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About Pius XII Library

You have made an excellent choice in deciding to attend one of the top research universities in the country. Within the University Libraries at Saint Louis University, you will find top level librarians and staff to connect you with the information you need. We are here to support you in being successful in your academic career.

SLU has three libraries on our St. Louis campus and one library on our campus in Madrid, Spain.

  • Pius XII Memorial Library is located on the north end of the St. Louis campus.
  • The Medical Center Library (MCL) is located on the south end of the St. Louis campus
  • The Vincent C. Immel Law Library (formerly Omer Poos Law Library) is located in downtown St. Louis in Scott Hall.

The University Libraries have extensive collections to support teaching, learning, researching, studying and clinical care. Within each library, you will also find specialized collections. For example, the Knights of Columbus Vatican Film Library (located in Pius XII Memorial Library) is an outstanding research collection for medieval and Renaissance manuscript studies that houses more than 37,000 microfilmed manuscripts from the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana.

Our goal is to provide you with the information you need – anytime, anywhere – along with library buildings that are clean, quiet, and comfortable. We want to provide you with an environment conducive to study and research.

From those of us who work on your behalf at the University Libraries, welcome and enjoy your educational experience.

Learn More About the University Libraries

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Other helpful pages include:

Facts about Pius XII Memorial Library

  • Built in 1959
  • Named after Pope Pius XII
  • 215,000 square feet
  • Houses over 1.7 million volumes
  • Over 500,000 e-Books
  • 512 group presentations to 9,144 participants
  • Wireless access throughout the library
  • 53 public computers
  • 60 laptops available to check out
  • 1,600 seats
  • 48 study rooms
  • Home to the Vatican Film Library
  • Over 30,000 volumes of rare books
  • Serves over 14,000 students and faculty
  • 24-hour access during fall and spring semesters - Sunday to Friday. Open seven days a week for a total of 4,795 hours per year.
  • Einstein Bros. Bagels open seven days a week during fall and spring semesters
  • Academic Technology Commons (ATC) opened November 2017