July marks the 58th year of SBU Libraries! When did the first library open on the SBU campus? Why is the Melville Library a building within a building? And when did the catalog first go online? All of these questions and much more are answered and documented on the timeline history of Stony Brook University Libraries. Take a trip through SBU history, and learn about the key events and milestones that have shaped the libraries. View below a selection of photographs from the timeline history.
![](https://library.stonybrook.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/sbuaerial1962.jpg)
![](https://library.stonybrook.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/library1969-1024x424.jpg)
![](https://library.stonybrook.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/sbulibrary1970-1024x466.jpg)
![](https://library.stonybrook.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/library1975.jpg)
![](https://library.stonybrook.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/library1987-1024x533.jpg)
Kristen Nyitray
Associate Librarian; Director, Special Collections and University Archives; and University Archivist at Stony Brook University Libraries
Contact her for research assistance with rare books, manuscript collections, historical maps, and SBU history. E-mail: kristen.nyitray@stonybrook.edu.
Latest posts by Kristen Nyitray (see all)
- Spring 2024 Art Crawl Recap - March 28, 2024
- #SBUGivingDay is Here! Support SBU Libraries in Digitizing Dan’s Papers - March 27, 2024
- Join Us on the Art Crawl: Wednesday March 27 from 12pm to 3pm - March 18, 2024