Collection Title: Departmental Records
Series Number: RG016-11-27
Department: Library Services
Processed and Cataloged by: Processed by Dieter C. Ullrich in April 2011
Date Listed: April 28, 2011
Date Span: 1923-2007
Size of Collection: 6.0 linear feet
Number of Boxes: 7 letter document cases 1 half letter document case and 1 oversized box
Type of Material: Correspondence, reports, surveys, financial records, newspaper clippings and ephemera
Condition of Material: Good
Arrangement: Organized in alphabetical order by title of file folder; chronological arrangement
Historical Information: The Library Services Department at Murray State University was initially established as a normal school library in October of 1923 with only 25 books. The first library was located temporarily on the stage of Murray High School’s auditorium with the books stored in an adjacent dressing room. The library moved to the new Normal School Building, now Wrather Hall, in February of 1925 and occupied two rooms on the upper floor. During the summer of 1925, the library was relocated to the recently completed Administration Building, now Wilson Hall, where it again occupied the top floor. A separate library building, now Pogue Library, was constructed and opened on May 1, 1931. In April of 1967, an annex was constructed and attached to old college library, now Lowry Hall, which doubled the library's storage capacity. The present university library, Waterfield Library, was converted from a student union facility in 1977 and opened in August of 1978. The old library continues to serve as a special collections library and university archives.
Scope and Content: Collections consists of records produced or received by the Library Services Department of Murray State University from 1923 to 2007. The collection contains accession records (1923-1936), accreditation surveys and studies (1938-1992), circulation records (1935-1970), departmental newsletters (1968-2001), library publications (1954-2002), policies and procedures, newspaper clippings and ephemera. Included with the collection are various surveys and reports conducted by the department or outside consultants, records related to the renovation of the Waterfield Student Union Building into a library and miscellaneous files associated with the daily activities of the library.
Subject Headings / Descriptors:
Murray State University. Library Services – History.
Murray State University – History.
Academic libraries – Kentucky – Murray.
Universities and colleges – Kentucky – Murray.
