The scope of Fondren Library's collection is broad with excellent coverage in art, architecture, history, literature, music, philosophy, languages, economics, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering. Rare books, manuscripts and university archives are in the Woodson Research Center. The library is a selective depository for U.S. and Texas government publications and a depository for U.S. patents and trademarks. The Digital Media Center is a research facility located in Herring Hall, established in 1995, designed to help Rice faculty and students incorporate computer-based textual information into their research, study, and teaching and publish their own work electronically.

The Fondren Library subscribes to approximately 66,000 current journals (print and electronic) and houses over 2,474,000 volumes. Satellite collection includes the Business Information Center. The library uses the Sirsi software system for its online catalog. Several dozen journal indexes are available to the Rice community only. The Fondren Library also subscribes to a wide variety of online fulltext journals.

History of the Rice University Library

In 1912 Rice Institute opened for classes. The first library at Rice appeared in 1913 in a room on the second floor of the Administration Building (now called Lovett Hall).

The General Announcements for 1913 indicate that the second floor accommodations were temporary and a "...policy is being followed of providing only such books as are necessary to supplement the courses of instruction and to support the independent investigations of the staff and advanced students. In this manner a high degree of efficiency becomes possible at the very beginning of the Library's existence." The library contained 200 books at its opening and Alice Dean was named as acting librarian to oversee this fledgling operation. In 1920 the shelving for these temporary quarters reached to the ceiling and the library staff were provided with wooden ladders to reach the top shelves. By 1947 the library had 150,000 books in nine locations on campus.

In 1945, the Trustees of Rice decided to work on a long range plan for the university. As part of the planning process, a study of the library facilities and needs was commissioned. In June 1946, Ella F. Fondren and her family donated $1 million to Rice for a library building as a memorial to Walter W. Fondren. By 1947, the Trustees had decided on the location for the new library and construction began. The new building was formally dedicated as the Fondren Library at the Homecoming celebration on November 4, 1949.

The Fondren Library has had three major changes since the original building was constructed. In 1969 an addition to the back of the building was built to accommodate the growing collection. Named the Graduate Research Wing, the new space included study rooms, more stack space, and an area for special collections to be housed. A major renovation of the interior of the library was undertaken in 1987. That renovation included a new entrance foyer leading to a rotunda and a new current periodicals area with improved seating and lighting.

In 2005-2006, following an extensive planning period by the University, a second renovation of the building included the creation of a west entrance to the building, and upgraded user spaces in the basement, first, second and sixth floors.  These upgraded spaces provide a larger variety of individual and group study/collaboration zones, universal access to information technologies, and - from the sixth floor's card-key restricted reading  room - impressive views  of the campus and the Houston skyline

The Regional Information and Communication Exchange, one of the first fee-based information services to be created within an academic library, served corporate and private clients throughout the region (and nation) from its inception in the late 1960s until changing information systems and economic conditions led to its closing in December 2003.

Fondren Library began in the early 1990s providing support for specialized software for analysis of data and production of media.  The Digital Media Center and GIS Data Center continue to provide specialized software, hardware and staff expertise in these areas.  In 2001, the Digital Library Initiative was further expanded to include support digital scholarship.  The DLI coordinates research projects in furtherance of teaching and supports the institutional repository for digital productions of the academic community.

In 2004, the library's capacity for housing physical collections was enhanced by the construction of a state-of-the art offsite shelving facility.  Lower use physical collections are  housed offsite at the Library Services Center, permitting the current Fondren Library facility to provide both ready access to higher use materials, and high quality study, research and collaborative environments for students, faculty and members of the greater community.

The library at Rice has been under the leadership of nine people since its start in 1913. Alice Dean, who had been named acting librarian in 1913, was given the title of Librarian in 1946, the year before she retired. Dr. William S. Dix was selected to succeed Miss Dean as the Librarian in 1948 and remained until 1953. Dr. Hardin Craig, Jr., a professor of history at Rice, became the third Librarian in 1954. Dr. Craig retired in 1968 and Richard L. O'Keefe was appointed to succeed him. Mr. O'Keefe was given the title University Librarian in 1977 and remained in the position until 1979. In 1980 Dr. Samuel M. Carrington, a professor of French at Rice, was named as University Librarian and remained in the position until 1990. Dr. Beth Shapiro was appointed in 1990 as University Librarian, and held the position until August, 1995. David Minter was named Interim University Librarian and Vice Provost for approximately one year. Charles Henry was Vice Provost and University Librarian from August 1996 through March 2007. 

Sara Lowman acted as Interim Vice Provost and University Librarian from March 2007 through October 2007, when she was named Vice Provost and University Librarian.