USSU’s library was officially named the Dr. Robert Block Library in 2016 in recognition of the institution’s Founding Chairman of its Board of Trustees.

The library supports the mission of the University by ensuring that faculty members and students have access to superior academic and sports-specific learning resources and services. The Robert Block Library library, available to students on and off campus, holds over 9,000 monographs, 650 audiovisual materials, and 3,033 microforms. The University is a member of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) with access to 16,737 libraries in 170 countries, representing over 1.5 billion records. It is also a member of the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries (NAAL), which was founded to promote resource sharing among Alabama libraries.

Through the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), students can access library holdings via the Internet. In addition, the virtual library consists of major databases: Gale, EBSCO, and ProQuest. Library resources are also accessible through the Canvas Learning Management System. Students needing assistance may contact library staff at [email protected].

Students may borrow books from the University library by emailing [email protected]. Students will be billed postage fees. If a book is not returned, the student will be billed the full cost of the book. If payment is not made, a hold will be placed on the student’s records. The misuse of library materials by writing on pages, tearing out pages, or taking materials is strictly forbidden.

The ASAMA collection includes the Olympic Room, which is located in the University’s Library. Many different types of Olympic memorabilia are on display there including pendants, pins, medals, sculptures, books and manuscripts dating back to the earliest days of the Modern Olympic Games.

Lorrie and Richard Greene blended their interests in art and sport since their marriage in 1963. Lorrie was not much of a sports fan, occasionally going to games with Dick but she lacked the passion he had for sports. Lorrie did have a great interest in modern and contemporary art but Dick had never been to a museum until after they married and travelled in Western Europe. With Lorrie’s encouragement and guidance, Dick began to learn about art, finding there was a blend of sports and art in many ways. Together they began collecting works on paper, paintings, sculptures, some posters and photography.

Lorrie and Dick have thoroughly enjoyed learning about and collecting art even though they differ on how much time they like to spend in a museum and at sporting events. They have been very fortunate to be able to travel all over the world, enjoying museums wherever they go, whether modern/contemporary or history,learning about local cultures.They have also attended practically every major sporting event beginning with the NCAA college basketball Final Four in 1984. Among the many sporting events they have attended are seven Olympic Games, five Super Bowls, the World Series, the Kentucky Derby, all the Grand Slam tennis tournaments in one year and even the Australian Rules Football finals.

While the collection they donated to the United States Sports University is focused on sports, it would not have been put together without their joint efforts and Lorrie’s encouragement to Dick that he should use his new found knowledge about art and what he enjoys and blend it with sports. He began with the Carl Lewis wire sculpture he commissioned in 1989 and then he began collecting the official reports of the Olympic Games.

Lorrie is a former teacher and one of the founders of STREETSMART4KIDS™ in San Francisco, raising funds for disadvantaged and homeless children. In 1984, Dick became a founding partner of Greene Radovsky Maloney Share & Hennigh, a tax, real estate and business transactional law firm where he continues to work. In addition, Dick has served as a trustee and president for 10 years of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and an advisor to museums and other nonprofits in the San Francisco Bay Area, among several other leadership positions with local nonprofits. They are both California natives and University of California-Berkley graduates. They live in Tiburon, Calif., where they have lived since 1969. They have three daughters and two granddaughters.