University of Utah Library Administration records University of Utah Library Administration records, 1965-2020

The J. Willard Marriott Library was opened in 1968 to replace the ageing George Thomas Library. Space for the library's ever-growing collection continued to be a constant issue. The Library partly remedied this issue by acquiring a former National Guard building (building 213) on Guardsman Way to use as remote storage. The Marriott Library also tried to resolve its space problems in the early 1990's by building a two-story addition which wrapped around the north, east, and south sides of the original 1968 building. This addition significantly expanded the stacks and reading space as well as provided more areas within the library for student computers. The Marriott Library underwent further renovation in the early 2000's in order to ugrade mechanical and electrical infrastructure, increase seismic safety, and improve environmental controls to protect rare and valuable collections. The renovation also improved computer access by creating the Information Commons which brought together in one area a rich array of services and support for students including reference librarians and materials, software technical specialists, audio-visual specialists, and computer and audio-visual equipment. Renovation also aimed to make the Marriott Library into a campus hub that would offer other services to students, including a cafe.