The service of the University of Gondar library system dates back more than half a century to the establishment of the Gondar Public Health and Training Centre. The library system was established in 1954 to serve students of the Public Health and Training Centre in the then Gondar College of Medical Science (GCMS). In 1978, when GCMS was established the GCMS library was also redesigned in organization, manpower, and in reference books including journals and other supporting documents.
This time the library was intended to serve medical doctors, nurses, and environmental health students. Beyond this, it is intended to support the above programs to meet their objectives in serving as a source of information and reference as well as researchers. However, the service was given in buildings built for other purposes than for library service which does not fit for purpose. The year 1999 was a remarkable date when the GCMS library was transformed into a new building built for the library, the now GCMS library. Until the college was given the right to manage, administer, and run its business independently, all the services and activities were managed and administered by Addis Ababa University. Along with the transformation of the college into Gondar University College in 2003 and to the University of Gondar in 2004, a number of branch libraries emerged together with the increasing number of faculties and the expansion of the university’s purchase and finance system. Today there are eleven branch libraries in five wide-campus.