Towers - University of Idaho Newsletter - Vol. 17, Issue 1 (2014)

Towers Newsletter of the Library Associates of the University of Idaho Library Late Winter 2014

Volume 17, Issue 1

Inside this issue:

The University of Idaho Library’s Unique History

Library’s Unique History................. 1

This year, as the University of Idaho marks its 125th

anniversary, we reflect on the unique history of the University of Idaho Library. Its collections were housed in temporary quarters for more than half a century; it was 1957 before the library had a facility all its own.

Campus Photograph Collection........ .2 Briefs........................................ 2

Dean’s Corner.............................. 4

Ways to Give.............................. 4

When the university first opened its doors to students in 1892, a 14’ x 18’ classroom in the newly constructed Administration Building was home to the library and its books, mostly donated or acquired with Morrill Act funds.

Then in 1906 the unthinkable happened: The Administration Building burned to the ground, and the library was a total loss except for approximately 700 books which had been checked out or found on campus. Its meager collection was relocated to the Memorial Gym, sharing space with the athletic department.

The University of Idaho Library building, completed in 1957 (at top) was the first facility of its own. The building was expanded and rededicated in 1994. Today, the library (above) continues to inspire students and faculty with its cutting edge resources.

By the following year when the library moved to another temporary home in Morrill Hall, the efforts of University Librarian Mary Belle Sweet had grown the collection to over 3,000 books. The library moved back into the “new” Administration Building in 1909 and formally established its first card catalog.

875 Perimeter Dr. 2350 Moscow, ID 83844-2350 Phone: (208) 885-6534 Email: librdean@uidaho.edu

In 1921 the south wing of the Administration Building was completed, and the library was again relocated, even though by that time the space barely accommodated the growing collection and student population. Eventually, a new wing devoted exclusively to the library was constructed, providing a solution to the space issues. continued on page three

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Digital Initiatives Releases University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection To commemorate the University of Idaho’s 125th Anniversary, the University of Idaho Library’s Digital Initiatives department has released a new collection of images documenting the history of the main Moscow Campus buildings and programs.

The University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection (http:// www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/campus/) presents over 3,000 digitized images that depict the campus from its beginning in 1889 to the present. The collection can be browsed by building, map, and/or timeline. A mobile version of the site (http://www. lib.uidaho.edu/digital/campus/m/) also has been created to allow browsing for images nearest to the current location of the user’s smartphone.

Images in the collection were acquired by the UI Library’s Special Collections and Archives in negative form and organized into groups over several years. An electronic version of the negatives was digitized by Digital Initiatives librarians, technicians, and student workers during 2012 and 2013. The original negatives and print images continue to be housed in the library’s Special Collections and Archives.

“This collection is the product of the work of several librarians, both past and present,” said Garth Reese, Head of Special Collections and Archives. “The past these images show is as unique as our present, and gives valuable insight to the themes of the University of Idaho Campus and educational mission.”

Images from the newly digitized Campus Photograph Collection.

Clockwise from above: students seated near the Memorial Steps, 1950; basketball coach Joe Cipriano and the Memorial Gym, 1960; view of the Administration Building from the Science Building entryway, 1929; and the Art and Architecture Building, 1966.

Briefly . . .

• Jazz Festival Open House and Program The UI Library’s International Jazz Collections (IJC) were featured prominently during the 2014 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. A daily open house included exhibits of artifacts from the collections and last year’s popular program, “Hamp’s Legacy: The International Jazz Collections at the University of Idaho,” an overview of the collection and its value to musicians, music historians, musicologists and others in conducting research, was repeated as part of the Jazz Festival agenda. Visitors to the library were also introduced to a digital station featuring audio files from the Leonard Feather Blindfold Tests, a new IJC collection (http://digital.lib.uidaho.edu/cdm/blindfoldtests/ collection/lfc).

“The Contributions of Citizen Scientists at the University of Idaho,” explored the university’s collaboration with volunteers to collect and analyze water quality data. Jim Ekins of the UI Extension, described how the IDAH2O program trains volunteers in regional water quality issues and certifies them to collect data that assists agencies in setting water quality standards. Ekins was joined by David Vollmer from the Northwest Knowledge Network and UI Library GIS Librarian Bruce Godfrey, who presented data electronic, interactive water quality data mapping tools.

• Student Worker Award Recipients Three UI students, Dakota Willet, Nick Warzen and Jordan Proctor, are the latest recipients of the library’s Donna K. Smith Student Worker Awards. Willet works in Circulation, Proctor in Digital, and Warzen in Tech Services. The three received certificates and $100 checks.

• “Citizen Science” Research Colloquium A UI Library Research Colloquium program on February 12,

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“Library’s Unique History,” continued from page one

Then in 1957 after four relocations, through the tireless efforts of Head Librarian Lee Zimmerman and others, the library finally moved into its permanent home north of the Memorial Gym in the heart of campus. The building was expanded by 50 percent in the early 1990s and rededicated in 1994.

From its humble beginnings in a tiny classroom, today the University of Idaho Library is the state’s largest, with well over a million print, electronic and audio/visual resources; cutting-edge digital collections and data services; and special historical collections that are among the best in the nation.

Note: Information for this article was gleaned from “The University of Idaho Library: A Centennial History” by Karen A. Buxton, Robert D. Hook, and Richard J. Beck. Moscow, Idaho: Univ. of Idaho Library, 1988.

The first floor reading room in 1950 (left), then located in the “new” Administration building, is vastly different from today’s first floor (above). New comfortable seating facilitates student interaction in groups; three walls of whiteboards enhance the tutoring/group collaboration area.

Modifications to the third floor study area (above left in 1957) increase independent and group study options for today’s students (middle and right).

New seating and ample light in the browsing area (above left in 1957) create a more inviting space (middle and right) today. Whiteboards on wheels add to the possibilities.

More images of the library throughout its history from the Campus Photograph Collection can be accessed here: http://www. lib.uidaho.edu/digital/campus/locations/Library.html.

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Dean’s Corner: Our Past Inspires Our Future Celebrating 125 years as the state’s land grant, constitutional, comprehensive, and leading research university, we appreciate the strides we’ve made on this journey.

As the photographs portray, our students are both the same and different. They still find the library to be their preferred study spot on campus (although they now have choices that didn’t exist back in the day). It is still a place where learning happens, where fraternities and sororities have study tables, and where sometimes romance might coexist with calculus.

Today’s students expect different spaces than those of decades past. Learning has become more collaborative and integrates teams of interdisciplinary researchers. So the library has developed more spaces where the students can move furniture to meet their group’s needs.

Alas, much of our furniture is not mobile.

Tables that were part of our past in the Administration Building do not hold up well to being slid across the floor.

Computer tables are also broken; we

For more information on giving options and ensuring your gift is used exactly the way you want it to be, contact Dean Lynn Baird at (208) 885-6534.

• Cash Gifts • Planned Giving • In-kind Gifts (Materials and Personal Collections) • Tax Benefits Appreciated Assets • Memorial or Honorary Gifts For more information, please visit: www.lib.uidaho.edu/giving/ways.html Dr. Lynn Baird, Library Dean

need to replace about 90 desks before we can install the newest computer technology.

We have certainly appreciated your help over the years and hope you might consider making a special gift to our building. Our “new” facility needs a facelift, and it’s not a cosmetic improvement. The Library is a place for all students and their needs have changed. With your help, our students now and tomorrow will benefit.

1957 photograph of a student looking at the library’s entrance plaque, which reads, “Here is the knowledge of centuries past that all may come and share today.”

The early 1990s expansion relocated the entrance to the north side of the building; the plaque was left intact on the east facade.

875 Perimeter Dr., 2350 Moscow, ID 83844-2350 Phone: (208) 885-6534 Email: librdean@uidaho.edu

As our history recounts, the library has been an integral part of university life.

We are proud to be partners in research and scholarship produced by Vandals.

Ways to Give