It is named for the father of philanthropist Ward Melville, who donated 400 acres of land and money to establish Stony Brook University in 1957.

[3] Numerous retail companies ranging from Shop Red West (one of the university's bookstores) to Starbucks are housed in the Melville Library.

[4] It was renovated almost immediately with numerous construction projects shortly after; in 1967, work began on the "Bridge to Nowhere", connecting the library to the Stony Brook Union.

Plans to connect the two buildings with the Fine Arts Center were not completed until 10 years after ground was broken, giving the structure its name.

"[7] The redesign included adding new independent study areas, more natural light, better acoustics, new flooring, more electrical outlets, and new computer workstations.

After a longtime partnership with Barnes & Noble, the university reached a contract with Follett Corporation in 2018 to manage its bookstores and electronic catalog.