Hesburgh Library
The Hesburgh Library and the reflection pool
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Academic library |
| Established | 1964 |
| Location | Notre Dame, IN |
| Coordinates | 41°42′09″N 86°14′04″W / 41.702598°N 86.234336°W |
| Branch of | Hesburgh Libraries |
| Branches | 9 |
| Collection | |
| Size | 3,000,000+ books, 3,000,000+ microform units, 34,000+ electronic titles, 28,850+ audiovisual items |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Students, faculty, and staff |
| Circulation | 329,511 |
| Population served | 14,000 |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $27,000,000 |
| Director | Diane Walker, University Librarian |
| Website | [1] |
| References: | |
Theodore Hesburgh Library is the primary building of the University of Notre Dame's library system. The present-day building opened on September 18, 1963, as Memorial Library. In 1987 it was renamed Hesburgh Library in honor of Father Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., who served as the university's president from 1952 to 1987. The library's exterior façade that faces the university's football stadium includes a large, 134-foot (41 m) by 68-foot (21 m) mural called "The Word of Life," or more commonly known as "Touchdown Jesus." As of 2009, the library ranked as the 61st largest collection among research universities in the United States with an estimated 3.39 million volumes.
The first circulating library at Notre Dame was created in 1873 by President Rev. Augustus Lemonnier, C.S.C. It was housed in the Main Building and its first librarian was Jimmie Edwards. In 1879 the Main Building was destroyed by fire and 500 books were lost. After the Main Building was rebuilt, a new library was established with a budget of $500 and comprised 16,000 volumes. In 1888, during the golden jubilee of Fr. Edward Sorin, a new library was opened on the third floor. By 1900 it contained 52,000 books. In 1907 the university hire Florence Espy, a professional librarian, to catalog the collection.
A new building (the present-day Bond Hall) to house the library was built in 1917. By 1920 its collection reached 103,00 volumes. The Dewey Decimal Classification has been used to classify the library's holdings since 1929. Thematic collections were established in other buildings in subsequent decades. A separate engineering library opened in 1933, followed by a biology library in 1938, the Medieval Institute in 1946, and the Nieuwland science library for chemistry, physics, and mathematics in 1953.
In 1959 Father Theodore Hesburgh, the university's president, announced plans for construction of a new library. Ground was broken in 1961, with the Ellerbe Company of Saint Paul, Minnesota, as the project's architect. Construction took three years. Memorial Library offically opened on September 18, 1963.
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