University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Office of the University Librarian.

Prior to 1850 the university library was a very small collection of books. The student debating societies, the Dialectic and Philanthropic societies, each maintained a larger library made up of volumes purchased by the student members. Not until 1885-1886 were the society libraries incorporated into the university library. Until 1901 the responsibility of operating the library was assigned to a faculty member, who worked in cooperation with members of the Dialectic and Philanthropic societies. Louis Round Wilson, who was University Librarian from 1901 to 1932, was the first librarian to devote his full time to maintaining and developing the library. Even in Wilson's day, however, the collections were not centralized. Because of space constraints in the main library, numerous departmental libraries grew up. Two of these, the Law Library and the Health Sciences Library, have become administratively separate. Today the University Librarian oversees the main and special library collections and co-administers a number of departmental libraries.

From the description of Records of the Office of the University Librarian, 1894; 1904-1995. WorldCat record id: 26782216

The library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill grew from a small collection of books donated to the university by interested citizens of the state and from the collections of the Dialectic and Philanthropic societies, which were purchased and maintained by the student members of those societies. Prior to 1850, the university library was housed in various locations on the campus, including a room in South Building, and at one time, a room in the president's residence. The societies kept their libraries in the spaces assigned to them, first in separate rooms in Old East, and eventually in their new quarters on the top floors of New East and New West.

In 1850 the Smith Building (now the Playmakers Theatre) was built to house the university's library collection, but it was not until 1885-1886 that the libraries of the two literary societies were transferred to Smith. Ownership of the volumes remained with the societies, however, and the books were shelved separately from each other and from the university's book collection. In 1907 a new library building (later named Hill Hall) was erected with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie. Matching funds were contributed by alumni and friends of the university for the purchase of books. At the same time, title to the volumes in the Dialectic and Philanthropic libraries was transferred to the university and the three library collections were finally merged.

The Carnegie Library housed the library's collections until 1929, when a new central library (Wilson Library) was built. The latter, named for Louis Round Wilson in 1956, became the special collections library in 1984, after the opening of Walter Royal Davis Library as the main library serving the university community.

Until 1901 the duties and responsibilities of operating the library were assigned to various members of the faculty who worked in cooperation with students from the Dialectic and Philanthropic societies. In 1901 Louis Round Wilson was appointed university librarian, a position he retained until 1932. Wilson was the first librarian to devote himself solely to the growth and development of the library, though other members of the faculty had held that title.

The persons who have served as university librarian since 1901 are as follows:

• 1901 - 1932 : Louis Round Wilson
• 1932 - 1938 : Robert Bingham Downs
• 1938 - 1940 : Carl White
• 1940 - 1941 : Olan Victor Cook, Acting
• 1941 - 1954 : Charles Everett Rush
• 1954 - 1957 : Andrew Harliss Horn
• 1957 - 1972 : Jerrold Orne
• 1972 - 1973 : Louise McGwigan Hall, Acting
• 1973 - 1992 : James F. Govan
• 1987 January - May 1987 : Joe A. Hewitt, Acting
• 1993 - 30 June 2004 : Joe A. Hewitt, Associate Provost for University Libraries and Director, Academic Affairs Library
• 1 July - 19 September 2004 : Larry P. Alford, Interim
• 20 September 2004 - : Sarah Michalak, Associate Provost for University Libraries and University Librarian

From the guide to the Office of the University Librarian of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, ;, 1894, 1904-1995, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives.)