The Library at Fifty

Conceptual drawing of CSF Library - 1965
With the construction of the new USF science building underway, I think it’s a good opportunity to look back at another building on campus. Specifically, the Library, home to the USF Archives. Coincidentally, construction of the two buildings fall fifty years apart.  

Plans for a new and modern library began several years before any dirt was moved. The previous CSF library was in the Motherhouse, the first building on campus. The collection grew steadily over the 1930s-1960s, with a total of 70,000 volumes by 1964. The amount of undergraduate students increased over this period to around 1,100 students, which gave a compelling reason to build a standalone library building.
Library during construction - 1966

Another reason to move forward with construction was due to the new Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963. It states: 

"To authorize assistance to public and other nonprofit institutions of higher education in financing the construction, rehabilitation, or improvement of needed academic and related facilities in undergraduate and graduate institutions." 

This act allowed CSF to receive a grant one-third the total cost of the building from the Federal Government. The other two-thirds was covered with a loan from the State of Illinois, and fundraising efforts. In total, the library cost a little over $1,000,000.

The Board of Trustees consulted Frazier Poole, the head librarian at the University of Illinois at Navy Pier, for help with the design, statistics of the college, and work of the building committee. He notes: “The building of the library is the problem of the architect. The functional ideas are the problem of the librarian.” Architects J.A. Semitekol and R.V. Larson handled the plans, and previously worked for CSF on the new residence hall, which was built a year earlier.

LaVerne and Dorothy Brown Library exterior - 2016
The groundbreaking occurred April 14, 1966. Over the next year, all the equipment and furniture required to fill a much larger space was purchased. The library opened to students in September 1967, and had a capacity for 200,000 volumes. March 24, 1968 was the dedication of the library, attended by Board of Trustees members, Sisters, donors, librarians from other Chicagoland colleges, and the public.


Since 1968, the library has undergone little change. A few classrooms were added to the basement level, the open spaces on the third floor have been changed to the Archives and Academic Research Center (ARC), and the outside entrance has gotten a face-lift. However, the original open-floor plan and 1960s aesthetics are still prominent. 

If you would like more information about the library and its importance to the University of St. Francis, please check out the Library Administration (10-250) and Buildings (30-100) collections.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

St. Joseph School of Nursing

Image
In 1997 the St. Joseph College of Nursing joined the College of St. Francis and on January 1, 1998 became the College of Nursing and Allied Health at the newly renamed University of St. Francis. But before this storied nursing school joined USF they had been training nurses in Joliet for almost eight decades. Here's an abbreviated timeline about the history of St. Joseph School of Nursing. 1866 - 4 women form the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Seelback, Germany 1876 - Those 4 Sisters arrive in Avilla, Indiana 1881 - The Sisters traveled to Joliet to care for those affected by an epidemic of typhoid fever 1882 - Joliet donates $600 towards the creation of a hospital to be run by the Sisters 1882 - The Sisters of the Sacred Heart purchase the Motherhouse on Broadway from the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate to use as the St. Joseph Hospital *** So begins the relationship between the two congregations. The Sisters of St. Francis provided education for the Si
Read more

DISASTER PLANNING: Mold and Water Salvage

Image
Growth Cycle of Mold Last week I attended a workshop in Springfield, Illinois at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library to learn about salvaging mold and water damaged library materials. It was hosted by Jennifer Hain Teper, Preservation Librarian and Head of Preservation Services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Bonnie Parr, Historical Documents Conservator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The workshop included an overview of mold and library materials including: sources of mold, a brief introduction to health risks when dealing with mold, and options for remediation/removal. I did not know much about mold going into this workshop, so I was interested to learn some basic facts. For example, mold grows best at high temperatures and high humidity, which is why cold storage is best for archival materials. I also learned too new terms. Example of foxing, taken from The Private Library Foxing and efflorescence are two types of
Read more

Sisters of Saint Francis Special Exhibit

Image
The Joliet Area Historical Museum is hosting a special exhibit: Sisters of Saint Francis of Mary Immaculate - 145 Years Serving God, Serving Community . "The Sisters of Saint Francis of Mary Immaculate transformed the landscape of Joliet through their ministry and the Congregation's building of a Motherhouse, an academy, a college, an orphanage, and a retirement home. This exhibit features facts pulled from their rich history, continuing the journey that Mother Alfred Moes began 145 years ago." Visit the Museum from June 6 through October 10, 2010 to view this amazing collection of photographs, information, artifacts, artwork and more about the Sisters' century and a half in Joliet. The Motherhouse of the Sisters of Saint Francis of Mary Immaculate - ca. 1912
Read more