Dale P. Latimer Library: About the Library

The history of the Library at Saint Vincent dates back to 1846 when founder Boniface Wimmer arrived from Germany with approximately 100 books that would become the original Library collection. Through the generosity of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and other donors, the Benedictines were able to form a Library collection. In addition to these donations, purchases by members of the monastery and members of the Student’s Library Association were included in the Library's collection. The selected purchases included hand sewn books from the book bindery and other works, mainly by Greek and Latin authors. The Library's collections continued to increase in size as new academic programs were added to the College, Abbey, and Prep School.

In 1956 plans were made for a new Library building that would centralize the collection. Prior to 1958, the Library was separated into three collections and locations that included the College Library, the Abbey Library, and the Prep Collection. With the construction of the new Saint Vincent Library in 1958, the three collections were brought together to a centralized location and the cataloging of books switched from Dewey Decimal to the Library of Congress classification system. The Library would undergo a technology upgrade in 1978 to an electronic card catalog and renovations in 1998 with the addition of the Prep Hall annex. 

Groundbreaking for an expanded and modernized Library building took place on April 25, 2018. In addition to providing a climate-controlled repository for the institution’s collections, the 22-million dollar expansion includes a writing and tutoring center, a video production suite, individual and group study spaces, The Verostko Center for the Arts, and a rare book exhibit and storage area. Upon completion in August 2020, the new Library building and the collection which currently includes nearly 210,000 print volumes, audio CDs and DVDs, approximately 16,000 microforms, 69 print periodicals, 41 e-journals, and subscriptions to 27 databases were fully available to students and faculty. Unique features of the Library include collections in theology and special collections of Pennsylvaniana and Benedictina, as well as a collection of rare books. The rare books collection is housed in a newly renovated climate-controlled area. Access to this collection is available through special request via the Special Collections Librarian. 

The Library utilizes a fully automated public access catalog (OPAC) through EBSCO Discovery Service and FOLIO Platform. Electronic resources are available through a variety of databases including EBSCO Discovery Services, EBSCOHost, Lexis-Nexis Nexis Uni, and JSTOR. The Library provides full wi-fi connectivity to the local area network for use with laptop computers and other portable devices. Two WEPA printer stations are available on the ground floor for student printing.

Materials not available at the Library may be requested from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan service (ILL); this service is available through the Public Services Librarian by visiting the Library or by completing the online ILL request form on the Saint Vincent College Library webpage. The Library participates in the Westmoreland County Libraries Reciprocal Borrowing program that affords members of the Saint Vincent Community borrowing privileges at three local colleges. The Dale P. Latimer Library remains an integral part of the campus at Saint Vincent College supporting the research of students, faculty, and members of the monastery.