Southern Oregon University Hannon Library

The Southern Oregon University Hannon Library is dedicated to student success, intellectual growth, and responsible global citizenship. The bright and welcoming 122,830 square foot library offers an extensive collection of resources to meet the instructional, research, and general information needs of its users. The library’s collections include 340,000 print volumes, 115,000 e-books, 296,000 government publications, and 1,689 periodical, serial, and newspaper subscriptions. Additionally, students have access to 24,125 unique journals through nearly 80 research databases, and over 820,000 items in microform.

Special resources in the Hannon Library include the 9,000-volume Margery Bailey Collection of Shakespeare and English Renaissance materials, recognized collections in Native American studies and viticulture/enology, and a local history and bioregion collection covering southern Oregon and northern California. The library also houses 10,000 videos and extensive map, children’s literature, and art print collections. The secure, climate-controlled Special Collections area contains valuable, rare, and fragile materials, including Shakespeare’s 2nd and 4th folios from 1632 and 1685.

Hannon Library’s membership in the Orbis Cascade Alliance provides access to 30 million items at 37 member academic libraries in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The library’s qualified and dedicated staff offer numerous value-added services, including an online reservation system for study rooms, a voice-over room for creating presentations, and the Digital Media Gallery to display student productions.

The library’s website (hanlib.sou.edu) offers customized research guides for all academic programs at SOU and is regularly updated with links to new resources. Librarians reach approximately 4,500 students annually through more than 200 library instruction sessions. Hannon Library engages the campus and larger community through exhibits, displays, programs, and events, such as the annual Ashland Book and Author Festival and the Southern Oregon Arts and Research (SOAR) conference.

Southern Oregon University traces its origins to the Ashland Academy, a private preparatory school established in 1872 by the Methodist Episcopal Church in Ashland. In 1895, the institution was renamed Southern Oregon Normal School, and classes were held on a site about a mile south of the present campus. After a brief closure from 1909 to 1926, the university reopened and headquartered in Churchill Hall. The library at that time provided resources for training teaching professionals and was located in one large room on the first floor of Churchill Hall. During World War II, the university faced a crisis in enrollment, dropping to only 45 students in 1945-46. New president Elmo Stevenson initiated a period of development, expanding the library to several rooms by 1948. A new Library Classroom Building was completed in 1951, but soon outgrown. In 1967, a modern three-story library building opened, which remains part of the current library structure. The library’s resources and services continued to expand, with librarians beginning to offer library instruction in the 1970s and the online catalog becoming available to the public in 1993.

La Grande, Oregon, located in Union County, is the county's largest city, with a population of 13,082 as of the 2010 U.S. Census. Situated in the Grande Ronde Valley, La Grande is surrounded by the Blue Mountains, Elkhorn Mountains, and Eagle Cap Wilderness. Originally a logging and agriculture town, La Grande is now a gateway for outdoor sports and recreation. The city is known for its vibrant arts scene, with venues such as the Liberty Theater and the Elgin Opera House. La Grande is also home to Eastern Oregon University, contributing to the city’s cultural and educational vibrancy.