March 10, 1936 p.3: Reading Room has Fiction on Display

“Restful Surroundings of New Library Give Diversions from Class Work”

TEAS ATTRACT STUDENTS

The reading room of the library at the Woman’s college is maintained as a comfortable, attractive place where students may go to do recreation and reading. Mrs. Minnie Hussey, readers’ adviser, is in charge of this room, and is ready to help all students select good and interesting books to read.

In the old library, which was burned in 1932, a fiction room was provided. Students gave furniture for the room; and rugs, tables; and chairs were gathered from many sources. In 1931, Miss Charlotte Newton, also in charge of circulation and a teacher in the school of library science, began an annotated catalog of fiction and non-fiction books as they came into the library.

The next year, Miss Katherine Price and Mrs. Minnie Hussey came to help Miss Newton. Attractive displays were made by the library science students. Four whole shelves of popular non-fiction books were brought up from the stacks and added to the fiction room; an addition which proved to be a happy one. In the disastrous fire of 1932, from three to four thousand books in the reading room were either destroyed or burned irreparably. All the furniture and pictures, so painstakingly collected, where damaged beyond use. In 1933 a new library was opened, with a new larger and more attractive reading room, which at present plays no small part in making the students feel at home on campus. Deep, comfortable chairs and davenports, tables; lamps, rugs, draperies, pottery, and pictures help to make the room more home-like. Popular fiction and non-fiction books are scattered around the room on tables and on shelves, and the room lacks the usual formality of a library. Students may spend odd moments during the day and at night here to good advantage. The reading room is open eight hours each day and two hours on Sunday afternoon.

Library teas are held in this room from time to time. Recent books are reviewed by townspeople, faculty members, or guests from neighboring cities; and tea is served by the library staff. Current plays are reviewed, and talks are given on a wide variety of subjects.

The reading room is an exceedingly popular place not only at tea time but at all hours of the day.

Feb.21, 1936 p.2: Open Forum

Dear Editor:

A freshman is more or less like fresh damp clay—the first few footprints make distinct impressions, but with time and additional footprints, these first impressions become confused and indistinct. So it is with the freshman. On entering school, he makes certain observations which help him to determine, independent of written rules and regulations, what things are done, and what things are definitely left undone. Thus is instilled in him something of the high aims and ideals for which his school stands. But, regrettable as it may be, he finds that these first-learned ideals are not inviolable.

During the first week of school, I was deeply impressed with the emphatic placards of the library: “This room is for study, not for visiting. Silence is requested for the benefit of those who come here to study. Assistants are asked to report anyone who does not observe this request.” Doubtless, this library was a sanctum—a true haven of refuge for those in search of peace and quiet. As all newcomers must have done, I took great pains to observe this ruling. I remember walking on tip-toe, noiselessly sliding penciled notes across the tables rather than risk the shocking disturbance of a whisper, sitting uncomfortably for uncounted moments rather than cause the annoying scrape of my chair on the floor. I remember even being cautioned to speak only in moderate tones while passing the library. Surely this was an awe inspiring institution of great learning.

Then came the change. It came on gradually, of course, as most changes do come. Perhaps it first became noticeable when something went wrong with the ventilation system in the social science reading room. The new freshman history course requires that a great deal of time be spent in this room, since the books cannot be taken out before 9 p.m. Assignments in these books are long and tedious, and require the deepest concentration. During one period of several days, the bang and clatter overhead made even reading the text next to impossible, and a grasp of its contents out of the question. With all this outside noise, it was inevitable that less care should be taken in scraping chairs on the floor, banging books on tables and shelves, noisily rattling pages, and whispering—why, one had to fairly shout inquiries at the desk! In the rush of obtaining source-theme material, above this din attendants might be heard dashing madly up and down unseen steps in the mysterious realm of the “stacks.”

Abandoning the social science room (and needless to say, at the same time abandoning much of my history reading), I sought refuge elsewhere. The reserve room seemed a likely place, since it continued to maintain a reasonable degree of quiet. However, it was usually very full of people, as well as a bit stuffy. The periodical room, by dint of its contents and the near-necessity of rattling pages seemed out of the question… Then I hit upon the ideal place—ideal for peace, quiet, and comfort. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? The recreational reading room, with its deep comfortable chairs, and its utopian silence! I settled cozily in preparation for facing a dreaded French assignment. All went well, until my eyes found the modest placard, “This room is for recreational reading only.” My French text swam uneasily before my eyes, and I soon managed to slip out unnoticed. Another chapter ended in my quest abruptly.

Without further ado I sough the one remaining spot—the hitherto unexplored reference room. For a time this served admirably. Hidden behind the imposing Oxford dictionary, I could pursue whatever course I liked, undisturbed. Then, one day a happy pair settled beside me, and began to relate in loud whispers “what he said, and why, and what she said, and why,” at great length… That was the last straw. I was completely disillusioned. But I soon found that the library, with all its noises, was a great deal better suited to the pursuit of knowledge than the dormitory. So I returned to the library, and prepared to hope for the best. Can’t something be done about it?

DISGRUNTLED FRESHMAN

Feb. 21, 1936 p.1: Miss Jane Summerell Will Give Book Review

Pleasure Piece, by Rose Batterham, will be reviewed by Miss Jane Summerell of the English department at the library tea Friday afternoon, February 28, at 4:30 o’clock. Miss Batterham is a graduate of the Woman’s college. Her novel has received considerable attention in literary circles and some weeks ago was reviewed in the New York Times book review section.

Nov. 1, 1935 p.1: Library Displays Bibles This Week

“Exhibit of Special Editions and Correlated Publication is in Reading Room”

DR. KLEISS WILL SPEAK

The Bible display in the library this week and nest week is in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the printed English Bible. In commemoration of this anniversary also, Dr. Donald S. Kleiss, pastor of Greensboro’s Community church, will speak on the “History of the English Printed Bible” at a library tea in the reading room on Wednesday, November 6, at 5 o’clock.

In the Bible display, in the cases, are facsimile pages of Bibles printed from 1525 to 1611, and an exhibit of old Bibles loaned by members of the faculty and friends of the library.

In the reading room are a collection of books about the Bible, of books on the history of printing with reference to the Bible, and a small collection of children’s Bibles, as well as some interesting pamphlets on the relationship of the Bible to us.

Among the interesting facsimiles are the title page of Miles Coverdale’s first edition of the English printed Bible, printed in 1535; a page from the Bishop’s Bible, printed in 1568; and a page from the King James version, 1611, the most popular translation of the Bible. More copies of this version have been printed and sold than any other book in any other language.

Among the fascinating collection of books about the Bible, one of the most unusual is Potter’s “Is That in the Bible?” The children’s Bibles are lovely, and contain many pictures in full color. Some of the interesting pamphlets are: “What the Bible Can Do for Us Today,” “The English Bible and British and American Art,” and “The Influence of the English Bible upon the English Language and upon English and American Literature.”

The library wished to announce the gift of the Carnegie portrait by the Carnegie Foundation in honor of the celebration of the foundation’s 100th anniversary. This portrait has been received by the college, and will be on display in the reading room, along with a collection of pictures and books about Andrew Carnegie.

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

Oct. 18, 1935 p.1: Library Association Meets in Asheville

The North Carolina Library association held its biennial session October 10-12 at the Battery Park hotel in Asheville. Mr. Charles H. Stone, former librarian of Woman’s college, returned from his new position at William and Mary to preside over the meetings. Members of the local staff who attended were Miss Elizabeth Sampson, acting librarian; Miss Virginia Trumper, Miss Vernon Williams, and Mrs. Minnie M. Hussey.

Oct. 11, 1935 p.2: This and That from Here and There

A new use has been found for the camera. Rare books and volumes for reference are photographed in miniature on a sheet the size of notebook paper, 50 pages being placed on this size of film. They are easily stored away in libraries with very little space needed. When the reader calls for them, he places the sheet under a special binocular, turns a rank, and there is page after page of a precious volume right before his eyes.

Another method is to take a motion picture of the book or newspaper. This filing takes even less space.

Libraries will be able to exchange valuable source material without the great expense of copying; and these files will be much more complete because of the small storage space needed.

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

Oct. 1, 1935 p.2: Open Forum

Dear Editor:

A senior and a sophomore would like to know why free access cannot be had to the library. We are speaking of those novels in the reading room which we have enjoyed in the past but which at present are on the restricted shelf. These books—we know because we have read them—contain nothing whatever which would warrant their restriction for college students. Among these books is a book which year before last was a required classroom assignment.

The type of student who would take an unwholesome attitude toward certain novels has never been seen entering the reading room. There library is the corner drug store.

Mary Elizabeth Davis
Shelia Corley

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

June 11, 1935 p.4: Library Has Large Daily Circulation from Main Desk

“Reading Room Is Furnished with Easy Chairs for Restful Hours”

LOBBY CONTAINS DISPLAY

“Reserve Room Shelves Open to Students for Parallel Reading Assigned by Each Teacher”

The library of Woman’s college, a large two-story brick building, conveniently situated between classrooms and dormitories, contains 75,000 volumes of books, with an average circulation at the main desk of 200 per day. Its staff consists of ten trained librarians and thirty student assistants. This building has four large rooms, the periodical room, the reading room, the reference room, and the reserve room.

The reading room or fiction room is an attractive place to students. One-half of it is artistically furnished with easy chairs and sofas, while the other half has comfortable chairs and tables for reading. There are 2000 volumes of fiction here. Two or three shelves are set aside for interesting non-fiction books: this group is frequently changed. All of the most recent books also have their separate nook. One of the main features of the reading room is its interesting display. Every Friday afternoon teas are given at which time some faculty member or a speaker outside the college, reviews a book that is related to his field of work. There is always a display of books related to the subject of this talk. This past year an exhibit of pictures from the Grand Central Galleries of New York was shown here.

The reserve room contains the books which are most in demand by the students. This group of books cannot be checked out except from 9 o’clock at night until 8:30 the next morning. The college uses a different system concerning reserve books from most colleges. Here the stacks are open and the student finds his own book, rather than signing a slip and having to for someone else to get it. The circulation of this room alone is from 500 to 1,000 per day.

The periodicals room is very popular with the students. It contains practically all of the worthwhile magazines and newspapers. The library subscribes to 12 daily papers and to 683 magazines and weeklies. In addition to the current publications, the back issues are bound and kept in this room. Many of the sets are complete back to the very first issue ever published.

There is a small periodical room especially for freshmen who take current events. None of the upper classmen are allowed to use it.

Then there is the reference room where over 15 different sets of encyclopedias may be found. Its contents total at least 1,500 reference volumes, including dictionaries and books on many subjects.

In addition to the books in these four rooms there are three floors of stacks at the back of the building.

Upstairs in the lobby there are showcases were there is always an interesting display. This past year there were displays of old pewters, rare books, rare letters, etchings, pictures, Russian costume, etc.

This year the library staff conducted for the first time a book contest among juniors and seniors. A prize was given to the student who owned the best collection of books. This contest is to become and annual affair.