| Trinity University Library: Nearly 140 Years'
Worth of History Before the Library was a cultural and educational hub with
wireless internet, accessible caffeinated drinks, and podcasting spots, it was a
small space with an insecure future housing approximately 250 books.
Trinity University Library opened shortly after 1869 in Tehuacana, a small town
approximately 80 miles south of Dallas, Texas. At the time, it was common for
American university libraries to be composed of books donated by Christian
ministers and by families of deceased ministers. The Trinity University
Library was no different. In fact, the first mention of the campus library
was in the university catalog of 1872, which described the collection as
"containing many historical, biographical, poetical, philosophical, and
religious works." Eventually, books that complemented courses being taught
at Trinity were added to the collection, though initially it was quite a
slow process. |
The colors! The classy ladies!
And, oh yeah, there’s a
library
back there, too. |
In 1902, the school was moved to Waxahachie, Texas, and
the library was placed on the first floor of the Administration
building. There was no cataloging system there at the time, and
the books were in no particular order on the shelves. There was
also no librarian; library monitors were seniors attending school on
scholarship. However, it did become apparent that hiring a
full-time worker was necessary. In 1918, the wife of a professor
at Trinity, Theresa Roberts Simms, was employed on a temporary basis as
Acting Librarian. Fortunately, she was successful enough that a
contract was issued to her for another year. Essentially, Mrs. Simms was
the library pioneer who began arranging books and helping students find
what they needed.It would not be until 1942 that San Antonio would become the
new home for Trinity University. Trinity merged with the University of San
Antonio and so their library collections had to be combined as well. This
meant that many books had to be completely recatalogued with the help of
students, since Mrs. Simms was still the only full-time worker. It would
not be until the end of 1946 that the library staff would grow.
Other individuals were then hired for Reference, Circulation, Periodicals and
Cataloging Departments.
|
| In 1949, the structure of the library truly began to
change. Mrs. Louise Lips and her son Charles, who were close
friends of then-president Monroe G. Everett, became interested in the
university. They decided to establish a memorial to Mrs. Lips'
father, the late George Storch - a pioneer merchant and philanthropist
of Kansas. It was then decided that this modern memorial would
become the library. This was one of the first buildings to be
built on what was then called Stadium Hill. The building and
landscaping were considered so beautiful that it won the National Plant
America Award in 1956. The George Storch Memorial Library became
the main space for information on the humanities. The sciences
were not left far behind, since groundbreaking for the Chapman Graduate
Library began in 1963. It was also decided that the rare books and
special collections be placed there.
|
Just a normal, glamorous day
at the library. |
|
Minimal socializing above the
stacks. |
In 1971, one thing became obvious: it would help if
all the materials were consolidated into one building, therefore a much
bigger space was necessary. The ground breaking for the new building
began six weeks later, and the original two floors were finally opened
on March 20, 1979. These floors were, naturally, what we now know
as the 3rd and 4th floors. The spiral staircase connecting these
floors was basically a blank canvas until artist James Sicner was
contracted to instill his vision into it. Sicner began his masterpiece
on March 1, 1979, and would not finish until September 30, 1983. This
unique collage mural, measuring 15 feet by 80 feet, is the largest of
its kind in the world, and its detail draws largely from the history of
printing and writing. |
| The Trinity University Library would not stay a two-story
institution for long. The level that is now the second floor was completed
in 1983, when the library was renamed to honor Elizabeth Coates Maddux. When it
became evident that an additional floor was necessary, the first level was
completed in 1997. By this point, the building had a new name: Elizabeth
Huth Coates Library.
Naturally Coates Library aims to invigorate the students'
academic lives. Nowadays, this is done by incorporating style (the
lighting!), a homey charm (the couches!), and promoting long-lasting battery
life (ah, the coffee!). |
Artist envisioning his masterpiece. |
Trinity University Library Trivia, In No Particular Order
What a way to grow! Number of volumes at the
libraries through the years
1869: 250
1902: 1500
1918: 3000
1932: 13,500
1952: 50,000
1965: 126,200
1968: 260,000
1979: 452.000
1985: 500,000
1988: 600,000
2006: over 927,000
Number of NetLibrary e-books through Tex-Share
2005: 28,281
To search the Trinity Library eContent Collection, please
visit:
http://www.netlibrary.com/
For more information on TexShare services, please see:
http://www.texshare.edu/
When books and periodicals can't be shipped fast enough...
We have access to over 20,000 electronic subscriptions,
including 215 online databases providing periodical indexes, reference books,
and more. A great number of our databases include not only abstracts but
also full-text articles for your searching convenience.
For frolicking from
database to database, please see:
http://lib.trinity.edu/dbs/dbs.asp
Only the best:
full-text paradise
The more fabulous full-text databases:
JSTOR: Full-text scholarly journals in multiple disciplines; coverage
typically excludes the most recent 3-5 years
Project Muse: Full-text articles from scholarly journals in the arts,
humanities, sciences, and social sciences
Academic Search Premier: Abstracts and full-text articles in the social
sciences, arts, humanities, technology, medicine, ethnic studies, etc.
Only the best II:
primary source goldmines
Early English Books Online
(EEBO): Digital library of English-language books from 1473-1700
Evans Digital Collection: Digitized books, pamphlets, broadsides, and
other imprints from 17th- and 18th-century America
New York Times: Searchable index and full-text articles from the New
York Times, 1851-2001.
Spaces for studying
(or sleeping)
1918:
over 50 chairs, 6 tables
2006: over 800
chairs, tables, and couches in the Info Commons and beyond
For more facts and
pictures on the Info Commons please see:
http://lib.trinity.edu/libinfo/infocommons/index.shtml
Yo quiero computer.
We now have 68
computers for general student use on the 3rd floor in addition to 15 laptops
available for checkout. In 1997, there was a computer lab with only 24
workstations on the 1st floor. You do the math.
For more info on
computer and media usage, please visit:
http://lib.trinity.edu/servcols/compmediause.shtml
For more info on
acquiring a labtop for two hours, feel free to go through:
http://lib.trinity.edu/libinfo/wirelessnet/faq.shtml
Burn baby burn: No
Music No Life
All of our 68 communal
computers allow patrons to play CDs and DVDs, and even burn CDs. Back in 1982,
there were 10 listening stations with individual record players and cassette
decks. Some of these babies are still in use in the media section on the
1st floor.
All Aboard!
In 1942, Trinity
University was moved from Waxahachie due to low student enrollment and the
region's depressed cotton economy. To view fantastic pictures of the early
Trinity years, please visit the
Trinity Digital
collections.
All Aboard... Again
Trinity University
Library was moved 5 times between 1918 and 1952, when it wound up as the
award-winning George Storch Memorial Library.
Cataloging Chaos
The books at the
library were not catalogued until World War I. This changed when the Dewey
Decimal System was employed to organize the shelves. However, they were
also in reverse order. Talk about confusion! It would not be until 1967
that the system was changed to the Library of Congress, due to lower processing
costs.
Loyalty Personified
By the end of her
library career, our first librarian Mrs. Simms had worked for Trinity for a
total of forty-three eventful years. She catalogued the first 25,000 books
and served under six Trinity presidents.
Artsy Love Child
James Sicner worked on
his mural "Man's Evolving Images" at night, while the students, faculty and
staff were asleep. In a rather dramatic move expected of any artist worth
his salt, he would play Gregorian chants or splendid classical music as he cut
and pasted his photographic enlargements.
For more info on this
unique masterpiece, please see:
http://lib.trinity.edu/libinfo/mural/index.shtml
Rampant Technology
The first floor has
seen a few changes since 1997, when it originally opened. IMS
(Instructional Media Services) became CLT (Center for Learning and Technology),
VHS purchases were slowly substituted by DVDs, and the gigantic, rather
intimidating compact shelving mechanism was installed. The time capsules,
sponsored by the Trinity University Alumni Association since 1991, have remained
blissfully intact. How many flannel shirts, combat boots, Savage Garden
CDs, or embarrassing frat house pictures are in there is anyone's guess.
For a look at the
high-tech services that CLT offers, please visit:
http://www.trinity.edu/clt/
If you're still
thirsting for more information on the library, try this mountain of knowledge:
http://lib.trinity.edu/libinfo/
Researched and Written
by Violeta Garza '02
Reference Library
Assistant
|
