The
Milton S. Eisenhower Library (called "MSE" by students), located on the Homewood Campus, houses over 2.6 million
volumes and over 20,000 journal subscriptions. The Eisenhower Library is a member of the University's Sheridan Libraries
encompassing collections at the Albert D. Hutzler Reading Room in Gilman Hall, the John Work Garrett Library at Evergreen House,
and the George Peabody Library at Mount Vernon Place. Together these collections provide the major research library resources for
the University, serving Johns Hopkins academic programs worldwide.Since tradition (and a little campus lore) dictates that no structure on campus can be taller than Gilman Hall (the oldest
academic building), only two of the six stories of the library are above ground; the rest are beneath, though architects designed
the building so that every level has windows and natural light. (In truth, there is no rule regarding building height; the
library's design was chosen for architectural and aesthetic reasons when it was finally built in the 1960's. Prior "master plans"
for campus design over the previous decades had included massive imposing buildings to house the library collections.)