The Manchester Library & Learning Center is a vibrant and welcoming space on campus for thoughtful collaboration, connection and learning. 

Noted as the academic heart of campus, it is steeped in abundant and varied resources that meet students’ connection and collaboration needs as well as their academic goals.

From silent and group study spaces, to stacks of books and periodicals, from the Media Lab to the historical archives, students are surrounded by materials to brace their learning goals, needs and interests. 

The library staff is responsive to the shifting needs of the School and the community. They provide curriculum support to the faculty and students, continually adding books and media that reflect and support the School culture. The primary goals of the library staff are to help develop critical thinkers who use sources ethically and responsibly and to support lifelong learning and a love of reading. 

Information Literacy Instruction

With 33 databases, more than 24,000 books and 90,000 ebooks, the instruction librarian partners with teachers to create opportunities for students to develop their critical thinking and analytical skills to evaluate and use information responsibly. The progression of skills build as students advance through the years, creating lifelong habits.

The Building

With craftsman details throughout, the Manchester Library & Learning Center honors the three Irving Gill-designed buildings on Bishop’s campus. Filled with a robust print and digital collection, the facility is a blend of tradition and technology, including four group study rooms with 50-inch monitors for digital projects, individual study carrels, a writing center and a media lab. 

The building has 22,000 square feet on three levels. The main level is The Huntington Library Collection, which includes the reference and history sections. The atrium level comprises both fiction and nonfiction, and the upper level hosts silent study areas and The Learning Center.

With laptops, device chargers and wireless access both inside the building and on the neighboring Larmour Lawn & Plaza, information is not tied to a single location or piece of equipment.

The $10 million Manchester Library & Learning Center was dedicated on August 22, 2012, and demonstrates the School’s commitment to thinking, learning, research and collaboration.