America's public schools & libraries opened my eyes to the unlimited opportunity in this great land, as well as the privileges and obligations of citizenship.

Its primary function is to support Boston University's African Studies Center and all undergraduate, graduate, and faculty research on Africa.

[7] The Frederick S. Pardee Management Library (595 Commonwealth Avenue, third floor),[8] named for its benefactor, provides resources and services supporting the faculty and students in Boston University's Questrom School of Business.

The staff supports teaching, research, and exploration through the collection, and offers additional services including course building, reserves, and instructional sessions.

In addition to extensive holdings, the library provides reference assistance, group instruction, and access—by-request to early volumes of leading journals.

The Stone Science Library's non-circulating holdings include some 9,700 books and journals, 5,000 maps, and the Will Myers Aerial Photograph Archive, among many other resources.

The Contemporary Collection was established starting in 1963, and includes personal papers and artifacts owned by well-known authors, musicians, actors, and other artists, as well as politicians, scientists, and other celebrities primarily but not limited to the 20th century.

The Contemporary Collection constitutes the majority of the Archives's holdings,[18] and include former BU professor and prolific author Isaac Asimov's papers, which fill 464 boxes on 232 feet (71 m) of shelf space, as well as the archives of Bette Davis, Gene Kelly, Adele Astaire, Martin Luther King Jr., David B. Zilberman and many other notable individuals from the twentieth century.

In front of Mugar Memorial Library and adjacent to the nearby George Sherman Union, the courtyard provides a space for students to congregate and study.

Many benches flank the Courtyard and the area is the scene of assiduous gardening, with a great deal of cultivation taking place throughout the spring and summer.

The basement contains the Krasker Film and Video services, current periodicals, microfilm and microfiche readers and printers, and a study area.

[further explanation needed] The second floor houses the Music Library, with a diverse collection of works ranging from classical, jazz, and rock, to contemporary artists.

The Martin Luther King Jr. reading room, offering some of the work of Boston University's most famous alumnus, is also located on the third floor.

Classics, history, linguistics, politics, geography, sports, philosophy, religion, education, law, and photography are all on the fourth floor.

The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center is also located on this level, but is not directly accessible from the main library stacks.