Ford Motor Company Library

Main Library 1st floor
Main Library 2nd floor

The Main Library, Hollis Burke Frissell, was constructed in 1932 and is named for the late Dr. Hollis Burke Frissell, the second principal of Hampton Institute. The official name change to the Ford Motor Company Library/Learning Resource Center was the result of the completion of a 4.5 million dollar renovation to the Hollis Burke Frissell Library facility. The renovated library was dedicated in March 2001. The Ford Motor Company Library/Learning Resource Center is consistent with the many technological changes that exist in Library and Information Science today.

Currently, the main library collection contains over 310,000 volumes of books and bound journals, 1,400 subscriptions to magazines and journals, twenty newspapers, 95,000 microforms and 30,000 government documents.

Public Access Workstations (PAWS) are available in all the service areas of the main library and departmental libraries for library-related research and do not contain productivity software such as Microsoft Office. Access to these workstations may be restricted to Tuskegee University students, faculty, and staff.

The Library was designated a Federal Depository Library in 1907. Depository library programs are effective means for providing wide dispersal of and free public access to government information.

The Washington Room, located on the third floor of the main library, is named in honor of Booker T. Washington. It contains materials that are "by and about Black People." It is comprised of approximately 30,000 volumes and several microform sets. It's strongest holdings are in African-American history and literature, materials about Africa and the entire Black Diaspora are included.

Adjacent to the Washington Room is the Rare Book Room. The rare book collection is comprised of books published before 1900, books published in limited editions, valuable first editions and autographed books. It contains a sizeable collection of abolitionist literature. All publications by and about the Presidents of Tuskegee University and George Washington Carver are housed in the collection. Also, a large collection of pamphlets dealing primarily with racial issues is housed in the Rare Book Room.

Located on the third floor of the Main Library is the Computer Lab, which offers students access to high speed Internet access, word processing, data management, publishing and presentation capability. This e-Learning lab is equipped with forty-two personal computer workstations, wireless networking capability, a high speed printer, a video cassette/DVD player, a ceiling-mounted LCD projector and surround sound for instruction and training purposes.

In addition to advanced word processing technology, the lab is also networked so students can access TU Online for coursework, TigerWeb to verify course and account information, as well as access the library's online catalog, online journal subscriptions and numerous other databases needed for research and educational purposes.