Rutgers Library to close in 2021 after 65 years of operation

Rutgers University has announced it will shutter its library and bookstore operations in 2021. 

The library will shut its doors for good after 65 consecutive years of operating under the Rutgers University Bookstore, Community Bookstore and Archives.

The move comes a few months after the university announced that it would be cutting costs by eliminating 50 positions across all three departments.

The bookstore will be closed as well, with all books now being stored at the new Rutgers Library and Archives at the University Center.

“The closure of our community bookstore will allow us to focus our resources on a much larger library and library-related program that is currently being developed,” the university said in a statement.

“The library’s library programs are currently in the midst of a strategic transformation that will lead to the creation of a comprehensive, modern library and will allow for the creation and expansion of our existing programs.”

The library will also be shuttered for a period of time to allow for renovations to the existing building, the university added.

The closure is a result of a $1.4 billion capital budget deficit.

The library was founded in 1925 and is one of the oldest public libraries in the country.

The last library shuttered was in 2006, and the university recently announced that its student population has more than tripled over the past two decades.

The university also recently announced plans to shut down all but one of its community libraries, which are all located in New Brunswick. 

Follow NBC Asian America on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.