Centrally located on the Danforth Campus, just west of the Brookings Quadrangle, Olin Library houses general–interest materials and collections in the humanities, social sciences, biology, mathematics and engineering.

Olin Library also houses the Julian Edison Department of Special Collections, which includes the literary papers of James Merrill, Samuel Beckett, Howard Nemerov, Stanley Elkin, William Gass, Mona Van Duyn, and many other important writers.

The Washington University Film & Media Archive within Special Collections includes material created by alumnus Henry Hampton documenting the Civil Rights Movement.

The Archive collects photos, interviews, stock footage, producer's research notes, correspondence, treatments, and scripts, all of which provide a distinctive look at the film making at storytelling process for scholars, teachers, filmmakers, and students.

It continues to grow, focusing on collecting film archives that examine the great social movements of American history and African–American life and culture, and supporting documentary studies.

[5] Becker Medical Library is organized into several departments which play unique roles in serving the Washington University School of Medicine community, including: Archives and Rare Books, Collection Management Services, Health Information Resources (Reference), and Translational Research Support.