Libraries play a fundamental role in a university. Upon cooperation with Purdue University in 1952, NCKU started to renew and expand buildings and school facilities with U.S. subsidies. Over that period, the Main Library, a swimming pool, a dormitory for overseas Chinese students, the Activity Center, and a dormitory for professors from Purdue University were built, offering a completely different space and view for college students in southern Taiwan in the 1960s. This also helped to facilitate the knowledge transfer process.

Upon its completion in 1959, the Main Library has played a vital role in developing global perspectives. With only a 30000-volume collection in 1953, the Main Library housed over 90000 books in 1962. In the shelves were the latest science, technology, and engineering textbooks, as well as western classics and publications of social science research. The latest international journals and books have immensely improved professional knowledge, fostered learning, and cultivated competencies among students at NCKU.

The voluminous collections and spacious study rooms have served as gateways to knowledge for students and faculty alike. The scene of many students waking up early to go to the library was a widely known sight for many locals. The newly built library has created a perfect reading environment in NCKU, as the Main Library has played an equally important role as classrooms in cultivating humanistic knowledge among students. Between 1959 and 2001, the old Main Library had given access to books and resources for our faculty and students alike so they were able to widen their horizons.