Collection Strengths: The library collects broadly and deeply in most traditional liberal arts disciplines. Theology, Religion, American and English literature, and Philosophy are the library's strongest collections. Within theology, the library collects exhaustively in Reformed theology and Calvinism.
Collection Statistics as of June 30, 2023
| Book Titles (Print)* | 539,149 | Excludes bound journal volumes |
| Book Titles (Electronic)* | 581,540 | |
| Bound Journal Volumes | 124,462 | |
| Journal Titles (Print)* | 5,793 | |
| Journal Titles (Electronic)* | 111,005 | Includes journals accessible through research databases |
| Physical Media Titles* | 101,081 | Includes microforms, audiovisual, maps |
| Paid Databases | 41 | this is the number as of July 17, 2023 |
| Locally Created Databases | 5 | |
| Total Databases | 232 | this is the number as of Jan 30, 2024 |
| TOTAL COLLECTION | 1,338,568 | All items marked with an asterisk (*) |
Special Collections as of May 1, 2022
| Cayvan Recorded Media | 18,405 | Provides audio visual media for all academic departments, the Calvin community, and guests. |
| Children's Literature | 7,861 | Includes many Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz winners |
| Curriculum Collection | 29,584 | Supports the Education Department's curriculum |
| Government Documents | 213,542 | All formats |
| Heritage Hall (Archives) |
4,228 (cataloged volumes) 4,892 (archival records) |
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| Meeter Center for Calvin Studies | 10,362 | |
| Ministry Resource Center | 13,818 | |
| Rare Books & Journals | 10,273 |
Services
| Research Inquiries | 1,717 | All one-on-one research encounters |
| Classes Taught | 55 | Includes class sessions in the library |
| Interlibrary Loan Sent | 11,421 | Includes MeLCat |
| Interlibrary Loan Received | 4,163 | Includes MeLCat |
| Circulation | 103,172 | Includes renewals |
| Ebook Usage | 294,509 | COUNTER BR2 only (as of June 30, 2019) |
| Ejournal Usage | 231,300 | COUNTER JR1 (as of June 30, 2019) |
Staff (FTE)
| Librarians | 7.5 | |
| Professional and Support Staff | 7.8 | |
| Students (FTE) | 8.2 | 1 FTE equals 2000 hours |
Other
| Study Spaces | 1037 | Includes tables, carrels, study rooms |
| Square Footage | 125,000 | Includes all five floors |
| Open Hours | 83 | Typical week |
| Gate Counts | 11,095 | Typical week, entrances only |
Hekman
Library