Fresno State Library

Academic library

Fresno State Library

Main entrance to the Fresno State Library

Established| 1911
Branches| 1 library; 2 buildings
Collection
Size| 1.1 million (books);[1] 5 floors; 365,000-square-feet
Access and use
Circulation| 382,148[2]
Other information
Budget| $7.5 million annually
Employees| 84.5 FTE (19 librarians; 31 library staff; 26.5 student assistants; 8 other professional)
Website| https://library.fresnostate.edu/
Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery

The Fresno State Library is the name of an academic library in Fresno, California. It serves as the main resource for recorded knowledge and information supporting the teaching, research, and service functions of the California State University, Fresno.

## History

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The library was established in 1911[3] and it was named after former library dean Henry Madden in 1981. The university's Board of Trustees voted to rename the library in 2022 due to controversy regarding Madden's political views (see below).

In 2009, the library underwent a major $105 million renovation that was largely financed by a multi-million-dollar endowment from the Table Mountain casino, operated by the Chukchansi tribes of California.[4]

Michael Gorman, another former dean of the library, was the president of the American Library Association in 2005–2006.

## Controversy

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In November 2021, Fresno State's president, Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, announced that a task force had been created to investigate renaming the library due to information that had come to light recently concerning Henry Madden's "deeply held anti-Semitic views and Nazi sympathies."[5] The task force reviewed over 100,000 letters and documents donated to the library after Madden's death which had been curated by the former librarian and contained anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi views. “While Dr. Madden had the opportunity later in life to reflect on those views, there is no evidence that he renounced those views."[6]

On July 14, 2022, the Fresno State Board of Trustees voted to rename the Henry Madden Library.[7][8]

## Design

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The newest, main building was designed by AC Martin and Partners and is based on elements derived from Native American basket weaving, as is evidenced in the façade and interior of the building.[9]

## Collections

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The library contains 1.13 million volumes[10] in 370,000 sq feet, placing it among the largest libraries in the California State University system. The library is home to the largest installation of compact shelving on any single floor in the United States. The shelves amount to over 20 miles in length.[11] It is currently the third largest library in the CSU system (in terms of square footage), and among the top ten largest in the CSU system based on the number of volumes. It also is the largest academic building on the Fresno State campus.[12]

The library features a number of special collections such as:

* The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature, a research center with over 55,000 books and manuscripts, the oldest dating back to 1865, one of the largest collections west of the Mississippi.
* Woodward Special Collections Research Center, containing the Central Valley Political Archive.
* 15 photographs by Ansel Adams
* Federal and California Government depository collection[13]

The oldest book in the collection is a 1474 copy of Vita Christi (The life of Christ) by Ludolph of Saxony in two volumes, acquired in 1963.

## References

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1. ^ "CSU Library Annual Statistic Report 2017-18" (PDF). Calstate.edu. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
2. ^ "CSU Library Annual Statistic Report 2017-18" (PDF). Calstate.edu. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
3. ^ "A Brief History of The Madden Library". California State University, Fresno. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
4. ^ "Central California library receives $10 million gift from tribe". Fresno State News. December 14, 2006. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
5. ^ Calix, Brianna (November 29, 2021). "Fresno State's Madden Library facing name change after 'Nazi sympathies' discovered". Fresno Bee. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
6. ^ "Fresno State library name removed due to namesake's beliefs". AP NEWS. 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
7. ^ Martinez, Christian (July 14, 2022). "Fresno State will rename library named after Nazi sympathizer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
8. ^ Hornbuckle, Del (July 14, 2022). "Fresno State Library seeks truth and understanding as it moves beyond name controversy". Fresno Bee. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
9. ^ "Native American History in Tomorrow's Library: Henry Madden Library at California State University, Fresno, by AC Martin Partners in association with RMJM Hillier". ArchNewsNow. August 20, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
10. ^ "We Illuminate: The Henry Madden Library at Fresno State". Fresno State. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
11. ^ "Henry Madden Library". California State University, Fresno. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
12. ^ Boniface, Russell (January 26, 2007). "Native American Tribe's Gift Helps A.C Martin Partners, Hillier Realize New Library in Fresno". ALArchitect. Archived from the original on August 21, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
13. ^ "Overview & Access - Government Information Collections - Research Guides at California State University Fresno". Libguides.csufresno.edu. 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2013-09-28.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Henry Madden Library.

* Main website

* v
* t
* e

California State University, Fresno

Located in: Fresno, California

Facilities|

* The Arboretum at Fresno State
* Bulldog Stadium
* Henry Madden Library
* Pete Beiden Field
* Save Mart Center
* Selland Arena

Athletics|

| Programs|

* Fresno State Bulldogs
* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Football
* Softball

|

Rivals|

* Boise State
* Battle for the Milk Can
* Hawaii
* Battle for the Golden Screwdriver
* San Diego State
* Battle for the Oil Can
* San Jose State
* Valley Cup

Culture|

* 2008 Fresno State Bulldogs baseball team
* Bulldog Stadium
* Save Mart Center
* Pete Beiden Field
* Mountain West Conference

Related|

* List of California State University, Fresno people

* Category
* Commons
* Founded: 1911

* v
* t
* e

City of Fresno

Transportation|

* Fresno Area Express
* FAX Q
* Fresno Chandler Executive Airport
* Fresno Yosemite International Airport
* Santa Fe Passenger Depot
* Sierra Sky Park Airport

Landmarks|

* Big Fresno Fair
* Bulldog Stadium
* Chukchansi Park
* Forestiere Underground Gardens
* Fresno Chaffee Zoo
* Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science
* Fulton Mall
* Save Mart Center
* Selland Arena
* Tower Theatre
* Warnors Theatre
* Woodward Park

Research & education|

| Colleges and universities|

* California Christian College
* Fresno City College
* Fresno State University
* Fresno Pacific University
* Fresno Pacific University Biblical Seminary
* Oak Brook College of Law
* UCSF Fresno

|

Libraries|

* Fresno County Public Library
* Fresno State Library

Primary and
secondary schools|

* Clovis Unified School District
* Clovis North HS
* Clovis West HS
* Central Unified School District
* Central HS
* Justin Garza HS
* Fresno Christian HS
* Fresno Unified School District
* Bullard HS
* Edison HS
* Fresno HS
* Hoover HS
* McLane HS
* Roosevelt HS
* Sunnyside HS
* San Joaquin Memorial HS

Government and military|

* 1106th TASMG
* 194th Fighter Squadron
* 63rd Infantry Division
* Fresno Air Attack Base
* Fresno Police Department
* Fresno County Sheriff's Office
* Fresno City Council (Fresno City Hall)
* Marine Wing Support Squadron 473
* United States District Court for the Eastern District of California

Sports|

* Central Valley Fuego FC
* Fresno Freeze FC
* Fresno Grizzlies
* Fresno Monsters
* Fresno State Bulldogs
* Fresno Pacific Sunbirds

Other|

* The Fresno Bee
* Timeline
* History of the Hmong people
* People
* Community Regional Medical Center

* Category

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

36°48′43″N 119°44′58″W﻿ / ﻿36.81194°N 119.74944°W﻿ / 36.81194; -119.74944
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