The library is a registered depository for Illinois, U.S. Federal, and United Nations documents. Delyte's, a coffee shop named after former SIU President Delyte W. Morris, operates near the entrance of the library.
=== Old campus ===
SIU's "First Building" was chartered in 1869 and completed in 1874. This building burned in 1883 and was replaced by a building known as "Old Main", which itself burned in 1969. While arson related to Vietnam War unrest continues to be suspected as the primary cause for the 1969 fire, this theory has never been conclusively proven. This second building was never replaced, and a rectangular green space remains where it once stood. This space is surrounded by some of the university's earliest buildings, most of which were built throughout the early 1900s. Collectively, this area of campus is known as "Old Campus".
To the east of the former site of Old Main is Davies Hall and Wheeler Hall, the latter of which served as SIU's library until the construction of the original Morris Library. …
