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Celebrates its 25th Anniversary!
September 24-25, 1998
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A short history of the U.S. Naval Academy Library.... |
Library in Governor's Mansion (1890)
(view another picture of the Library
circa 1890)
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In 1845, the Naval Academy opened its Library with 361 books, some of which were received from ships and naval yards. Most of these original books are retained in the Nimitz Library's Special Collections Division as part of the "Annapolis Collection."
The first librarian was Professor of Mathematics William Chauvenet. (Since 1845, there have been fourteen Librarians of the Naval Academy.) Chauvenet and sucessive librarians continued to purchase books; by the time of the Civil War, there were over 6,000 books in the Library. In 1869, the Library moved to the newly purchased Governor's Mansion. Also at that time, a "modern invention" was installed -- the card catalog. |
| The Governor's Mansion was torn down during the 1904-07 modernization of the Naval Academy. The Library moved to Mahan Hall in 1907, where it remained until 1972. The new Library had been designed without expansion space, and as early as 1938 the book stacks were filled to capacity and the reading room was overcrowded.
As the number of books and midshipmen grew, smaller libraries were opened in Bancroft, Isherwood, Griffin, and Maury Halls. The curriculum changes of the 1960s and the beginning of the Academic Majors program made the Library's shortcomings painfully obvious. |
Interior main reading room (now the Hart Room), Mahan Hall, 1949
(view a picture of the Librarian's office
in Mahan)
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Nimitz Library under construction (1971)
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In 1967, the decision was made to build a new building which would incorporate all the libraries under one roof. It took a few years to get the appropriations approved. Ground was broken for the new Library in 1970.
The new building would be air-conditioned, which would prevent the problems caused when birds flew in the open windows. The library employees were also pleased to see that the design for the new Library included elevators; the old libraries had none, and books had to be carried up and down stairs, or transported via dumbwaiter. |
| The new Library was named the Nimitz Library in honor of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and opened in 1973. Expansion space was provided for more than 650,000 books and seating for up to 1,500 people. A good deal of the first floor was taken up by the massive card catalog, listing over 365,000 volumes.
Microfilm viewing rooms, an audio-visual room, smoking lounges, and typing rooms with typewriters were provided for midshipmen. A music entertainment system was installed, whereby midshipmen could plug headphones into the study carrels, and listen to one of five provided music channels. Computer searching was offered as early as the late 1960s, when one librarian searched DTIC for midshipmen and faculty. |
Nimitz Library interior (1982)
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Librarian Donna Hurley helps a midshipman with his research.
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Over the last twenty-five years, the Nimitz Library has grown and changed. After 120 years, the card catalog was removed from the main floor and replaced with computer terminals that provide access to the library collections as well as the World Wide Web. The first CD-ROM was installed in 1989; now the Library provides access to over 50 commercial databases. Two classrooms are maintained, each fully equipped with computers, to teach research skills.
For a complete listing of the services offered by the Nimitz Library, visit The Nimitz Library Main Page. |
References: "A Short History of the Naval Academy Library" by Brian D. Fors, 1995; Nimitz Library Annual Reports, 1973 and 1974; Illustrations supplied by the USNA Archives and the USNA Photo Lab.
Comments or Suggestions?
http://www.usna.edu/LibExhibits/Anniv_25th/anniv1.htm
Last updated: 4 November 2005 |
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