libraries and institutions and you can search their materials right from the Evergreen catalog!
Audiovisual Collection
Records, CDs, VHS and DVD
In addition to many films on VHS, DVD, CDs and audiobooks, the library boasts an extensive record collection. More than 5,000 LPs are available for checkout.
Map Collection
Explore cartography
Explore cartography with pulldown maps, globs, marine navigation maps and every USGS quad for Washington and Oregon. There are maps of all shapes and sizes!
Summit Collection
Access collections from over 35 other academic libraries
As a member of the Orbis Cascade Alliance, you have access to the physical circulating collections of more than 35 other academic libraries in the Pacific Northwest. Find them in the library catalog using the Evergreen+ Summit search option. Current students, faculty and staff can order a Summit book or film and have it in hand within 3-5 business days.
Rare Books Room
Explore the art of the book with rare and unusual items. Named for the founding dean of the library, James F. Holly, this collection hosts a variety of gems including handmade and small press books, miniature books and trade books that are rare and beautiful to look at, touch and read.
In addition, there is a collection of books with regional content and themes including Northwest authors, Northwest history and diverse antiquities donated by people who live in the Pacific Northwest region.
A Hub for Academic Inquiry
Curriculum Room and Children's Literature
Evergreen hosts a collection of teaching tools and reference materials for students working with children. It includes teacher editions of textbooks, as well as innovative tools like puppets and games and it's a great place to study! You don't need to be working with children to use this space.
There's a room full of children and young adult books on the third floor. Evergreen's Children’s Center occasionally displays student projects there too.
Support the Library
Your gift provides flexible support to the Daniel J Evans library. Through this fund, the Dean is able to host readings and gallery talks, expand the library collection, promote information and media literacy, and support professional development that keeps our librarians on top of emerging trends in information technology.
Your gift to this endowed fund helps Evergreen draw nationally recognized authors to give public lectures. The Reading Series aims to create learning opportunities across disciplines. Funds may also be used for material infrastructure to support presentations in the library.
Your gift to this endowed fund ensures access to state-of-the-art technology in the CCAM by supporting future equipment purchases and ensuring the Center remains at the cutting edge of digital media.