A branch library serving the biology, bacteriology, zoology, and entomology departments was established in 1948 on the third floor of Hesler Biology Building. Mrs. Kenneth Wagner served as librarian. A similar branch was created in room 206 of the Earth and Planetary Sciences Building to serve the physics, geology, geography, and mathematics departments.
Engineering and law library branches were also operated by the main library with professional librarians. The library in earth and planetary sciences evolved into a map library. The law library was separated from the main library and placed under control of the College of Law. The biology and engineering libraries were merged into a Science-Engineering Library in Dabney-Buehler in 1974.
In fall 1978 the Graduate Council and the Graduate Student Council criticized the crowded and disorganized conditions in the Dabney-Buehler facility and called for it to have highest priority for consideration for space available on campus. Although unpopular with many faculty and students, the decision was made in 1980 that the science and engineering holdings would be absorbed into Hoskins Library, which they were in summer 1981, by transferring materials from Hoskins and from the Science/Engineering Library to a storage facility. Consideration was given to leaving the science and engineering collections in Hoskins when the John C. Hodges Library opened in 1987, but the decision was to move those collections with the remainder of collections in Hoskins to the new facility. The map library continued to operate until it moved to Hoskins Library, from which it moved (2008) to Hodges Library.