When Cornell University Libraries outgrew its space in the 1950s, Stephen McCarthy ,the director, set out to build a modern research library. His plan became a reality with the opening of Olin Library in 1961.

Since then the Olin collections have grown along with the rapid expansion of the university’s research and teaching programs.

The range of material in the Olin collections is broad, and the richness of its resources is impressive. The general collections represent the array of disciplines in social sciences and humanities, and extensive research-level materials are available in philosophy, religion, classics, government, political science, history, economics, history of science, linguistics, and literature. The holdings in literature from around the world are a scholar’s delight, especially the English literature collection, which is recognized as a national resource. Olin also houses fine collections of area-studies material, (e.g., its rapidly growing Slavic and Latin American collections).

The notably strong collection of reference materials includes more than 20,000 volumes in the reading room area and many thousands of volumes in the general collections. It features all of the national bibliographies available worldwide as well as an extensive collection of subject bibliographies and indexes.

The Olin holdings are also particularly strong in national and international documents, especially those published by the United States government and by the United Nations and its related organizations. In addition, newspapers and maps from around the world are available in Olin.