Campus- Bizzell Memorial Library

Bizzell Memorial Library

Built in 1929, the Bizzell Memorial Library presides majestically over the South Oval.  Our library inspires students, staff and visitors alike with its grand Cherokee Gothic exterior and hand-carved interior, beautiful study retreats and, most importantly, its masterful collections.  It boasts a broad range of acquisitions from hand-written documents by Galileo, to first edition Charles Dickens, to renown research and rare collections.  

The sculpture of William Bennett Bizzell , the university’s fifth president, keeps watch over the library that bears his name.  Bizzell was a visionary and vibrant educator who insisted, “We can’t build a great university without a great library.”  Under his leadership, the University of Oklahoma granted three times as many degrees as under all predecessors combined, including OU’s first Ph.D.