Belk Library

Belk Library, Elon University, North Carolina, United States, is a library for Elon students, faculty, and staff.PurposeThe library was opened on January 31, 2000, and was named after Carol Grotnes Belk. The purpose of Belk Library's archives and special collections is to provide Elon students, faculty, and staff access to documentation of importance to their research, dating back to the early days of Elon College in 1889. The archives are the official repository of Elon University’s records.InformationBelk Library is about 75000sqft in size divided into three floors. Its roof is composed of an eight-layer hurricane proof material. The library holds more than 300,000 volumes, 32,000 full text journals online, 20,000 CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes. There are 124 networked computers (both Apple and Microsoft) in two computer labs and in the commons area. The library has access to over 150 online databases. In the second and third floors, the library houses 21 group study rooms and the library is open 143 hours per week.CollectionsOne of Belk Libraries special collections is the Church History collection. The collection includes resources pertaining to the Southern Conference of the Christian Church and the Christian Church (O’Kelly) mostly prior to 1957, when the United Church of Christ was forming. The Joseph Wallace King collection is another special collection of the Belk Library. Elon College received the works of Joseph King in 1996. King was involved in the cultural communities and art of Virginia, North Carolina, and other parts of the world. The collection in Belk Library has documents about King as an artist in America and his participation in cultural communities.