The Martha Blakney Hodges Special Collections and
University Archives invites researchers to come learn about the unique and
extensive history of the library at The University of North Carolina at
Greensboro (UNCG) by looking through the recently processed records of the Dean
of University Libraries. The history of
the first library at the State Normal and Industrial School (now UNCG) began in
1892 and was confined to one small room in the Main building (now the Foust
building). The collection of the library was relatively small, consisting of
only several hundred books. Over the next century, the library would grow
dramatically in to a collection of over 1 million volumes. During this time, the library would also
transition from a one room operation to a large nine story building.
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| Jackson Library, 1988 |
One of
the best ways to learn more about the library’s history is reading through official
records of the Dean which reflects their duties as the senior administrative
officer of the libraries on campus. These records contain material related to a
variety of topics including, but not limited to, annual reports, budgets,
collection management, computer technology, construction, donations and gifts,
equipment, faculty affairs, correspondence with other academic departments on
campus, statistics, and students. In addition, there is correspondence to and
from the Dean to various departments within the library as well as
correspondence with the Provost and outside community. There is also a
considerable amount of material related to committees operated within the
library and the ones the Dean sat on as part of their university
responsibilities. Materials related to the Friends of the Library are also
included in the collection. Formats include correspondence, memorandums,
minutes, notes, publications, and reports.
More information about the collection can be found though
the collection’s finding aid at: https://libapps.uncg.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=490
The
Martha Blakney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives is open
Monday through Friday, 9am until 5pm. The
collection is open to the public. We
encourage researchers to make appointments ahead of time by contacting us at
336-334-5246 or at SCUA@uncg.edu.
