The library contains more than 700,000 books and bound periodical volumes, and one million units of microform. You can search Hunter Library's Catalog online. Approximately 3,300 serial subscriptions are received, including regional, national, and international newspapers. The annual rate of new materials is more than 15,000 items. As a selective federal depository, the library holds more than 180,000 government documents and adds important items monthly. The Government Documents Web Site provides access to electronic versions of many government publications. Of special interest is the North Carolina Documents Collection which houses publications generated by the state government. 

Hunter Library is also a depository for maps published by the United States Geological Survey, Defense Mapping Agency and other federal agencies. The Map Room collection contains more than 110,000 sheet maps, over 500 atlases, and a small reference collection. 

The Special Collections unit of Hunter Library maintains manuscripts collections, books, photographs, and other resources documenting the history of western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia, the history of the Cherokee Indians, literary works and papers of authors residing in or native to western North Carolina, the behavior of spiders, and the history of Western Carolina University. 

As a service for professional education programs, a Curriculum Materials Center is maintained that contains the state-adopted textbooks for North Carolina, curriculum guides, children's literature, media, and manipulatives suitable for classroom use. 

The library provides access to online indexes and other electronic resources available through the Internet. The library also provides library materials in UNCA's Ramsey Library for Western Carolina University courses and programs offered on the Asheville Campus.