The Whitworth Library collection numbers 176,000 volumes as of July 1999. Access to these materials is through the automated catalog, CarlWeb. Scores are subject to the same circulation policies as other library books. CDs and phonorecords can be checked out by faculty only. Listening equipment is available adjacent to the collection, with additional equipment nearby in the Audiovisual Center.
Space is available for class sessions as well as for independent study.
In addition, the curriculum library houses the juvenile and young adult literature collections. The majority of science collections are housed in Cowles Memorial Library. It serves students and faculty of the nursing department, which is a consortium of Whitworth College, Eastern Washington University and Washington State University. The latter category includes Pacific Northwest Protestant history, a special collection begun in 1999. A special collection of over 1,300 photography books, mostly housed in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room.