The library occupies approximately 32,500 square feet in Waesche Hall, a three-story building on the north side of campus, which opened in 1974. The building is shared with the Coast Guard Museum, the Admissions Office, and the Cadet Reading and Writing Center. A wireless network is available throughout the library. All cadets are required to purchase a laptop with a standard configuration, ensuring universal access to productivity software and online library resources from anywhere on campus. Furniture arrangements are designed so that cadets, with or without laptops, have flexible space for individual or group work. In 2007, the library had 159 carrels/tables, 26 “soft” seats, and 69 other seats. Additionally, the library provides five public workstations, two workstations connected to the military network, a networked laser printer, a photocopier, and a scanner. The library is open 103.5 hours per week. A Cadet Watch is assigned to oversee building security on evenings and weekends. The library website, accessible through the campus intranet, provides 24/7 access to the local and consortium catalogs and databases, and is the primary means of delivering services and library information. The site also includes a number of subjects and courses, and links to brief tutorials. A 24/7 chat reference service, provided through an outside contract and linked from the library website, is available to cadets when librarians are not on duty. The library maintains its own site in the Blackboard course management system and offers assistance to faculty with linking to library resources from their course sites.

Permanent collections include nearly 178,000 print and audiovisual items. Subscription access is provided to more than 55,000 periodicals. Just under 450 of these are print subscriptions while the remainder are provided through full-text databases.

Subject areas of emphasis include electrical engineering, civil engineering (including environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, marine architecture and naval engineering), marine sciences and environmental studies, operations research, leadership and management studies, American government, and since September 11, 2001, intelligence and terrorism studies. The CGA Library also continues to build its leadership collections, to support the Leadership Development Center based at the Academy, as well as the professional military studies curriculum.

The library provides orientation to all cadets during their first year at the Academy. A 45-minute library orientation is provided during Swab Summer, when cadets are undergoing basic training prior to the start of their Fourth Class (freshman) year. During the first semester, all new cadets enroll in a “first year experience” course, which is intended to develop the basic academic skills required for college success. This course includes a library component which is taught by the designated faculty member for each section. A library workbook is also assigned, which provides hands-on experience with the use of the library website, the library catalog, databases, and basic information literacy.

The G. William Miller Reading Room, complete with a book swap, popular magazines, games, and daily newspapers is a popular place for study in the library. The CGA Alumni Association provides funding for a self-service coffee machine as well as an ongoing supply of coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino, and tea. Snacks and soda are available from vending machines.

Library Hours

Academic Year:
Sunday: 1000-2300
Monday-Friday: 0730-2300
Saturday: 1000-2300

Summers and Holidays:
Monday-Friday 0730-1600