The library system supports undergraduate reading and advanced research. Through membership in the Center for Research Libraries, interlibrary loan, and Orbis, many items not owned by the library system can be obtained. The Oregon Collection contains specialized materials about Oregon history, life, and letters. These information technology centers provide access to the World Wide Web as well as CD-ROM resources. The library's Instructional Media Center supports the instructional and research endeavors of the university's faculty with an extensive inventory of audio-visual hardware and nonprint software.
Faculty members offer assistance and consultation for instructional improvement.
Dating from 1872, the records of the University of Oregon are on deposit in the University Archives, a department of the university library system. These materials are open for research under the state of Oregon laws governing the use of public records. The University Archives are in the west end of Fenton Hall. As collections grew during the next twenty years, the library moved to progressively larger quarters in various locations. The 1905 legislature appropriated funds for a new library building, now Fenton Hall.