Fresno State Library
Fresno State Library is the main academic library for California State University, Fresno in Fresno, California. It supports teaching, research, and campus services. The library was founded in 1911 and was named after former dean Henry Madden in 1981. In 2022, the board renamed it to Fresno State Library because of Madden’s controversial views.
The library sits in two buildings and has a total of about 370,000 square feet, making it one of the largest libraries in the CSU system. It holds roughly 1.13 million volumes. It also contains the largest single-floor compact shelving installation in the United States, with more than 20 miles of shelves. The newest main building was designed by AC Martin and Partners and features design inspired by Native American basket weaving.
A major renovation in 2009 cost about $105 million, funded largely by an endowment from the Table Mountain casino run by the Chukchansi tribes. The library’s former dean, Michael Gorman, later served as president of the American Library Association in 2005–2006.
In 2021–22, Fresno State reviewed the library’s naming due to newly revealed materials showing Madden’s anti-Semitic views and Nazi sympathies; the board renamed the library in 2022. The library is the largest academic building on campus and offers several special collections, including a 1474 Vita Christi by Ludolph of Saxony, acquired in 1963.
Key facts: circulation 382,148; budget about $7.5 million annually; about 84.5 full-time equivalent staff (19 librarians; 31 library staff; 26.5 student assistants; 8 other professionals). Website: library.fresnostate.edu.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:37 (CET).