An Expanded and Refreshed Library

by Dr. Bruce Fawcett ('88), President and Vice Chancellor

When I was a student on the old Salisbury Road campus our library was located in the basement of the “Ladies Dorm.” The space wasn’t all that attractive, and the collection was small – but I loved it there! The library was a place where I could sit at my favourite old wooden table among books, ponder my assigned readings, and write my term papers. It was also a place where I could laugh with my friends while not-so-quietly debating the ideas we encountered in class.

In 1985, my second year as a student, Ivan Douthright arrived and began 36 years of service as the first full-time librarian in the history of our school. He presided over a collection that grew slowly due to budget constraints, but which took several major leaps forward thanks to large donations of books from people like former President Stuart Murray, former professor Jim Beverley, and former Queen’s University professor George Rawlyk, for whom our library is named.

When Ivan retired, the University searched for a new University Librarian and called David Purdy to the role. David came to us from Redeemer University in Hamilton, Ontario where he was serving as Assistant Librarian. After spending his first year settling in and his second year hiring and training two of our alumni to join his team, the administration and the Board of Governors thought it was time to embark on an expansion and refreshment of our library.

We wrestled at first with the idea of investing over a million dollars in our library. After all we have some 200,000 volumes that are available electronically. Was there a future for a physical library at Crandall? Eventually we concluded that a library is not just about storing books and journals; it is a space to cultivate research skills, a quiet place to read and write, and it creates a culture of study and learning that is essential to a university’s identity and a student’s growth.

This summer all the books were packed into boxes which were generously donated by a supporter and then moved to Stultz Hall for storage. This allowed our contractors to expand the library into rooms formerly used for other purposes and to refresh the entire space. The Rawlyk Library is now much larger and open. It is equipped with new furniture and has both a new archives room and rare book room as well as group study space. It is a beautiful space filled with natural light where our students and our staff can work.

My favorite old wooden table from the 1980s is now gone, but a new generation of students now have a beautiful space where they can read, write, and study with their friends. Thank you to all of you who gave generously to Crandall last year allowing us to enrich this important aspect of student life and learning!

Dr. Bruce Fawcett ('88) has served as President and Vice Chancellor since 2012.