History and Presentation

The establishment of the department dates back to 1961, when a library unit was founded as an office within the Rectorate. At that time, library services were essentially provided within the university’s faculties and even within individual academic chairs. The creation of the library office under the Rectorate marked the first step toward centralizing these services. On October 12, 1965, the office was renamed as the Library Directorate. With the appointment of Ms. Maide ÜNLÜ as Director, significant progress was achieved in library services. Copies of catalog cards for books, journals, and other publications held in faculties, departments, and institutes were collected and centralized within the Library Directorate. In order to eliminate the fragmentation observed in library services, a commission study was conducted and discussed at the Senate meeting dated April 4, 1978. With decision no. 216/29, it was resolved to centralize the university’s libraries. Subsequently, on October 22, 1984, based on Decree Law No. 124 on the Administrative Organization of Higher Education Institutions and Their Supervisory Bodies, the unit began operating under the name Library and Documentation Department.

Due to the structural organization of Ege University, libraries had been established within its affiliated units. At one point, the number of libraries and reading rooms within the university reached 72. On May 31, 1999, a total of 34 faculty, department, and chair libraries within the university were brought together—along with their collections and staff—and began to operate as a single centralized library.

The Library and Documentation Department building was officially opened on May 31, 1999, by President Süleyman DEMİREL. Since then, the library has continued its services in this new building, which has a seating capacity of 2,100 and a total indoor area of 11,900 square meters.