Shannon Library Uva -

The Shannon Library is more than UVA’s law library. It is a blueprint for what every academic library should strive to become.

The Shannon Library, officially known as the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, was designed by architect Paul Rudolph and completed in 1976. The library's striking design features a bold, modernist aesthetic with a distinctive " fortress-like" exterior and a spacious, naturally lit interior. The building was named after the Shannon family, who were prominent Charlottesville residents. shannon library uva

The Shannon Library houses a world-class legal collection of over 800,000 volumes and volume equivalents. Its print collection is particularly strong in Anglo-American common law, legal history, and U.S. federal and state materials. The Shannon Library is more than UVA’s law library

Dedicated in the late 20th century and significantly renovated and expanded in the 2010s, the Shannon Library bridges the gap between UVA’s Jeffersonian architectural tradition and the needs of a modern, mobile legal scholar. The library's striking design features a bold, modernist

The Edgar Shannon Library serves as the primary research facility for the humanities and social sciences at the University of Virginia (UVA). Following a massive four-year, $161 million renovation, the building reopened in January 2024 with a new name and a modernized design that blends its historic 1938 roots with state-of-the-art academic spaces.