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Langston University Library History

New arrivals to Oklahoma Territory, some of them former slaves, gathered to homestead and establish the small, all-black community of Langston near Guthrie, the capital of Oklahoma Territory.  They shared a vision: they would build a school that would provide quality higher education for their descendants. 

The territorial act setting up the school stipulated that the settlers must purchase the forty acres of land on which the school would be built.  While they were still living in tents and soddies, the farmers raised the money through auctions, bake sales, and donations.  Within a year the land was purchased, and in 1898 the school opened its doors as the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University.

G. Lamar Harrison Library

Today

Sometime between 1899 and 1901 the library was established.  In November 1907 the Main Building was destroyed by fire, but fortunately the library collection was saved.  Following the fire, the library occupied a small class-sized room in the basement of Page Hall.  The book collection was extremely small and consisted largely of material that had been donated by well-wishing friends.

The first librarian, Mrs. Mayme McDaniel, was hired in 1923.  A degreed librarian, Miss Henrietta Beasley, came to CA&NU in 1926 with the title of Librarian and Professor of Library Science.  Under her guidance a small collection of curriculum-related books and reference materials was added and the library space soon had to be expanded.

As the university began a push for accreditation in the late 1930s, a study of the library facilities showed CA&NU was well below regional standards.  Library staff requested upgrades in funding and materials purchase budgets to try to rectify the situation.

From 1937-1944 the library expanded to include most of the first floor of Page Hall.  The book collection, by this time, had grown to approximately 8,000 volumes, 897 bound periodicals, 256 current periodical subscriptions and 14 newspaper subscriptions.  Unfortunately, only 10 percent of the collection was cataloged.  In 1940, a group of WPA workers began creating author, title, and shelf list cards.  By 1943, the library had its first accurate catalog.  During this period the staff consisted of one full-time librarian, an assistant, and several student trainees.  The library was open for service 49 1/2 hours per week.  In 1941, the name of the institution was officially changed to Langston University.

General Lamar Harrison, the 9th University president,  was a dedicated proponent of the Library.  Through his continued requests to the state legislature, Dr. Harrison finally gained approval of a resolution to grant $175,000 to build Langston’s first dedicated library building.  The G. Lamar Harrison Library was completed in 1948 and was dedicated on Founders Day, March 12, 1950. The new structure contained reading rooms, a browsing room, two faculty study lounges, offices and workrooms.  The collection quickly increased to 35,000 volumes and 7,000 bound periodicals.  By 1955, an additional 20,000 volumes had been added, and by 1961 the total volume count was approximately 90,000.  In 1970, the Melvin B. Tolson Black Heritage Center was established with the mission of collecting resources concerning Africans, African-Americans, and the African diaspora.  The Tolson Center also houses a collection of African art and artifacts.  Harrison library was remodeled in 1990 and reopened for full public services in July 1991.

With the rapid advance of electronic technology and its adoption by all levels of education, the LU Libraries have gone through a series of transitions from paper, microformats and CD-ROMs, to the implementation of an online catalog, complete Internet access, and a myriad of electronic resources.   

Currently the G. Lamar Harrison Library, the Melvin B. Tolson Black Heritage Center, and the branch library at the LU-OKC campus make up the Langston University Libraries and serve as the primary research collections for Langston University.  The current staff includes eight professional librarians; several support staff; and numerous student employees.  Ever-growing collections of books, periodicals, audio/visual materials, electronic resources and archives combine to offer a virtual library available to patrons at any time, from any where.

 

Visit the Langston University Libraries at www.lunet.edu/lib

 
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