Facilities

To enhance Whitman's learning environment, students have access to exceptional facilities and technological and cultural resources. Penrose Memorial Library, which is open 24 hours a day during the academic year, houses more than 320,000 volumes, 550,000 government documents, and 2,000 subscriptions. Furthermore, the ORBIS network provides access to approximately 3.5 million volumes that can be delivered to Whitman in three or fewer days. Olin Hall of Humanities and Fine Arts features an audiovisual center, foreign language labs, the Donald Sheehan Art Gallery, and the center for the campuswide fiber-optic network. Maxey Hall, the center for the social sciences, includes a natural history museum, a 350-seat auditorium, and animal demonstration labs. The Hall of Science houses a sophisticated physics lecture hall and laboratory and support facilities for two electron microscopes, a seismograph, and a planetarium, in addition to an observatory maintained off-campus. The Hall of Music houses an acoustically perfect performance hall and more than 25 practice rooms. Other major facilities are Harper Joy Theatre, a 315-seat drama center, and Cordiner Hall, a 1,400-seat auditorium.