The History and Philosophy Library and the Newspaper Library officially merged on August 8, 2005

to form the History, Philosophy and Newspaper Library. The creation of this new library unit is the culmination of months of planning and discussion within the UIUC Library and with external constituencies. The new unit occupies 246 Library, where the Newspaper Library has been located since 2002.

As part of the merger, the Library's general microfilm collection was transferred from the main bookstacks to the new History, Philosophy and Newspaper Library. At the same time, the microfilm collection of the former Newspaper Library has been integrated with the general microfilm into a single call number sequence. New viewer-scanners are available to facilitate use of the Library's rich microform collections.

The consolidation of these two units, along with the incorporation of the general microfilm collection, facilitates a concentration of expertise and resources that will offer users a more cohesive research experience. The History, Philosophy and Newspaper Library will feature expanded user services, with continuing emphasis on the vital work of collection building and responsible stewardship of both print and digital resources. A more detailed discussion of the rationale for the consolidation can be found here, and for those interested, the interim collection policy of the new unit can be found here.