The Valley Library - Oregon State University

What The Valley Library - Oregon State University does

The Valley Library is the primary physical facility of Oregon State University Libraries and Press (OSULP), a three-location library system operated as a non-commercial unit of Oregon State University, a public land-grant institution founded in 1868. Headquartered at 201 SW Waldo Place in Corvallis, the system also operates the Marilyn Potts Guin Library at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport and the OSU-Cascades Library in Tykeson Hall in Bend. The library serves OSU students, faculty, and staff — plus Oregon citizens through government depository services — with no commercial revenue model; all services are provided free of charge and the unit operates as a cost center funded by state appropriations, student fees, and donor contributions.

The technology stack centers on the 1Search unified discovery catalog spanning physical and digital collections, the ScholarsArchive@OSU institutional repository, the jointly developed Oregon Digital asset management system with University of Oregon Libraries, the Oregon Explorer natural-resource mapping tool, and Open Journal Systems for open access publishing. Service products include Course Reserves, the Library of Things equipment-lending collection, Interlibrary Loan and Scan & Deliver, Study Room Reservations, and Home Delivery for remote Ecampus users. Recent additions include Beta AI 1Search, a generative AI-powered natural language research assistant launched June 2026, the AI Literacy Center sub-brand, and the GearShare shared-inventory partnership at HMSC. The library also houses the Special Collections and Archives Research Center (Pacific Northwest history, science, brewing) and the OSU Press imprint, which has published Pacific Northwest titles since 1961.

The operating model is sales-led in the sense of outreach via subject librarians, workshops, and campus communications, but there is no commercial sales motion because pricing is entirely free to OSU community members. The library runs ~36 core staff plus an extended leadership team including a Dean of Libraries, two Associate Deans, branch directors, and functional directors covering acquisitions, administrative services, and learning/access. Distribution combines three physical locations, 24/7 digital access via ONID authentication, statewide extension-office partnerships targeting all 36 Oregon counties, and interlibrary loan networks reaching libraries worldwide. As a U.S. Government Publishing Office depository and designated Patent and Trademark Resource Center, the library also serves a statutory public-access role beyond the OSU community.

Name

The Valley Library - Oregon State University

Legal name

Oregon State University Libraries and Press

Website

https://library.oregonstate.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1868

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Valley Library is the Corvallis hub of Oregon State University Libraries and Press, a three-location library system serving OSU students, faculty, and staff — plus Oregon citizens through government depository services — with discovery catalogs, digital repositories, equipment lending, and AI-enhanced research tools funded by state appropriations, student fees, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Library Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Library User Services & Information Support (Reference, Research Help, Instruction Support) (EDAEAGAL), Digital Library & Electronic Resources Operations (e-Resources, Repositories, Licensing) (EDAEAGAF)

Keywords

• Academic library services
• Research support
• Digital repositories
• Interlibrary loan
• Scholarly publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Corvallis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Public University Library Services: OSU Libraries and Press is funded through Oregon State University's public funding and does not generate commercial revenue. Services are provided free of charge to OSU students, faculty, and staff. The library operates as a cost center within the university structure, with funding from state appropriations, student fees, and donor contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Valley Library, operating as part of Oregon State University Libraries and Press (OSULP), provides academic library services across three physical locations (Corvallis, Newport, Bend). Core offerings include the 1Search unified discovery catalog, physical and digital collections, course reserves, interlibrary loan, study spaces, the Library of Things equipment lending, and digital repositories such as ScholarsArchive@OSU and Oregon Digital. The library also operates OSU Press, which publishes books about the Pacific Northwest.

Product overview

The Valley Library at Oregon State University operates as part of OSU Libraries and Press, a three-location library system (Valley in Corvallis, Guin at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, and Cascades in Bend). The core offerings center on 1Search, the unified discovery catalog enabling search across physical collections, digital repositories, and licensed databases. Key digital products include ScholarsArchive@OSU (institutional repository), Oregon Digital (shared digital collections with University of Oregon), Oregon Explorer (natural resources mapping), and Open Journal Systems (open access publishing). Service products include Course Reserves for textbooks, Library of Things equipment lending, Interlibrary Loan/Scan & Deliver for resource sharing, and Study Room Reservations. The AI Literacy Center and GearShare (marine science equipment sharing) represent specialized sub-brands, while Beta AI 1Search (generative AI research tool) is a recent add-on module. OSU Press, the university's publishing arm, operates as a distinct sub-brand within the same organizational structure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marilyn Potts Guin Library: The intellectual heart of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon
• OSU-Cascades Library
• Special Collections and Archives Research Center (SCARC)
• ScholarsArchive@OSU
• Oregon Digital
• AI Literacy Center

Products and services

• 1Search
• ScholarsArchive@OSU
• Oregon Digital
• Oregon Explorer
• Open Journal Systems
• Course Reserves
• Library of Things
• Interlibrary Loan and Scan & Deliver
• Study Room Reservations
• AI Literacy Center
• GearShare
• OSU Press
• Beta AI 1Search
• Home Delivery

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 calculators in Library of Things used over 1,000 times in one term, helping students avoid purchasing costs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• iLab (Hatfield Marine Science Center)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025GearShare partnership providing shared inventory of field equipment including GoPro cameras, tripods, water temperature sensors, and other research tools. Supports experiential learning for marine science students.
• Marine and Coastal Opportunities Program (HMSC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025GearShare partner contributing field equipment inventory to the shared checkout system. Supports student fieldwork and coastal research activities.
• MeescancoreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2025Self-checkout technology provider for GearShare and Library of Things. Provides mobile app and kiosk-based checkout system for library materials and equipment.
• University of Oregon LibrariescoreTechnology or IntegrationJoint development and maintenance of Oregon Digital, a shared digital asset management system supporting teaching and research for both institutions. Also collaborates on Open Journal Systems for open access journal publishing.
• U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership as a federal depository library. OSU Libraries provides public access to U.S. government publications as part of the Federal Depository Library Program.
• OSU FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFundraising partnership supporting library endowments, student awards, space renovations, and collection development. Works with Dean on major gift cultivation.
• Oregon Extension ServicesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to establish library presence and access points in all 36 Oregon counties through extension offices. Plans to provide tailored collections of OSU Press books for each extension office.
• Oregon State LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on statewide library access initiatives, including establishing library presence in Oregon communities through extension partnerships.
• World Scientific PublishingminorOthersPublisher of The Many Worlds of Linus Pauling book edited by OSU's Chris Petersen. Represents OSU Press's external publishing relationships.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UC Davis Library: UC system land-grant research library with overlapping strengths in agriculture, environmental sciences, veterinary medicine, and engineering—directly comparable to OSU's STEM collection emphases.
• Cornell University Library: Land-grant research university library with overlapping strengths in agriculture, veterinary sciences, engineering, and marine sciences—comparable institutional mission and audience profile to OSU.
• Washington State University Libraries: Regional peer Pacific Northwest land-grant university library with similar agricultural, engineering, and STEM research strengths and a comparable multi-campus service model.
• University of Washington Libraries: Major Pacific Northwest public research university library serving a similarly broad academic community with deep STEM, health sciences, and marine sciences collections, including a Friday Harbor Labs presence analogous to HMSC.
• University of Oregon Libraries: Pacific Northwest public research university library and direct co-development partner on Oregon Digital and Open Journal Systems. Closely comparable to OSU Libraries in mission, scale, and audience.
• Penn State University Libraries: Large multi-campus public land-grant university library with distributed physical locations similar to OSU's Corvallis/Newport/Bend model and comparable STEM, agriculture, and Earth sciences collections.
• University of Michigan Library: Large public research university library with deep STEM, health sciences, and special collections; analogous to OSU in serving a major state university research community with similar publishing and repository programs.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries: Public research university library with comparable scale, multi-library campus footprint, and STEM/land-grant orientation similar to Oregon State's profile.

Broad incumbents

• Oregon State University Libraries and Press: The parent organizational entity of the subject. Listed here as the institutional whole encompassing all three locations, OSU Press, and central administration—the broader counterpart to the Valley Library specifically.
• Stanford University Libraries: Private research university library with extensive digital repository, scholarly communications, and special collections programs. A broader-scale incumbent operating similar functions in academic library innovation and open access publishing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/valleylibrary
• YouTubeinstagram.com/valleylibrary
• Facebookfacebook.com/ValleyLibrary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/valleylibrary
• Instagraminstagram.com/valleylibrary

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Valley Library - Oregon State University