Hege Library’s Carnegie Wing Marks Centennial
The Carnegie Room wing of Hege Library is celebrating its 100th birthday this fall. Currently a photo exhibit in the lobby documents the wing’s early history, and there will be other events commemorating the milestone throughout the 2009-10 academic year.
The library is also celebrating the 20th anniversary of the renovation that enlarged the building, as well as its dedication as Hege Library, in honor of the support from Curt ’56 and Patricia Shields Hege ’57.
Prior to 1909, the library was located in rooms in other campus buildings. The library was housed on the second floor of King Hall in 1908 when a fire destroyed the building. Only about 15 percent of the library's collection could be saved.
The erection of a new separate library building was made possible by a $9,000 matching grant from industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who supported over 2,500 “Carnegie libraries” in the United States, Great Britain and Canada.
The building was ready for use by the fall semester of 1909. Students have continuously used the space now known as the Carnegie Room for study and research.
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Sept. 30, 2009