TL;DR: David W. Mullins Library, the University of Arkansas' central library facility built in 1968 (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026).
Replacing Vol Walker Hall
David W. Mullins Library stands at 365 N. McIlroy Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72701-4002, on the University of Arkansas campus (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026). It was built in 1968 and replaced Vol Walker Hall as the university's main library (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026). That kind of purpose-built replacement, rather than an expansion of the old building, generally signals that the university had outgrown its previous library capacity by the late 1960s. Discover Fayetteville, Arkansas for more on the university's role in the city.
Named for a University President
The library is named for David W. Mullins, who served as University of Arkansas president from 1960 to 1974 (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026). The building spans four levels; the main circulating book collection occupies Levels 3-4, and special collections are held in a dedicated reading room on Level 1 (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026). That layout puts everyday research materials on the upper floors and rare or archival materials on the ground level, in their own dedicated reading room. It's a common arrangement for a research library: the higher-traffic, general circulating collection sits where students naturally pass through, while more fragile or specialized materials get a controlled, dedicated space.
More Than Just Books
Mullins Library serves as the university's central library facility and houses most of the administrative offices for University of Arkansas Libraries (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026). Beyond circulating books, its holdings include course reserves, curriculum materials, current periodicals, government documents, music scores and faculty author works, with supplementary chemistry, physics and law collections held in separate branch libraries (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026). Materials that are used less frequently are kept at a separate off-site Library Annex, with multiple daily delivery options back to the main building (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026). That combination — one central library plus specialized branch collections plus an off-site annex — is how a large research university manages a collection too big to fit in any single building.
A Fixture of Campus Life
For nearly six decades, Mullins Library has been the physical center of research and study at the University of Arkansas. It's the building most students on campus will pass through repeatedly over four (or more) years, whether for a specific research need or simply to find a place to study. For residents of Fayetteville who follow the university's growth, Mullins Library is one of the more consistent landmarks on a campus that has otherwise changed considerably since 1968.
Why a Central Library Building Matters
A university's main library tends to be one of the few buildings that every student, regardless of major, ends up using regularly — unlike a department-specific classroom building, Mullins Library pulls in engineering students, English majors and everyone in between for research, group study or simply a quiet place to work. Replacing Vol Walker Hall in 1968 wasn't just a matter of adding shelf space; it reflected the university absorbing a much larger and more diverse student body than it had a few decades earlier, and needing a facility built for that scale from the ground up. Splitting the collection across levels, with circulating books on the upper floors and archival material in a dedicated Level 1 reading room, is the kind of organizational structure that only becomes necessary once a collection grows large enough to need it.
The building's supporting branch libraries in chemistry, physics and law, plus the off-site Library Annex for less-frequently used materials, point to a collection that has kept growing well beyond what any single building could hold on its own. For residents near campus, that steady, decades-long institutional presence is part of what gives this stretch of Fayetteville its particular character — a research library that has anchored the same address since before most of the surrounding development existed, still serving the same basic function it was built for in 1968.
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Where is the David W. Mullins Library located?
The library is at 365 N. McIlroy Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72701-4002, on the University of Arkansas campus (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026).
When was the library built and what replaced it?
Mullins Library was built in 1968 and replaced Vol Walker Hall as the university's main library (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026).
What is the library named after and who served as president during that time?
The library is named for David W. Mullins, who served as University of Arkansas president from 1960 to 1974 (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026).
What is on each level of the building?
Mullins Library spans four levels; the main circulating book collection occupies Levels 3-4, and special collections are held in a dedicated reading room on Level 1 (University of Arkansas Libraries, libraries.uark.edu, accessed August 2026).