The first library established at Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) was the Faculty of Medicine Library in 1952, followed by the Faculty of Law Library in 1954. At that time, USU was still under the Universitas Sumatera Utara Foundation before being inaugurated as the seventh state university in Indonesia on November 20, 1957.
In 1970, the Central Library was established alongside existing faculty libraries. In 1987, all libraries at USU were merged and relocated to a new 6,090 m² building located in the center of the Padang Bulan campus.
When USU’s status changed to a State-Owned Legal Entity University (PT-BHMN) in 2005, the Library was merged with the Computer Center and named the Library and Information System. Later, when USU transitioned to a Public Service Agency (BLU) and subsequently into an Autonomous State University (PTN-BH) under Government Regulation No. 16 of 2014, the Library was re-established as an independent unit under the name University Library.
Since 2006, the Library has opened several faculty branches. By 2017, there were 13 branch libraries, including faculty libraries and the USU Hospital Library, all integrated into the University Library service system. This integration was made possible through the support of information technology infrastructure that enabled the development of a centralized library system with multiple service points across the campus. The establishment of branch libraries not only aims to bring services closer to users but also to address the limited space capacity of the central library building.

Heads of USU Library

Dr. Drs. A. Ridwan Siregar, SH., M.Lib (1991–2013)
Dr. Jonner Hasugian, M.Si. (2015–2021)
Laila Hadri Nasution, S.Sos., M.P. (2021–2025)
Prof. Dr. Syahril Efendi S.Si., M.I.T. (2026-2031)