Library records

Record Group

Identifier: RG-0000-0029

Staff Only

Content Description

Library records date from 1918 to 2015, with the bulk of the records dating from 1950 to 2010. These records were acquisitioned and accessioned several times over those years.

These records contain the many changes that occurred during the one hundred plus years of the library. The records range from handwritten ledgers, financial data, annual reports, surveys, goals, missions, policies, and procedures, committee meetings, new and upgraded building plans, personnel and staff information, correspondence, maintenance requests, overdue book reports and fines, to computerization and information technology needs of the library. Also included are records from the Friends of the Library organization that raises money for library purchases and staff training needs.

The records are arranged in the following series: • Annual Reports, 1951-2012 • Budget and Gifts, 1966-2008 • Building, 1940-2010 • Committees and Meetings, 1946-2011 • Contracts, Agreements, Software, 1974-2005 • Correspondence, 1964-2009 • Friends of the Library, 1980-2006 • Goals, Plans, Policies, Procedures, 1973-2015 • Government Documents, 1975-2006 • Information Technology, 1987-2008 • Ledgers, 1918-1982 • Newsclippings, Publicity, Ephemera, 1982-2002 • Orientation, 1978-2006 • Personnel, 1972-2009 • Reports and Surveys, 1937-2007

Within each series, the folders are organized by alphabetical topic and then chronologically.

Dates

1918 - 2015
Majority of material found within 1950 - 2015

Biographical / Historical

Neither the University of Dixie, nor the Putnam County High School, which merged in the Fall of 1914 had a library.

In 1916, President Early had his secretary to select and order a few reference books. He also appealed to the citizens of Cookeville to donate books or funds for books. Also in 1916, the PTA appointed a committee to have a book shower for the library.

In 1918 the library started keeping their acquisitioned books on a ledger. The recorded book, My Attainment of the Pole written by Frederick Cook, was donated in 1918. The first purchased book, at a cost of .50 cents, was recorded in 1918, South American Neighbors by Homer Stuntz. Both of these books are still in the stacks in 2019.

The library has had three homes on Tech’s campus. First it was housed in the Administration Building, now Derryberry Hall. A new library was built on the quad and opened in 1949, later named Jere Whitson Library. In 1989, a new three story, 122,000 square foot library opened. This library was named for the Tech President and his wife that were in office when the library was built and opened, The Angelo and Jennette Volpe Library.