From 1887 to 1922, the University of Wyoming Library was housed in Old Main, the university’s first and only building when the institution opened. Beginning with a donation of 300 books from Charles E. Clay, the collection steadily expanded through gifts, small acquisition budgets, and student fees.
From 1923 to 1957, the University of Wyoming Library was housed in the Library Building (now the Aven Nelson Memorial Building), a facility that marked the institution’s transition from a small campus collection to a growing academic research library. As enrollment and collections expanded, university leaders began to pursue the construction of a larger and more modern library.
The opening of William Robertson Coe Library marked a major step in the University of Wyoming Libraries’ development as a modern research institution. This new facility provided expanded space for books, study areas, and emerging services, laying the foundation for the Libraries’ continued growth and technological advancement in the decades that followed.
From 1978 to 2008, the University of Wyoming Libraries entered a period of modernization and technological transformation. During these decades, the Libraries adopted computerized catalog systems, expanded digital resources and instructional services, and developed new partnerships and facilities, strengthening the Libraries role.
From 2009 to the present, the renovation and expansion of William Robertson Coe Library transformed the facility to reflect the evolving role of academic libraries in the digital age. During this period, the University of Wyoming Libraries expanded digital collections, research services, and collaborative learning spaces, reinforcing their role as a central hub for scholarship, teaching, and student success.
The preparation of this history was made possible through the use of a wide range of institutional records, academic research, and archival materials. The Libraries wish to acknowledge and thank Jennifer Mayer for her foundational scholarship on the history of the University of Wyoming Libraries, which provided essential context and direction for this project. Her work, "William Robertson Coe Library: Reflections on the Past", is available at Coe Library and online. Gratitude is also extended to the American Heritage Center for access to photographs and archival images that enrich and document the Libraries' history. Additional thanks are due to the University of Wyoming Libraries' Digital and Open Access initiatives for the digitization and availability of The Branding Iron and other historic newspapers, which provide invaluable insight into campus life and regional history across generations. Alongside internal reports and records, these sources have supported the accuracy and depth of this historical narrative.
The University of Wyoming Libraries have stood as a cornerstone of scholarship and public service within the state’s only land-grant university for decades. Established alongside the founding of the University in 1887, the Libraries began as a small collection of books housed within the University Building, a building known today as Old Main.
By the early twentieth century, the University recognized the need for a dedicated library building. A new three-story Library Building opened its doors in 1923, marking a new era for academic resources on campus. The Libraries' collections continued to grow throughout the 1950s, expanding to encompass not only traditional print materials but also archives, government documents, and more. The completion of Coe Library in 1958, followed by significant expansions over the years, reflected a broader transformation in the role of libraries in higher education.
As technological advancements ushered in digital innovation and connectivity, the University of Wyoming Libraries embraced these changes through the development of robust electronic collections, open-access initiatives, and partnerships that extended the reach of Wyoming scholarship across the state and beyond.
Today, the University of Wyoming Libraries encompass not only Coe Library but also branches such as the Brinkerhoff Geology Library and the Rocky Mountain Herbarium. Together, they uphold a mission rooted in access, discovery, and knowledge. What began as a small reading room on the frontier has emerged as a modern research ecosystem, one that honors its history while continually adapting to the ever-changing landscape of information and learning.
The University of Wyoming has earned its Research Level 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie
Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, placing Wyoming's only four-year
university among the top research universities in the United States.
The University of Wyoming Libraries has been a Federal Depository Library since 1907. The collection comprises approximately 1.5 million print and microfiche
items in Coe Library and Library Annex, as well as maps, aerial and infrared photographs,
and geological publications housed in the Brinkerhoff Geology Library. The Federal
Document Library Program is changing from physical to digital distribution of government
information; UW Libraries provides access to online publications available from the
Federal Depository Library Program through the library catalog.
