Historical Note

Wilmington College began as an evening program based in New Hanover High School. During the 1950s, the college used the Isaac Bear Building on 13th and Market Streets for administrative offices, classrooms, labs, and a library. In 1961, the college got its own campus on Highway 132, and the library went into the Administrative Building (Alderman Hall).

In 1965, the North Carolina General Assembly approved funding for a new library building. This expansion was needed to meet the requirements for a four-year college. Named for the college's third president, William Madison Randall, it opened in 1969.

In 1987, the library completed an addition toward the center of campus, more than doubling its original size of 70,000 square feet. With the new construction came an integrated library system, making the card catalog obsolete. Over 300,000 volumes were moved as part of this renovation.

In 2010, Randall Library and the university's Technology Assistance Center established the Learning Commons, an enlarged footprint of learning spaces, technologies, and tools designed to support student success.

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