Title and statement of responsibility area
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- Textual record
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Edition area
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Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1825 - 2022 (Creation)
- Creator
- Dalhousie University. University Libraries
Physical description area
Physical description
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Biographical history
The first Dalhousie library was established by order of the University Senate on 24 April 1867. Housed in the “new” Dalhousie College (renamed the Forrest Building in 1919), the library was beset by financial difficulties during the early decades, especially after the Board’s 1890 decision to withdraw all library funding. During this period the collection grew only through sporadic donations, although 1894 witnessed both the advent of the class memorial book gifts and expanded hours of library service, increasing from two to seven hours per day, five days each week.
In 1916 a library was built on the new Studley Campus, thanks to the generosity of Professor Charles Macdonald. On his death in 1906, the former Chair of Mathematics bequeathed $2000 to the university for books, a gesture that triggered an eponymous fundraising campaign. Despite several renovations and later additions, eventually the collection and its user population outgrew the space, and in 1971 the Killam Library was opened.
From 1867 through the 1950s, the library's operations were overseen by a Senate-appointed committee, from which a librarian was designated to be responsible for the day-to-day activities and supervision of library staff. These included James DeMille (1868-1875); Professor Liechti (1875-1876); Reverend Dr. William Lyall (1876-1881); John Forrest (1881-1885); Jacob Schurman (1885-1886); William Alexander (1886-1889); James Seth (1889-1892); Walter Murray (1892-1902); Daniel Murray (1902-1906); Archibald MacMechan (1906-1931); C.L. Bennett (1931-1950); Ivy Prickler (1940-47); Dorothy MacKay (1947-1951); and Jean Carter (1951-1952). Douglas G. Lochhead (1952-1960) was the first professional librarian to serve at Dalhousie, followed by J.P. Wilkinson (1960-1966); Louis G. Vagianos (1966-1979); Dorothy Louise Cooke (1979-1981); William F. Birdsall (1981-1997); and William R. Maes (1998-2010). During the tenure of Donna Bourne-Tyson (2010-2022), the position of University Librarian changed to Dean of Libraries.
Custodial history
Scope and content
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
- English