Aviation Technology Library

Welcome to the Purdue University Aviation Technology Library

Aviation Technology Library is located in Room 163 of the Purdue University Airport Terminal, 1501 Aviation Drive, West Lafayette. The library serves as Purdue’s resource for aviation and supports the teaching and research activities of the Department of Aviation Technology. 

The collection includes over 4,000 book and journal volumes to support the department’s programs: Aeronautical Engineering Technology, Aviation Management Technology, and Professional Flight Technology.

Subject areas covered by these programs include aircraft design, maintenance, manufacturing, air traffic control, airport management, airline operations, and flight training.

The library houses materials of interest to faculty, staff, and students in aviation-related disciplines. This includes print and online resources for course reserves, books, journals, technical manuals, government documents, video recordings, microfiche, and CD-ROM publications.

Aviation Technology Library has print and online resources. Print resources can be found through the Purdue University Libraries Catalog. Available online resources include standards, books, and journals through the Databases and E-journal tabs. A specially selected group of links may be found under Research Help on the homepage.

Most materials for the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics in the College of Engineering are housed in the Siegesmund Engineering Library. These materials complement the Aviation Library’s collection.

Library Reserve Services are available so that faculty may assign readings or recommend resources to their students. Purdue Libraries’ books may be placed on reserves as well as a faculty member’s personal copies or class notes.

A Reserve Loan period is a limited, two hour loan for all students- and may be taken from the library. Reserve media and class notes are in-library-use only.

Reserve materials are needed by a large number of students.  Placing a book on reserve means that the book will be kept in the Aviation Technology library and loaned on a restricted basis. Items processed will be bar coded for circulation.

If a professor wants to place materials on reserve, a please use this form:

Reserves Form. 

Aviation History at Purdue Airport, Key Events:
1930	David Ross, President of Trustees, gave 360 acres of land for Purdue University Airport, the first university-owned airport in the nation.
1934	First Airport Building, Hanger One, completed.
1939	Civilian airplane pilots training initiated.
1942-1973	Purdue Aeronautics Corporation Operated
1961	Midwest program for Airborne Television Instruction (MPATI) began.
2005	The 75th Anniversary of the Purdue Airport.  Airport designated a historic site. Pudue Airport hosts the Air Race Classic.
2007-	Hanger One is renamed and in September 2009  dedicated Niswonger Aviation Technology Building after construction of an 18,200-square-foot building addition. It provides a larger, modern learning facility for future pilots, airline managers, aeronautical technologists and others pursuing careers in the aviation industry.
Source: Purdue University News, Department of Aviation Technology, and Historical Information from the Archives Special Collections.