Whichard Building/Library Opening
Article printed in the East Carolina Teachers College News regarding the opening of the library.This and other articles may be found in the records of Media Board, Record Group SL2650, Series 1, Newspaper File, 1923-present in the University Archives.
Citation for this particular article is:
"The New Library," East Carolina Teachers College News , Vol. II, No. 1, October 27, 1924
THE NEW LIBRARY
The new library building opened ready for work, on October 15.Everything has been done to make this the very best college library building possible for service. The building is beautiful, welllighted, and ideally arranged for work as well as for pleasing effects.There are two entrances which lead directly into the main reading room.The book shelves are conveniently arranged on one side and the librarian's desks are between the stacks and the reading tables. The magazine and periodical room is on one side of the main entrance and the reference room on the other.The cataloguing room and the office are on each side of the entrance near Fifth street.Upstairs are special reading and study rooms, and reserves space for shelves. The floor in the main room is of cork while are other floors are of polished wood.The furniture is the best could be found for service.
The books that seemed to fill the old library are almost lost on the stacks, but the next task will be filling the shelves with the best collection of books that can be assembled for the use of students in a Teachers' College.
President Wright, in his talk to the students at the assembled hour on the morning of the opening, said that as he looked around on the sprinkling of books he felt very much as he did the very first morning he faced the sprinkling of students in the hall, when he wondered if the hall would ever be filled and contrasted that small group with the larger group almost filling the enlarged auditorium.This to him is prophetic of what the library will be in the near future.He is asking for an appropriation of $10,000 a year for two years.
Both President Wright and Miss Gray made talks to the students about the library. Miss Gray announced that she would soon give training to the students, section by section, in the use of the library. She offered them her services and the freedom of the library, but asked for consideration for the rights of others, and reminded them of special courtesies that should be observed in every library. She contrasted the old idea of a library as a place to keep books with the new idea of it as a place for using books.
The members of the faculty, who have throughout the years used every conceivable device for getting the necessary work done without a real library, feel that a great handicap has been removed, and their efforts may now be devoted to other worthy matters.
In the afternoon of the day of the opening, Miss Gray gave a tea in the library to the faculty and officers.
The district meeting of the librarians will be held here November 7th.
