James Hugo Johnston, the second president of VSU, served 26 years from 1888 to 1914. The present library is named for him.

    Constructed in 1958 and completely renovated in 2004, the James Hugo Johnston Memorial Library, located in the center of the campus, contains materials that support the mission of the University and provides a full complement of research and information services to the University community. The Library contains monographs, periodicals and newspapers, microforms, and government publications.   The Library is a selective depository for United States publications and receives selected Virginia government publications. The Library Media Center houses videos, CDs, audiotapes, musical scores and other media that enhance course offerings.  An Assistive Technology Lab equipped with a Kurzweil machine, a Voyager Reader and large print software for the visually impaired is also available.

    Library facilities include exhibit areas, conference and multimedia group study rooms, and individual and group study rooms and carrels. The library computer lab is a 24 hour complex located on the basement level near the Trojan Link Café.  Wireless access and dedicated computer access is available throughout the building. 

    The Special Collections and University Archives Department, with a full-time archivist, is located in the Lindsay-Montague Hall.  It contains historical documents, memorabilia, and artifacts, which are available to both the campus community and other researchers.

    The Library participates in a statewide electronic resource sharing consortium, the Virtual Library of Virginia (VIVA). The Library provides local and remote access to numerous databases, full- text journals and newspapers, full-text works of poetry and verse drama, and additional full-text materials, including statistical reports and pamphlets. The Library supplements its collection through interlibrary loan in the Richmond Academic Library Consortium (RALC) and other resource sharing through such activities as interlibrary loan and direct borrowing by patrons. Media resources are shared through RALC’s Richmond Area Media Co-op.

Johnston Memorial Library is ADA compliant and fully handicapped accessible.