Washington and Lee University
The University Library is comprised of the Leyburn Library and the Telford Science Library. The separately administered Wilbur C. Hall Law Library serves the Law School.
The James G. Leyburn Library is located directly behind Washington Hall on the University’s back campus. It has individual study carrels for more than 500 students, 31 locked studies for faculty doing research and students writing honors theses, conference and seminar rooms, and a 100-person auditorium for campus and community cultural events. Leyburn also offers several “smart” training rooms and multiple computer clusters.
The University Computing Help Desk and the Instructional Technology Laboratory, which develops, promotes and supports technology in teaching, is located on Leyburn’s main floor. Wireless Internet access is available at most points in Leyburn and Telford.
The Robert Lee Telford Science Library is located in the Science Addition. Telford houses the sciences’ collections and provides services supporting the biology, chemistry, computer science, geology, mathematics, physics-engineering, and psychology departments.
The online library catalog, Annie (in honor of Annie Jo White, Librarian 1895-1922), provides access to materials in all formats in Leyburn and Telford Libraries and the Wilbur C. Hall Law Library. The library staff maintains a library Web site to facilitate access to resources on the World Wide Web. Students and faculty have access to Annie and the library Web site through the campus network.
The library is a member of the Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) and uses the OCLC national database for cataloging and interlibrary loan purposes. Leyburn Library and the Telford Science Library are open to students and faculty 24 hours daily when classes are in session. Individual reference assistance is available 57 hours per week. In addition, the reference librarians lecture to specific classes and teach research methods and resources in a number of disciplines including art, biology, East Asian studies, economics, English, history, journalism and mass communications, and sociology.
The Special Collections Department includes rare books and manuscripts and the University archives, with a collection emphasis on the history of the University and Rockbridge County, Lee and Washington, and the Shenandoah Valley.
Student computing involves discipline-specific software for instruction and research, word processing, World Wide Web use, e-mail, file storage and sharing, and other network resources made available to both student-owned and University-provided computers. Students have opportunities to create Web pages and, in an increasing number of courses, to use advanced tools to find, analyze, and present information.
More than 95 percent of W&L students own a computer, a proportion that continues to rise. The University licenses basic anti-virus and office automation software licenses for all student-owned computers. Students living in University residence halls, apartments, fraternities, and sororities can connect their computers at no charge to the University’s high-speed Ethernet network. Students who live elsewhere can access the network via modem, also at no charge, and several local Internet Service Providers offer high-speed access.
On campus, the University also makes more than 300 computers available to students in general purpose computing labs, teaching labs, and departmental labs. From any of these private or University computers students can access resources across campus and, via the Internet, around the world. The majority of university classrooms are equipped with the most modern technology tools to aid in instruction.
In addition to a widespread and sophisticated traditional network, the University offers wireless network access throughout the Law School and in a growing number of areas of the undergraduate campus, including Huntley Hall (home to the Williams School), the Elrod University Commons, and Leyburn Library. The speed and capacity of its connection to the Internet are unsurpassed among liberal arts institutions.
Most of the University- and student-owned computers are Intel-based systems running Microsoft Windows as their operating system and, although a few Macintoshes are present, the University recommends Windows systems. Departmental labs also provide high-end workstations and other specialized equipment dedicated to specific analytic and instructional functions.
