Feb. 11, 1922 p.1: $100,000 Will Be Spent on Library Improvements

“Contracts Awarded and Bids Received when Board of Visitors Meet in February”

Bids for the work on the library will be received and contracts awarded at a meeting of the Board of Visitors which will be held February 28. It is established that the enlargement of the library, which will treble its capacity, will entail and expenditure of $100,000.

Plans as shown by Mr. Shaw, college librarian, give a library that will have much more space for the many volumes that it now crowds in, and the many students who knock at its doors.

The building will be extended on the Northern, Eastern, and Southern sides. The reference and history rooms will be doubled in capacity, and the History room will be devoted to periodicals. The offices will be moved into the new part on the Northern side and the catalogue and work rooms on the Southern sides. The stack room will extend the length of the present building, running North and South. In the rear of the stack room there will be seven seminar rooms.

Upstairs the fiction room will be over the periodical room, and the American Authors will occupy the room now occupied by fiction. Over the office will be the Document room, and over the Work room and Catalogue room will be a rest room. Over the stack room will be a room which will be vacant for ten years.

Work is excepted to start sometime in March, but until May there will be no disturbance inside, all the work being on the exterior. The books will then be moved either to the English room in Main, if they have moved into McIver, and if they have not, into the new wing of McIver. At present the library has about 18,000 volumes.

"And now a word from our sponsers"

Sept. 24, 1921 p.1: Miss Grace Stowell Will Be Reference Librarian

The library wishes to announce the inauguration this year of a service intended for the especial aid and convenience of both faculty and students in the use of the library and its resources. A new position has been created; that of reference librarian. Miss Grace Stowell has been chosen for the work, and she will be at her desk in the reference and periodical room daily during the morning and afternoon hours.

The reference librarian will assist students in finding material on any desired subject, in the use of magazine indexes and other reference books, in the preparation of bibliographies: in short she will find for anyone the available resources of the library on any subject asked for.

Because of the large student body and faculty to serve, it is desirable that requests for information or assistance be made as long before it is required as possible. Printed blank forms asking the nature of the information requested are provided at the reference desk. If the reference librarian is not on duty, fill out a card and leave it on her desk. It will, however, be more satisfactory to make requests in person.

It is the earnest desire of the entire staff to be of service to the faculty and students in every way possible. The staff is especially anxious to help those who are not yet familiar with the details of the library system. Any member of it is always available for consultation and help.

The staff this year is as follows: Charles B. Shaw, librarian; E. Elizabeth Sampson, assistant librarian and cataloger; Grace E. Stowell, reference librarian; Rosa M. Oliver, assistant in charge of circulation; Annie E. Cummings, assistant in charge of accessioning; Marie Bonitz, Mildred Burch, Daisy Hunter, Mabel Stamper, and Katherine Yoder, student assistants.

"And now a word from our sponsers..."

Oct. 2, 1920 p. 1: Many Improvements Made at the Library: Increase of Suave Welcomed

Mr. Shaw, the new Librarian, with the help of his assistants, has introduced some long-needed improvements into the library. An increase in space has been obtained by the re-arrangement of the departments and utilization of every available spot. The Freshman, in particular, will appreciate this, since it enables them to use the library at night. The fiction has been moved upstairs and the former fiction room is now occupied by the reference books, that is, by the dictionaries, and encyclopedias, and periodical indexes. The current magazines and newspapers retain their old positions. The space formerly devoted to the references is now used for biography. The history department is practically unchanged, as are shelves in rear of the library downstairs. As has been said, one of the upstairs rooms is occupied by the fiction and the other by the government documents, while the books formerly in there are in the hall outside, which has been attractively fitted up as a reading room.

Additional equipment has been added, this equipment being chairs, tables and book cases, as well as a number of new books. The Carolinian announces that a list of new books will appear in its columns in the next issue and regularly once a month thereafter.

There are some new rules relating to the library besides the ones pertaining to its use at night by Freshman. Any student may at any time take out ank book in the library except reference books and those on reserve shelf at the desk. They are to be taken out by the regular card method and may be kept for two weeks. The library will be open daily except Sundays, from 8 to 12:15 a.m. and from 2 to 5 p.m., and from 7 to 9 p.m.

Miss Elizabeth Sampson, Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts, and Mrs. Gressett, of Virginia, are the new assistant librarians, and also Miss. Schock, head of the department of German. The four student assistants are Mary Blair, Rose Oliver, Carolyn Clarks, and Hortense Mosely.

Mr. Shaw requests that the library should not be used for study except when the student is actually using the books of the library, and also that absolute quiet be observed.

These improvements are deeply appreciated by every member of the student body and faculty. Mr. Shaw has worked faithfully and her has the sincere thanks of all. Let us show our appreciation by hearty co-operation and close observation of library rules.

April 24, 1920 p.4: See the New Books at the Library

Two complete sets have recently been received. There is a set of the entire works of George Meredith which no one can afford to omit from her reading list.

The American Literature classes will be interested to know that a set of Eugene Field’s complete works has been placed in the American author’s room. Very little is known of Eugene Fields; but he has written many poems and books. One of his books is entitled a “Book of Profitable Tales.” Fields is thoroughly American, is full of wit and humor, and his tales are entertaining. Lasson Thompson has written a biography of Fields. It is a record of one of the most entertaining characters of the latter schools of American writers.

Jan. 21, 1920 p.3: College Inventory and Prospects: The Library

Are you acquainted with our college library? It has a very interesting history behind it, and a useful future before it. Our present library building was erected in 1905, and in that year our library moved from its home in Administration building to the new building.

Our college boasts that it was one of the first—if not the first—libraries ever built by Carnegie. He gave us $15,000 for the building and $3,800 for furnishings, and to this amount the college added $1,200.

The state has never made our library an appropriation, and yet in spite of the resulting lack of funds we have a fine working library. To Miss Annie Petty the credit for the excellence of our collection of books and bound magazines belongs. With only the small amount of money representing the students’ library fees, our books, magazines, papers, and additional library furniture has been bought. Out of this sum also has come the money to pay for the binding of our magazines.

These bound magazines constitute one of the strong features of our library. Some of our sets of magazines are quite rare and we should be justly proud of them. There are about 15 complete sets of magazines and broken sets of many others. Some notable sets are: “The Ladies Home Journal,” dating back to the first half of the nineteenth century, when it was published under the name of, “Godey’s Lady’s Book.” Copies we have of this magazine date back to 1844 and constitute one of the most complete sets in this part of the country.

A complete set of Harper’s Magazine to its initial issue in 1850, complete set of “The Century” from 1871 on; the Atlantic Monthly, beginning with the initial number in 1857, and the “Southern Messenger” dating back to 1841. Few libraries have such a splendid collection of bound magazines as ours boasts.

There are more than 14,000 volumes in our library now. We have had to add slowly to its number of books because of our small yearly sum available for purchasing books. Yet 300 or more girls use these books every day, for 300 is the library’s average daily attendance—while it has seating for only 92. The American Author’s room is one of the newer features of the library. This room was established by the class of 1917 and in it are to be found sets of O. Henry’s books, Riley’s, Mark Twain’s, and others. There also is a copy of Beautiful America, a book now out of print. Many beautiful steel engravings are to be found in this book. This room, like all the rest of the library, shows excellent choice in its collection of books.

Oct. 18, 1919 p. 1: Additions to Our North Carolina Books Made by Col. Olds

Col. Fred A. Olds, custodian of the State Hall of History at Raleigh, has recently made an addition to our library by presenting us with quite a number of North Carolina books. This is not the only present Col. Olds has given us. He has helped us immensely in securing the things with which we have started our college hall of history. In fact, many articles were personal contributions from Col. Olds.

Sept. 20, 1919 p.5: A Word from the Library

The Library has a warm welcome for you and is ready to serve you in your many moods.

New books are coming in and the latest magazines are ready for you. There is no better place on the campus to spend a quiet hour and renew acquaintances with old book friends or meet new ones. Especially would we commend the American Author’s Room to those who have never before been there. It is not a place for study or social intercourse, but a room where one can go and read the best from some of our own American writers, and learn to know them as delightful personalities.

If you do not care to read, rest and enjoyment may be found in the quiet and comfortable surroundings and many troubles ome problems solved and taut nerves quieted.