Western Libraries is the library system of the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. Western Libraries has 7 locations across campus: The D.B. Weldon Library (Arts and Humanities, Social Science, Information and Media Studies), which also provides access to the Archives and Research Collections Centre, the Allyn and Betty Taylor Library (Engineering, Science, Health Sciences, and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry), the C.B. “Bud” Johnston Library (Business), the John and Dotsa Bitove Family Law Library, the Music Library, and the Education Resource Centre.
Early Years (1878-1934) For the first forty years of Western University existence (1878-1918) library needs were met for students by either the London Public Library or the Library of Huron College, Western’s founding College.
In 1898, the university Senate appointed James Waddell Tupper as the University of Western Ontario's first University Librarian, Senate policy at the time dictating that the Professor of English be appointed University Librarian. Tupper was followed as University Librarian by Dr. N. McL. Trenholme (1900-1901).
William F. Tamblyn was the first University Librarian with any significant tenure, spending 17 years as the University Librarian, from 1901-1918. During this time library collections were modest, with London Public Library filling the gap by purchasing books in the Humanities. In 1908, when the University became non-denominational the library had 200 books and an annual budget of $150 for purchases. By 1917 there were barely 3000 books in the library, although the budget had grown to $1200.
In 1918, John Davis Barnett donated over 40,000 books from his personal library to Western. A donation of this size required a change in library oversight to manage such a large collection. Marjorie Ross, Western President Edward Ernest Braithwaite’s secretary, was sent to the University of Toronto for training at the library school, and on her return became the first full-time trained Librarian on staff. She was the Arts Librarian with some responsibilities for the libraries of the Medical School and the Institute of Public Health.
The first Western Libraries location opened on campus in 1924, when the holdings of what was then known as the Arts or General Library, which had been held in various locations around London, were brought together in the former Arts and Administration Building, now known as University College.
With library collections and services expanding, Fred Landon was appointed Director of Library Services in 1923 to coordinate the evolving library system. The title Director of Library Services was introduced to distinguish Landon from the role of Marjorie Ross. Following the resignation of Ross in 1926, Landon began using the title University Librarian.
Lawson Memorial Library (1934-1972) Superseded by The D.B. Weldon Library
During Fred Landon’s tenure as University Librarian, library operations and collections continued expanding. By 1931 the collection held over 100,000 volumes. Landon oversaw the planning, building and opening of the first purpose-built library on campus. Lawson Memorial Library opened September 28, 1934 having cost $135K to build, the equivalent of $3M dollars in 2025.
The Lawson Library was considered a general library, in the sense that its holdings supported students studying general versus professional subjects; as professional programs were established at Western, dedicated reading rooms and libraries were developed with collections to support learning in these specialized areas. Lawson Library was also home to staff providing centralized support to divisional/professional libraries; for example acquisitions activities (buying and receiving books) were conducted by Lawson staff, as well as some cataloguing.
Lawson Memorial Library was named in memory of Frank and Lorena Lawson whose son and daughter, the Honourable Ray Lawson and Mrs. Duncan McArthur, contributed to the cost. Lawson Library, as it was generally called, was expanded with a north wing addition in 1954, and a south wing addition in 1962.
As Western grew both in number of students and programs offered, it became necessary to expand the general library to such a degree that a new main campus library was recommended in 1964, this would become known as The D.B. Weldon Library.
The Lawson Library became known as the Lawson Memorial Building after the library vacated the space in 1972; it was eventually joined to Stevenson Hall and used for administrative purposes. As of 2024, Lawson Hall, as it is now known, is home to Special Constables, the Departments of History, English and Writing Studies, Classical Studies and the Department of Women’s Studies and Feminist Research.
Medical Library (1900-1965) Superseded by the Health Sciences Library
The Medical Library at Western began as a room on the second floor of the Medical School at York and Waterloo streets around 1900. It wasn’t until 1916 that a Librarian was hired to oversee the collection. With the construction of a new Medical School building on Ottaway Avenue (now South Street) the library moved to this location and moved once again in 1965 to the new Health Sciences Centre on main campus, when it officially became known as the Health Sciences Library. The Health Sciences Library would eventually become the Allyn and Betty Taylor Library, merging with the Natural Sciences Library, Sciences Library, and Engineering Library.
During the tenure of Fred Landon, University Librarian from 1923-1947, the Medical School Library at the Ottaway Avenue location held a collection of over 20K volumes and underwent some minor space improvements (enhanced lighting, increased seating).
The D.B. Weldon Library Previously the Lawson Library (1934-1972)
The D. B. Weldon Library (commonly shortened to "Weldon") is the largest academic library on the University of Western Ontario campus in London, Ontario, Canada, and one of the largest academic libraries in the country.
History By 1964 plans to build a larger library to replace the Lawson Library were underway. Construction of Weldon commenced in fall 1968 and the library was partially occupied by fall of 1970, opening for operation on June 1, 1972. It cost $8M to build, provided over 224,000 square feet of floor space, had room for more than 1,000,000 volumes, and included 2,000 study spaces.
In addition to assuming the collection from the Lawson Library, covering subjects not held in other divisional/professional libraries such as Arts & Humanities and Social Science, Weldon housed departments providing central services to divisional/professional libraries such as accounting, personnel, and systems support. Along with standard library services such as collections, reference, and circulation, it also delivered specialized services in Government Publications, Special Collections, and the Regional Collection.
The library is named after Colonel Douglas Black Weldon, who fought in the First World War and commanded the London Regiment of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada during the Second World War. He served on the university's Board of Governors from 1946 to 1967, and his son David Black Weldon was Chancellor of the university from 1984 to 1988."Weldon Becomes Library of the Future", Western News, May 9, 1999 ; "What's in a Name?", Western News, August 6, 2003 The family of Colonel Weldon, including son David and daughters Marsha and Ann, made a generous gift to assist with the building of the library. The library of the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum in London is also named after him."The Colonel D.B. Weldon Library", RCR Museum
Architecture The building itself is "modernist" and "angular", an example of the "new, sharply-planed brutalism" typical of buildings constructed on campus during the 1960s. Construction broke ground in 1968 and opened on June 1, 1972. It was a joint design by architects Ronald E. Murphy and John Andrews. Murphy designed other buildings on Western's campus including Middlesex College, Alumni Hall and Spencer Engineering Building.
It underwent renovations in 1997-1998, 2006–2007, and 2008–2011.
In January 2023, the library was redesigned by architecture firm Perkins&Will and opened following a $15 million renovation.
Collections
Weldon Library serves the faculties of Arts & Humanities, Information & Media Studies and Social Science. Highlights of the collection include materials in the Government Publications Research Collection and an extensive collection of research materials on microfilm and microfiche.
Western Libraries, including Weldon Library, has a collection of approximately 5.9 million items.
Pride Library
The Pride Library is a collection of over 6,000 books, periodicals, and audio-visual resources by and about LGBT people housed within the D.B. Weldon Library. The library is the first official queer resource centre at a Canadian university. Since its founding in the Faculty of Arts in the late 1990s, The Pride Library has grown with the support of donors, volunteers, faculty, and administrators.
Subjects include the gay liberation movement, gay and lesbian literary history, coming out, women's health and safety, homophobia, bisexuality, trans life, pornography, censorship, and same-sex marriage. Also included in the collection are early sexology works, homophobic classics, and queer pulps from the 1950s and 1960s.
The Pride Library was founded by Professor James Miller in his office in 1997. In the summer of 2005, it was relocated on the main floor of the Weldon Library and officially reopened on February 14, 2006. A donation of $50,000 from the university administration in the spring of 2006 covered the renovation of the new space and the conversion of the catalogued books into a circulating collection.
Stained glass window The front of the Pride Library is decorated with a stained-glass window. The window celebrates and commemorates 135 influential gay and lesbian authors. It was designed and constructed by London, Ontario artist Lynette Richards and consists of the Pride Library logo amid a list of some of history's most influential queer authors. The Pride Library logo contains a series of shelved books, coloured with the spectrum of the rainbow, supported by the logo of the now-disbanded Homophile Association of London Ontario (HALO), which has made significant contributions to the Pride Library.
Allyn and Betty Taylor Library Previously the Sciences Library (1982-1991), Natural Sciences Library (1966-1982), Health Sciences Library (1965-1982) and Engineering Library (1959-2001)
The Allyn and Betty Taylor Library is the second-largest academic library on the University of Western Ontario campus. It serves the faculties of Engineering, Science, Health Sciences and the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.About Western Libraries http://www.lib.uwo.ca/aboutwl
History A Sciences Library facility was approved in 1988 by the Steering Committee for the Western Science Centre and was constructed adjacent to the existing Natural Sciences library stacks and main floor reading room, resulting in a 66,000 square foot library space.
The Allyn and Betty Taylor Library was officially opened on November 22, 1991, with the design and construction of the new library funded through the Renaissance Campaign (1989 –1994). At the time of the Library's opening, Allyn Taylor (Western's Chancellor from 1976 to 1980) was quoted as saying: "My long association with Western is very close to my heart. Betty and I are proud and thankful indeed to have our names linked with this fine, new library, and can only say how grateful we are to the anonymous benefactor responsible." The $11.8 million three-floor addition to the north side of the Natural Sciences Building had a total seating capacity of 1,000 in 1991.