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Coram Library |
| 1902 | Coram Library opens. The library books are transferred from Hathorn by hand-cart over a wooden track stretching from Hathorn to Coram. There are 20,972 volumes in the collection. Estimated cost of building and equipment is $51,000. The library extends its hours and opens Saturday evenings for the first time. |
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| 1903 | Blanche W. Roberts (Class 1899) is hired as assistant librarian. |
| 1905 | The Eurosophian Society
gives its books to the College Library.
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| 1908 | The Reading and
Reference Rooms are open from 7-9 p.m. four evenings a week (M-Th) for
male students only.
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| 1909 | Blanche W. Roberts
(Class
1899) is appointed Librarian. Mabel Emery Marr becomes assistant
librarian.
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| 1910 | Caroline Woodman and
Blanche
Roberts organize a required Freshman orientation. Topics include the use
of the card catalog, dewey classification, arrangement of the library,
magazine indexes, and the most important works of reference.
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| 1913 | The library of the Cobb
Divinity School, some 4,000 volumes, is added to the College
Library.
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| 1916 | The Library is now open
every weekday evening from 7-9 p.m. Borrowing privileges are extended to
graduates of the College and to the clergy of Lewiston and Auburn.
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| 1921 | There are 48,701
volumes in
the library. Circulation is 13,766 volumes per year. Mabel Eaton, (Class
1910), is appointed assistant librarian.
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| 1926 | Library extends evening
hours to 10 p.m. Statistics on the use of reserve materials are kept for
the first time.
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| 1929 | Circulation of reserve
books
is 62,261. The basement storage area of Coram is renovated. Equipped with
new lighting and tables and chairs, it serves as the periodical room.
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| 1932 | Reclassification of
books
according to 1932 edition of Dewey is begun. To ease the crowding of
both workspace and storage the library moves the "dead" books to the
loft of the building. The Librarian's
office is turned into the reserve book room, the History Seminar Room on
the 2nd floor is turned into the cataloguing room, and the old cataloguing
room is turned into the new office of the Librarian. The library now opens
at 8:30 a.m. in order to make it easier for students to return books
before 9:00 a.m. classes.
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| 1935 | Government funds enable
the
library to hire 7 student assistants for
projects, including a thorough cleaning of books. Cataloging of the
Freewill Baptist material begins. The Librarian advocates additional funds
for purchase of periodicals. Iva Foster is hired as cataloger.
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| 1940 | The library is open
for the
first time on Sunday. Hours are 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. There are 73,000
volumes in the library collection. Student enrollment is 749, the largest
in Bates' history. The President calls for the establishment of a
Library-Commons Fund to raise money for a new men's commons and an
addition to the library building. Bates has a graduating class of 109.
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| 1943 | WWII has caused a
severe
decline in student population. The first semester enrollment is 84 men
and 312 women. The second semester there are 64 men and 284 women. The
Navy V-12 Program begins in the summer bringing in close to 300 additional
students. To accommodate this, the school goes on a tri-semester program -
sixteen-week semesters beginning July 1, November 1, and March 1.
Blanche Roberts, Librarian since 1909, retires. Mabel Eaton is appointed
Librarian and Iva Foster is appointed assistant librarian. There are an
additional three full-time staff. The library has grown to 79,209 volumes.
Eaton reports "It is becoming more difficult each year to postpone the day
when the collections of this building will burst their bounds."
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| 1948 | Renovation of Coram
begins.
During renovations library offices are housed in Roger Williams Hall.
Staff urge faculty and students to take home as many books as possible.
Books are stored in nearby barns and around the walls of the indoor
track.
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| 1949 | The addition to Coram
library is completed -- Coram is now "the most
modern library east of Boston." The library houses over 85,000 volumes. It
is expected to be able to hold an additional 200,000 books. The Rice
Collection, the Stanton Collection, and the Baptist Collection, are housed
in special rooms on the second floor of the main building. There is also a
new typewriter room. The new addition is nicknamed "the fishbowl".
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| 1957 | Iva Foster is appointed
Librarian. The library has an additional staff of 6. The collection has
grown to 105,000 volumes.
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| 1969 | The Library building
plan is
prepared.
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| 1970 | Consortium formally
established between Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby.
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| 1973 | The "fishbowl" is demolished to make way for construction of Ladd Library. |
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 | Page author: Kurt Kuss Date: 9/8/99 |
| Feedback and Suggestions © Bates College. All rights reserved. |
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