Benner Library and Learning Resource Center

The Benner Library and Learning Resource Center was completed in 1975. A four-story structure of 80,000 square feet, it combined both the new building and the Memorial Library (completed in 1955).

In addition to a collection of over 170,000 books, the library also houses over 350,000 other items in various formats (videotapes, compact discs, maps, microfilm, etc.), subscribes to almost 1,000 print journals, and provides access to over 15,000 full-text electronic journals. As a participant in the Federal Depository program, the library receives U.S. government documents on a selective basis. Photocopiers, printers, microfilm reader-printers, and fax services are available for a nominal fee.

Using the library’s online catalog, BLISweb, students and faculty may search the library’s collection via the Internet from within the library, from other campus locations, and from off-campus sites. Now part of a statewide consortium, Benner Library shares its online catalog with 64 other Illinois academic libraries. Members of the Olivet community can check their borrowing record, renew materials, and place online requests for items in the shared catalog.

Through the library’s home page, users can access BLISweb and a wide variety of other electronic resources and services, including Web databases, research guides for departments and classes, and useful Internet sites.

Additional library services include computer labs, public access computers, wireless access to the Internet, a coffee shop, a laptop checkout program, group study rooms, listening and viewing facilities, the Curriculum Center with children’s books and materials for educators, and special delivery services for off-campus students. Original documents pertaining to the history of Olivet and the Church of the Nazarene are available in the Archives.

Through interlibrary loan and other cooperative agreements with several organizations (including the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois and the Prairie Area Library System), Benner Library can provide the Olivet community with a wealth of services and materials beyond its walls.