Princeton University

The 500-acre Princeton campus is a nexus of opportunity for students. A wealth of resources and support services help them get the most out of their time at the University. From first-rate libraries to innovative computer technology, students have access to many tools to explore academic interests.

The Princeton University Library, one of the world’s most distinguished research libraries, consists of the Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library and 10 special libraries. Its holdings include more than 6.9 million books, 6 million microforms, 35,000 linear feet of manuscripts, and smaller but distinguished holdings of rare books, prints, archives, and other material that require special handling. The library’s extensive electronic resources include databases and journals, statistical packages, images, and digital maps. The budget for 2008–09 was approximately $46 million, which included more than $21 million for acquisitions.

Founded in 1882, the Princeton University Art Museum is one of the finest art museums in the country. Its collection features approximately 70,000 works ranging from ancient to contemporary art, and concentrating geographically on the Mediterranean regions, Western Europe, China, the United States, and Latin America, with particular strengths in Chinese painting and calligraphy, art of the ancient Americas, and pictorial photography. The museum is committed to serving the University and local community, the region, and beyond through innovative and dynamic programming, original research and new scholarship, an active loan program, and the organization of touring exhibitions of its works.

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) supports the use of information technologies and Internet access for the University’s academic and administrative needs. Princeton’s computing resources are connected to campus fiber-optic and wireless networks and to the Internet. Students’ personally owned computers can access the campus network and the Internet in dormitories and around campus. Students also have access to workstations in clusters. OIT’s support for academic endeavors includes the Blackboard course management system, TIGRESS high-performance research computing center, an instructional technology New Media Center, the Humanities Resource Center, and the Educational Technologies Center. OIT also provides administrative information systems, audiovisual services, computer hardware repair, coordination and training for distributed campus computing support personnel, software purchases, the University’s telephone system, a walk-in solutions center, and help desk assistance in the use of these resources.