The Mabel Smith Douglass Library

Abstract

In its 74-year existence, the Mabel Smith Douglass Library's various buildings and services have reflected society's definition of the library's role in the educational community and the library's response as the role changed. Some of the changes reflect transformations, such as coeducation, access to education for more of the working class or the decline of smoking; but predominately changes have been a response to the geometric growth of information technology and changes in teaching methodology. The library was founded in 1918 to serve Douglass College, then the New Jersey College for Women (N.J.C.). At first it had only a few books on loan from the Rutgers University Library which were placed on the Registrar's desk. As the collection grew, books moved to the top of cabinets and in 1919 to a closet in College Hall. Soon two closets were needed. By 1923 the library was housed in two small study rooms, a stack room and a browsing room on the lower floor of the dean's residence. In 1924 the library was relocated to the top floor of College Hall. This soon was inadequate and in 1926 a wing of Recitation Hall was converted into temporary quarters. The library had open shelves, not a common practice at the time, giving students direct access to books and requiring fewer staff. There was a circulation desk, a reference and reading room, as well as reference, catalog and order departments. By 1930 the library had again outgrown its space. The 1674 volumes and 8 periodicals owned in 1924 grew to 35,000 volumes and 190 journals by 1930. This overcrowding started an intense campaign for an adequate library which would not see fruition until the first phase of the present building was dedicated on April 13, 1961. The campaign for a new library can be traced through editorials and articles in the college paper. An editorial in the Campus News of November 6, 1931, entitled "The Need for a Library," points out that the New Jersey College for Women is modern and progressive, that it is among the few colleges to present readings for honors, and adds that in order to