Don Essex
Dean of Library Services
(757) 823-9153
Lyman Beecher Brooks Library supports the academic programs of Norfolk State University. Built in 2012, the library is named after Dr. Lyman Beecher Brooks (1910-1984), the Director and Chief Administrative Officer of the university from 1938 to 1975. The library’s mission is to provide information resources, services, and technologies that enable and equip Norfolk State University students, faculty, and staff to become successful scholars and lifelong learners.
The library contains nearly 2 million information resources that NSU students, faculty, and staff can access. These include over 1.3 million books, more than 190,000 periodicals, and over 390,000 media. Approximately 11% of these information resources are physical resources and approximately 89% are digital resources. The latter can be accessed online and remotely.
The library also has several special collections. The Children’s Library includes nearly 3,000 fiction and nonfiction books. The Herbert A. Marshall Collection focuses on African American history and culture and contains over 17,000 works. The Harrison B. Wilson Archives holds more than 5,000 historical records related to NSU and African Americans in Virginia. And the African Art Gallery collects and exhibits over 700 works of art and artifacts from 13 African countries.
There are several information services available on the library’s website to assist researchers. These include the online catalog, which provides information about the books, periodicals, and media held by the library, and more than 180 online databases that provide access to general and specialized content on a wide range of academic and popular subjects.
For additional information about Lyman Beecher Brooks Library, please contact the Information Desk at 757-823-2418 or library@nsu.edu and visit http://lbbl.nsu.edu.