Pepperdine Libraries

Payson Library

Pepperdine University Libraries (PUL) is the collective name for all of Pepperdine University’s academic libraries. PUL has a collection of over 1 million physical books and periodicals, 1.5 million full-text articles via 150 electronic databases, rare books, and a

digital press. The main branch, Payson Library, is home to PUL’s Special Collections, with collections such as the Malibu Historical Collection, the John Mazza Collection of Historic Surfboards, and the Churches of Christ Heritage Center.

PUL has a presence at five of Pepperdine’s California campuses, including Seaver College (Payson Library), Drescher, West Los Angeles, Irvine, and Encino; there are also libraries located at Pepperdine’s international sites in Buenos Aires, Florence, Heidelberg, Lausanne, London, and Shanghai.

History

George Pepperdine founded Pepperdine College, located on South Vermont and 78th Street in South Central Los Angeles, in 1937. The original library, known as the Pepperdine College Library, opened in the summer of 1939. The building was designed by architect Henry L. Gogerty, in the Streamline Moderne style, similar to other buildings on the original campus.

In the early 1970s, the college moved its campus to Malibu, having been offered 138 acres of land from the Adamson-Rindge family. The Malibu campus began construction on April 13, 1971, and Payson Library, the main branch of five Pepperdine University Library (PUL) branches in Southern California, was built in large part due to a $4-million-dollar donation from Joan Whitney Payson, majority owner of the New York Mets from 1962 until 1975, and her husband, Charles Shipman Payson.

In 1984, Pepperdine launched “The Wave of Excellence” campaign, which provided funding for Payson Library to accommodate computers and the construction of a new entrance. The library building that resulted from that campaign is the building students and faculty know today.

Collections

PUL has the following holdings:

• Book volumes: 350,467
• Periodicals: 1,515
• Music scores: 3,287

List of Libraries

• Payson Library
• Drescher Library
• West Los Angeles Library
• Encino Library
• Irvine Library

Services, Special Collections and University Archives

Services

Pepperdine University Libraries has a variety of services common to libraries. PUL manages and maintains InfoGuides, the library’s instance of the SpringShare software, LibGuides, which provide useful resources for various subjects, classes, and fields of study. Study Rooms are also available for students, which can be reserved online. The library also has course reserves, with a variety of resources available for students to use. PUL also lends out Mac and PC laptops for students to use to complete work, and are available for 24 hours. In addition to print materials, PUL has access to thousands of electronic resources, including databases, journals and newspapers, eBooks, and streaming videos and music. For materials not available in PUL’s collection, Interlibrary Loan services are available to obtain these items.

Other services include:

• Reference help via text, email, and chat
• Tutoring for writing and speech
• Computers with latest Adobe Creative software
• Lectures, book-signings, workshops, exhibitions, and other community events
• "Digital Learning Lab" for information literacy courses

Throughout their six California branches, PUL has a total of 19 librarians and 14 full-time staff members. The Dean of Libraries is Mark Roosa.

Special Collections and University Archives

PUL has rare and special collections that provide research opportunities and unique experiences for patrons.

The rare books collection includes works on all topics, but is particularly strong in the areas of religion, history, and literature. Some significant rare book collections at PUL include the Mlynarski Collection of Books on 19th-Century Paris, the Metcalf Collection of Books on T.E. Lawrence, the Helen Pepperdine Collection of Children's Books, a collection of fine press books, and a collection of 17^th-century books and pamphlets related to the Christian Sabbath.

In celebration of its 75th year, Pepperdine acquired a “Heritage Edition” of the Saint John’s Bible, the “first completely handwritten and illuminated Bible to have been commissioned by a Benedictine Abbey since the invention of the printing press.” The collection has been used “with the goal of integrating the Bible into the academic and spiritual life of our community.”

The archival collections at PUL include “historic archival materials related to the history of Malibu, the University, the Churches of Christ, film and television, and other areas.” PUL maintains a site on the Online Archive of California, where all of the finding aids for the archival collections can be found. Many archival materials have been digitized and can be found in the Pepperdine Digital Collections.

Malibu Historical Collection

The Malibu Historical Collection focuses on materials relating to the history and heritage of Malibu, including historical books, local newspapers such as the Malibu Surfside News and the Malibu Times, and the papers of the Adamson and Rindge family, who helped to establish Malibu.

The John Mazza Collection of Historic Surfboards has over two dozen surfboards, ranging in styles and lengths. One notable board is the “Gidget” board, which was shaped by Dale Velzy and used in both the Gidget 1959 film and 1965 television series; the board is signed by Velzy, Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman (whose diaries inspired the character Gidget), and Sally Field, who played Gidget in the television series.

Churches of Christ Heritage Center

Pepperdine University is affiliated with the Churches of Christ, and Payson Library has an expansive collection of materials relating to this religious tradition, known as Churches of Christ Heritage Center. The collection, curated and directed by Jerry Rushford, is a repository of books, documents, photographs, religious periodicals, congregational histories, biographical studies, archival materials and artifacts of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement and the Churches of Christ. The Heritage Center is dedicated to the acquisition and preservation of these materials and to the promotion of research of this religious movement.

Scholarly attention to the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement makes the work of the Heritage Center vital to the self-understanding of Churches of Christ and the understanding others have of this movement. The Heritage Center also performs an essential role in support of the mission of Pepperdine University as it seeks to preserve and strengthen the University's historic ties to Churches of Christ.

The Heritage Center will continue to solicit materials—especially out-of-print books, unique photographs, and rare archival items—on the history of Churches of Christ and the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement as part of its ongoing mission.

Renovation

Beginning in May of 2016, Pepperdine University Libraries began a year-long renovation of its main undergraduate facility, Payson Library. The renovation will expand study spaces, provide new offices for librarians and staff, enhance environments for using and storing special collections, establish a makerspace and 3D printing lab, and implement a cutting-edge interactive display called “The Discovery Wall.” These plans will actualize President Benton’s directive “to create our 21st-century Library of the Future.”