The Marston Science Library, often called Marston, is the science and engineering library of the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
located in
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...
, and is administered by the university's
George A. Smathers Libraries
The George A. Smathers Libraries of the University of Florida constitute one of the largest university library systems in the United States. The system includes eight of the nine libraries of the University of Florida and provides primary support ...
system. The Marston Science Library hosts the university's extensive collections in
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
,
biological sciences,
chemical and
physical sciences
Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences".
Definition
Phy ...
,
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
,
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
and
statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ''wikt:Statistik#German, Statistik'', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of ...
as well as librarians trained to help students and faculty working in these fields. It's located in the center of the university's campus adjacent to campus landmarks such as Turlington Hall, the University Auditorium and
Century Tower. In 2008, Marston began hosting an annual competition, the Elegance of Science, in which University of Florida faculty, staff and students submit artwork on the topic of science.
History
The Marston Science Library was named for the seventh president of the University of Florida,
Robert Q. Marston, who served from 1974 to 1984. Marston was a medical doctor, research scientist and
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
, who previously served as the
dean of the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
School of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...
(1961–1965) and the director of the
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
(1968–1973).
Completed in 1987, the Marston Science Library brought together several existing science branch libraries, including the Agriculture Library (founded in 1905), the Physics Library (1909), the Botany Library (1909), the Engineering Library (1912), the Chemistry Library (1923) and the Biology-Geology Library (1947).
Collaboration Commons
Collaboration Commons is the name for the renovated first floor of the Marston Science Library. Completed in the Fall of 2014, the approximately $5.7 million project was designed to act as a progressive study area for students.
The new study space includes the additions of more general seating, a conference room, and multiple group study rooms.
Innovative technology was also added, with
3D scanning
3D scanning is the process of analyzing a real-world object or environment to collect data on its shape and possibly its appearance (e.g. color). The collected data can then be used to construct digital 3D models.
A 3D scanner can be based on ...
and
3D printing
3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...
equipment, as well as a multi-touch visualization wall and the new MADE@UF Lab for creating
mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
s and
games
A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...
all included as a part of the project.
The first floor of the Marston Science Library was previously home to around 190,000 pre-1990 academic journals and the sizeable
Government Documents Department and Map & Imagery Library collection.
In order to make room for the new project, the government documents and the journals were moved to be stored at the Auxiliary Library Facility, and the Map & Imagery Library collection was moved across campus to the first floor of
Smathers Library East.
See also
*
History of the University of Florida
The history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida originated as several distinct institutions that were consolidated to create a single state-supported un ...
*
List of University of Florida buildings
*
List of University of Florida presidents
Seventeen men have served as the university president, president of the University of Florida since the modern university was created from the Consolidation (business), consolidation of four predecessor institutions by the Florida state legislatu ...
*
University of Florida Campus Historic District
References
External links
Marston Science Library Government Documents Department Maps & Imagery Library
*Marston Science Library within th
Informational Leaflet on the Marston Library (2002 edition)
from the University of Florida Digital Collections
{{authority control
1987 establishments in Florida
Buildings at the University of Florida
Libraries in Florida
Library buildings completed in 1987
Science libraries in the United States
Florida Marston
University of Florida