Q. How many books are in this library?

It seems like a pretty straight-forward simple question, right?  It can be surprisingly complex in a 21st century library. First, it depends on what you mean by book.....

There are printed, traditional books (monographs, as we call them) and there are bound journals (magazines, etc.)  And of course, there are electronic books that we purchase more and more, and tens of thousands of electronic journals.  And microfilm!  Millions of reels of microfilm, which include books, newspapers, journals, and more.

And none of this includes special collection and archival materials, which would include photographs, diaries, letters, and other materials which are generally measured in linear feet.

Roughly speaking, considering all of the above, the UA Libraries have about 3.5 million volumes, and about 34,000 linear feet of manuscript and archival materials.