Dale P. Latimer Library

The Saint Vincent College library is known as the Dale P. Latimer Library in honor of Dale P. and Darlene M. Latimer who made a generous gift for the renovation, enhancement and endowment of the library. The Latimer’s gift was designed to recognize the treasured role the Library has in Saint Vincent College’s Benedictine educational tradition.

The original Saint Vincent Library collection began with 100 books which founder Boniface Wimmer brought with him from Germany in 1846. Through the leadership of the late Father Fintan Shoniker, O.S.B., and of Father Chrysostom Schlimm, O.S.B., the Library has grown into a collection that includes nearly 210,000 print volumes, audio CDs and DVDs and approximately 16,000 microforms. The Library currently receives 69 print periodicals, 41 e-journals and has subscriptions to 27 databases.

For more information on Dale P. Latimer Library services and online resources, including ebooks, library databases, reciprocal libraries and more, visit the library's site.

Launch Experience

Academics

LIBRARY SCHEDULE

The schedule of the Library Building and Library Services vary depending on the time of the year.

Circulation Desk: 724-805-2966; latimerlibrary@stvincent.edu

Building Hours:
These are hours when the library building is open and available for study. The most current building hours can be found on the here: library building hours.

Library Services Hours:
These are when the circulation desk and library stacks are open and library staff is in the office and available for assistance. The most current services hours can be found here: library service hours.

All schedules are subject to change and any announcements of changes will be posted to the library website.

Library Services and Highlights

The Library uses a fully automated public access catalog (OPAC) through EBSCO Discovery Service and FOLIO Platform.
Online access to an extensive list of bibliographic and full-text information through such resources as EBSCOhost, EBSCO Discovery Service, Lexis-Nexis Nexis-Uni, and JSTOR.
The Library provides full Wi-Fi connectivity to the Local-area network and the internet for use with laptop computers and other portable devices.
Materials not available here may be requested from other libraries through the Interlibrary Loan Service (ILL) available through the Interlibrary Loan Coordinator or at the Circulation Desk. Interlibrary Loans are available or Saint Vincent College students only.
Participate in the Westmoreland County Libraries Reciprocal Borrowing Program that affords members of the SVC community borrowing privileges at participating libraries.
The Library also houses two WEPA printers available for printing needs.

About the Library

Benedictine Institutions have traditionally granted a place of honor to the library. The Dale P. Latimer Library at Saint Vincent College continues this tradition by providing a repository of the institution’s bibliographic holdings and a continually growing resource in support of the College’s teaching mission.

Borrowing privileges are available to enrolled students, faculty and staff members of the College; the Saint Vincent identification card serves as the Library card. Library resources are also available to the public and to the local religious, educational, business and social community. Library services are available 35-40 hours each week when school is in session. Special hours are in effect during vacation periods and on holidays; schedule changes are posted in the Library, distributed to the offices of the College, and posted on the webpage.

The Library houses unique resources in religion and theology and special collection of Pennsylvania and Benedictina. The Library also has a collection of rare books housed in a climate-controlled vault; access to this collection is available by special request.

Saint Vincent Archives

Discover the Saint Vincent College Archives – Explore our collection of historical materials documenting America’s first Benedictine Archabbey and College, founded in 1846. From rare records and photographs to audio-visual resources, these archives preserve the heritage and ongoing story of our institution. Learn more about the Saint Vincent Archives.