About Us

• Guiding Directions

  • Be a partner in transformative teaching, learning, and research.
  • Welcome the university community with excellent service and resources, seamless access to those resources and services, and inclusive spaces and programs accessible and approachable to all.
  • Add to the quality of life of the CWU community.
  • Create and extend an atmosphere of inclusiveness and diversity.

• Key Three-Year Goals

  • Create welcoming user experiences and inclusive access by transforming physical spaces and creating virtual spaces and services.
  • Create diversity in the collections across disciplines and formats.
  • Create pathways to affordable course materials.
  • Build digital humanities teaching, learning, and research support.
  • Build data management services.
  • Create and nurture a nimble, responsive CWU Libraries organization.

• Anti-Racism Action Plan

  CWU Libraries is deeply committed to the dismantling of all forms of racism through our work. We acknowledge historical and current inequalities due to systemic and institutionalized racism in higher education in general and in libraries specifically. We seek to facilitate access to resources for teaching, learning, and research without barrier and without bias.

  We commit to:

  • Proactive removal of barriers to information and resources
  • Promoting historically excluded voices in the academic record
  • Supporting expansion and deepening of university-wide efforts to dismantle systemic racism

  Specific goals and objectives include:

  • Expanding our outreach to first year and first-generation students to cultivate belonging and support academic success
  • Adding and promoting primary resources from historically excluded groups through our collections
  • Collaborating across the University to provide and promote dialogue surrounding issues of race, racism, and anti-racism through purposeful programming
  • Contributing to raising the profile of Africana and Black Studies, El Centro Latinx for Latino and Latin American Studies, American Indian Studies, Asian Studies, and Women and Gender Studies
  • Prioritizing the creation and cultivation of a culture of lifelong anti-racist learning and reflection among library staff, student workers, and faculty

History of CWU Libraries

• 1892 Barge Hall

  

  The first library was in Barge Hall in several locations until finally established on the first floor. Library duties were covered by faculty until Mrs. Ella Warner was appointed full time librarian in 1901.

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• 1925 Smyser Hall

  

  October of 1925 saw the first dedicated library building at the Washington State Normal School when the building that became Shaw-Smyser Hall was completed.

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• 1961 Bouillon Hall

  

  The new library had to have the capacity to hold 250k volumes and accommodate 800 patrons. Designed by famous architect, Fred Bassetti, the new library entered service on September 1, 1961 and was dedicated to Victor J. Bouillon in 1963.

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• 1970's Lynnwood & SeaTac Libraries

  

  With the rise of distance learning at Central Washington University, Westside Libraries began offering services at CWU-Lynnwood and CWU-SeaTac.

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• 1975 Brooks Library

  

  The current four-story library was completed in 1975 and dedicated to James E. Brooks on November 5, 2003. Today it is a well-loved center of activity on campus, providing books, electronic resources, and diverse study spaces.

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• 2004/2005 Lynnwood & Des Moines Libraries

  

  In 2004, the CWU-Lynnwood Library opened in Snoqualmie Hall at Edmonds College. In 2005, the SeaTac Library moved into the Higher Education building at Highline College, eventually becoming the CWU-Des Moines Library.

Committee Composition and Membership

• Committee Composition

  11 members, including 1 ex-officio (the Dean of Libraries or designee), 10 appointed, including 5 faculty (1 CAH, 1 CEPS, 1 COTS, 1 CB, 1 CWU Center), 1 CWU staff, 1 library faculty/staff, and 3 students (appointed by the Associated Students of Central Board of Directors).

  Reports to: Dean of Libraries
  Contact: Shelley Berry, Brooks Library
  Chair: Yukari Amos
  Purpose: Advises the Dean of Libraries on the development of library collections, policies, and services.

• Committee Membership

  Member Type	Position	Member Name	Term Ends
  Ex-officio	Interim Dean of Libraries	Sydney Thompson	n/a
  Appointed	1 Faculty from CAH	Eun Young Lee	06/15/2024
  Appointed	2 Faculty from CEPS	Yukari Amos Amanda Obery	06/15/2024 06/15/2025
  Appointed	1 Faculty from CB	Vacant	06/15/2026
  Appointed	1 Faculty from COTS	Vacant	06/15/2026
  Appointed	1 Faculty from a CWU Center	Fang Wang	06/15/2024
  Appointed	1 CWU Staff	Col’Lette Gauvin	06/15/2023
  Appointed	3 CWU Students	Vacant Vacant Vacant	06/15/2024 06/15/2024 06/15/2024
  Appointed	1 Library StaffMarty Blackson		06/15/2025