University Libraries Renovation:
Level 5 study rooms and open study spaces are closed due to the University Libraries renovation project. All study rooms and open study are being relocated to Level 3. If you need materials located on a closed level, please place a request in the catalog. Please allow up to 2 business days for items to be pulled and available. For questions and updates, please see our renovation website.
Established in 1846 by civic leaders and philanthropists, the Mercantile exists today as a vibrant community and cultural asset. It is the oldest library west of the Mississippi and the grandparent of St. Louis cultural institutions.
The task of the Mercantile Library as a research library is to make its collections, which have come to concentrate on Western Expansion and the history, development, and growth of the St. Louis region and of the American rail and river transportation experiences, available to the widest number of local and national users.
