Van Pelt Library

Van Pelt Library
Van Pelt Library at the University of Pennsylvania
39°57′10″N 75°11′37″W / 39.9527°N 75.1936°W / 39.9527; -75.1936
Location	3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Type	Academic library
Established	1962
Architect(s)	Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson
Service area	University of Pennsylvania
Other information
Website	www.library.upenn.edu/vanpelt

The Charles Patterson Van Pelt Library, also known as the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center and Van Pelt, is the primary library at the University of Pennsylvania.

The building was designed by architects Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson, and built in 1962. It has a gross area of 201,215 square feet (18,693 m²). In addition to being the primary library on campus for social sciences and humanities, it also houses the Lippincott Library of the Wharton School, the Ormandy Music Library, and the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.

The Van Pelt Library houses strong Area Studies collections in African, Japanese, Latin American, Chinese, Middle East, South Asia, and Judaica and Ancient Near East Studies. The Henry Charles Lea Library is located on the 6th floor of Van Pelt Library.^[1] The library holds the Weigle Information Commons, located on the west side of the 1st floor.

Grecian with a massive colonnade, but screened by brick panels with small windows that resemble an old French library, the Van Pelt Library is a major presence on the campus. A large modern art sculpture, The Button, sits at its southern entrance.