The Van Pelt Library was constructed in 1962 after Penn's library outgrew the Frank Furness Building (which now houses Fisher Fine Arts Library). In 1966, the Dietrich wing was added to the building, and the building's official name was changed to the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center to reflect the addition. The Lippincott Library for the Wharton School underwent a major renovation in 1967. In 1990, the Goldstein Undergraduate Study Center was added to the basement level, and during the school year, this area is available 24/7 to Penn students from when the library opens on Sunday morning through to Friday evenings. In 2006, the Weigle Information Commons was constructed.
The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, a newly reconfigured 27,000 square-foot space opened in 2013.2 This major renovation included a completely renovated 6th floor with gallery space, meeting rooms, the Horace Howard Furness Shakespeare Library, a glass-walled pavilion, and spaces for study and events, and an expansion of special collections stacks to Van Pelt's 5th floor.3 4
The annual A.S.W. Rosenbach Lectures in Bibliography are held at the Kislak Center.
Van Pelt Library also houses all the specialized Area Studies within the library system, namely East Asia, Middle East and South Asia. The bibliographers for Africa, Latin America and Judaica are also based in the same building.
The David B. Weigle Information Commons (WIC) is a technology hub located in the library. WIC offers services such as video recording rooms, videoconferencing, "data diner booths", group study rooms, and photo, video, and music editing software.5 WIC was built in April 2006 on the 1st floor (west) of Van Pelt.6
"Henry Charles Lea Library". University of Pennsylvania. February 10, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2012. http://www.library.upenn.edu/collections/rbm/mss/lea/ ↩
Irvin, Angelyn (30 October 2012). "Van Pelt celebrates 50th birthday". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Philadelphia. http://www.thedp.com/article/2012/10/van-pelt-celebrates-50th-birthday ↩
"The Penn Libraries Receives $5.5 Million Donation from Jay I. Kislak and the Kislak Family Foundation: The Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Marks the Beginning of a New Era for the Penn Libraries" (Press release). The Penn Libraries. 10 September 2013. http://www.library.upenn.edu/publications/kislakcenter.html ↩
"The Kislak Center - Jay I. Kislak and the Kislak Family Foundation: Helping to Preserve Cultural History for Modern Interpretation" (PDF). Ivy Leaves. Philadelphia. Fall 2013. http://www.library.upenn.edu/docs/publications/ivyleaves/ILfall2013.pdf ↩
"How do I...?". David B. Weigle Information Commons. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 21 April 2012. http://wic.library.upenn.edu/wicideas/ ↩
"About the WIC". David B. Weigle Information Commons. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 21 April 2012. http://wic.library.upenn.edu/wicabout/ ↩