Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library

What Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library does

The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library is a nonprofit academic library established in 1982 to serve as the shared information resource for the Atlanta University Center consortium of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. Operated under the legal entity Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center, Inc., and governed by Atlanta University Center, Inc., the library is headquartered at 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW in Atlanta, Georgia, with a staff of 51-100 employees. Its primary customer base is the students, faculty, and staff of the three member HBCUs, with secondary access provided to external researchers, scholars, and visitors on a non-commercial basis. Library services are provided at no cost to authorized users, with limited fee-based archival reproduction services.

The library's technology stack centers on a set of digital infrastructure components: the RADAR (Repository of AUC Digital Collections, Archives, and Research) institutional repository; the WorldCat Discovery library catalog; the GALILEO statewide consortium platform; Open Journal Systems for hosting peer-reviewed journals such as Challenge, Litteratus, Continuum, and Phylon; and PressBooks for open access book publishing. Core products include electronic databases, eBooks via EBSCOhost, Ebook Central, and Gale; streaming media through Kanopy and Alexander Street; the AI Literacy Course credential program; and the AI Sandbox faculty innovation platform. The Archives Research Center maintains unique physical and digitized collections on civil rights, race relations, African American and African Diaspora history, and the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection.

The revenue model is institutional rather than commercial, funded through member institution contributions, grants (including a 2024-2025 Recordings at Risk grant of $49,000 for digitization), donations, and fee-based archival services. Distribution operates through the physical library, off-campus authenticated digital access via OpenAthens, visitor workstations, and interlibrary loan participation with the ARCHE regional consortium and GALILEO state consortium. Strategic partners include GALILEO, the HBCU Library Alliance, OpenAthens, and ARCHE.

Name

Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library

Legal name

Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center, Inc.

Website

https://auctr.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library is a nonprofit academic library serving Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College, providing shared access to scholarly databases, archival collections on African American history, digital repositories, and AI literacy programming for the HBCU consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Research Library Operations (College/University Libraries) (EDAEAGAB)

Keywords

• Academic library services
• Digital repository hosting
• Archival research collections
• Interlibrary loan services
• Scholarly database access

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library is a shared academic library serving the AUC consortium of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. It provides integrated access to scholarly databases, eBooks, journals, educational videos, open educational resources, primary sources, digital and physical archival collections, research guidance, interlibrary loan, and reference services, supported by digital platforms such as RADAR, WorldCat Discovery, Open Journal Systems, and PressBooks.

Product overview

The Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library serves as the shared library for Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. The library offers a unified platform of information resources and services including the WorldCat-based Library Catalog, electronic databases (Databases), eBooks across multiple platforms, Journals (print and electronic), Educational Videos via Kanopy and Alexander Street, Open Educational Resources published through PressBooks, and Primary Sources through specialized databases. The Archives Research Center provides access to historical manuscripts, civil rights documentation, and special collections documenting African American and African Diaspora history. RADAR serves as the institutional repository for digital collections including theses, dissertations, and faculty scholarship. The library also offers the AI Literacy Course as a credential program and operates an AI Sandbox for faculty innovation projects. Additional services include Interlibrary Loan, Research Guides, Library-Hosted Journals on Open Journal Systems, and Digital Exhibits showcasing archival materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Library Catalog Online catalog providing unified search and access to books, articles, and other materials held across the AUC Woodruff Library collections, intended for AUC students, faculty, and authorized users.
• Databases Licensed and curated electronic databases, historical newspapers, and research collections provided to support academic research, instruction, and enrichment for AUC students, faculty, and staff.
• eBooks Electronic book collections delivered through EBSCOhost, Ebook Central (ProQuest), and Gale ebooks for academic reading, coursework, and research.
• Journals Academic journals available in both print and electronic formats, including peer-reviewed titles licensed or hosted by the library for AUC member institutions.
• Educational Videos Streaming and digital media collections including Kanopy, Alexander Street (Black Studies in Video, Education in Video), and KweliTV, providing documentaries and cultural content for educational use.
• Open Educational Resources Open access books and materials authored by AUC faculty and published through the PressBooks platform, covering subjects such as African Traditional Religions and Ethics.
• Primary Sources Curated primary source databases including archival materials, digitized video/audio, Gale Primary Sources, and Georgia Historic Newspapers, supporting historical and original-document research.
• RADAR: Repository of AUC Digital Collections, Archives, and Research Institutional digital repository providing access to theses, dissertations, faculty scholarship, archival materials, audio, and video from the AUC community.
• Archives Research Center On-site and remote research access to historical manuscripts, civil rights documentation, institutional records, and special collections documenting African American and African Diaspora history and culture.
• Digital Exhibits Curated online digital exhibits presenting digitized archival materials, including exhibits on Maynard Jackson, African American history, and civil rights.
• Library-Hosted Journals Peer-reviewed journals hosted on Open Journal Systems on behalf of AUC member institutions, including titles such as Challenge, Litteratus, Continuum, and Phylon.
• Interlibrary Loan Web-based service that allows AUC students and faculty to request books and materials from other libraries when items are not available locally.
• Research Guides Subject-specific research guides that recommend relevant databases, journals, books, and web resources for academic research across disciplines.
• GLAM Center for Collaborative Teaching and Learning Program that provides faculty training in object-based learning pedagogy and digital access to holdings of AUC Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) institutions.
• Finding Aids Online searchable guides that help researchers locate specific materials within the library's archival collections.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GALILEO (Georgia's Virtual Library)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe library participates in GALILEO, Georgia's Virtual Library consortium, providing access to hundreds of databases and electronic resources for AUC students, faculty, and staff through this state-wide academic library collaboration.
• HBCU Library AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative digital collection of primary resources celebrating the founding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, providing shared access to HBCU historical materials across member institutions.
• Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAUC students and faculty have access to materials at ARCHE member libraries through interlibrary use cards, enabling resource sharing across the Atlanta regional consortium.
• OpenAthenscoreTechnology or IntegrationSingle sign-on authentication platform enabling AUC students, faculty, and staff to access electronic resources remotely using their campus-issued credentials.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• HathiTrust Digital Library: Shared digital preservation repository founded by academic and research libraries; comparable as a consortium-scale digital repository model relevant to RADAR's institutional-repository role.
• Internet Archive: Digital library and preservation organization hosting digitized books, audio, and archival web content; comparable as a digital-first counterpart whose open-access model intersects with RADAR and PressBooks publishing.

Direct peers

• Tuskegee University Library: HBCU library supporting teaching, scholarship, and historically significant institutional archives; comparable as a peer HBCU research library with similar digitization and special-collections pressures.
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (NYPL): Premier research library dedicated to African American, African Diaspora, and Black culture; comparable in its archival depth, exhibition programming, and role as a destination for civil rights and Black history scholarship.
• Hampton University Archives: HBCU library and archives with deep African American and Native American history collections; directly comparable in mission, scale, and HBCU-affiliated research-library positioning.
• Fisk University Library (John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library): HBCU library with notable African American art and archival holdings (e.g., Stieglitz/O'Keeffe collection); directly comparable as a small HBCU library with outsized special collections and shared consortium dynamics.
• Howard University Libraries (Moorland-Spingarn Research Center): HBCU research library system with significant African American history special collections; directly comparable as a shared HBCU library supporting teaching, research, and archival stewardship in a similar consortium-style mission.

Others

• HBCU Library Alliance: Consortium organization of HBCU libraries that operates the shared digital collection including the AUC Woodruff Library's contributions; comparable as the governing/coordination peer and a collaboration channel for shared digitization programs.
• JSTOR: Major digital scholarly content platform widely licensed by academic libraries; comparable as a key third-party database the library licenses for research use and as a content ecosystem adjacent to OJS-hosted journals.

Broad incumbents

• Emory University Libraries (Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library): Major private research library system in Atlanta with deep African American and Southern history holdings; comparable as a regional research library and ARCHE consortium partner, though with much broader scope and budget.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AUCWoodruffLib
• Facebookfacebook.com/aucwoodrufflib

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library