Fondren Library is made up of several departments, service points and places for patrons to research, study and create.
Frequently Visited Service Departments
Places to Visit, Research, and Create
Brown Fine Arts Library - Located on the third floor
Containing over 200,000 volumes related to art, architecture, classical archaeology and music, this collection supports the fine arts departments of Rice University.
Center for Academic and Professional Communication - Located on the second floor
The Center for Academic and Professional Communication serves as the communication support hub of the university for any written, oral, and visual communication projects within and across disciplines.
Digital Media Commons - Located in the basement
Supports the use of multimedia in teaching, research and creative expression by providing tools, equipment and training (including short courses)
Gilbert & Ruth Whitaker Business Information Center - Located in Jones Business School
Home to Fondren Library's business and management collection, the BIC is located in the Jones Business School.
GIS/Data Center - Located in the basement
Provides geographic information systems software and data assistance.
Kelley Center for Government Information, Data and Geospatial Services - Located in the basement
Offers access and service for United States and Texas state government information, patents and trademarks, statistical data, maps, microfilm and microfiche.
Woodson Research Center - Located on the first floor
Stewards the rarest of library artifacts, while assembling and organizing the institutional records of Rice University.
Projects and Initiatives
Fondren Fellows Program
The Fondren Fellows program funds Rice undergraduate or graduate students to conduct research or teaching projects sponsored by Fondren Library that involve skills, collections, spaces, or services related to libraries and archives.
Climate Resilience Hub
Fondren Library is a Climate Resilience Hub and is supported by Fondren's Green Team
Departments Supporting Research and Collections at Fondren Library
Administration & Organization - Located on the third floor, room 313
Provides the guidance for the Library's services and role in the University. Supports the daily operations of the Library and its staff.
Circulation & Reserves - Located on the first floor
Manages records of collection use and building access by general community users, course reserve readings, and shelving/reshelving of print library materials.
Collection Development
Builds and manages information collections in all formats.
Digital Scholarship Services
Supports projects and activities for creating, disseminating and preserving digital scholarship at Rice.
Friends of Fondren Library - Located on the first floor
Seeks to heighten community and alumni interest in Fondren Library and to support academic programs at Rice University by funding library collections and facilities.
Library Service Center (LSC) - Located off-campus
Provides off-site, preservation housing for low-use library materials
Reference - Reference desk is located on the first floor
Provides research assistance and instruction in the use of library resources.
Research Data Services
The Research Data Services team assists Rice researchers in all phases of the research data life-cycle.
Technical Services
Manages all business functions relating to the acquisition, analysis and discovery, and preservation of library collections regardless of media or format.
User Experience (UX) - UX Lab is located in the basement
Researches and enhances the user experience with usability testing, focus groups, and ethnographic interviews.