50 Years of History

By: Kim Westbrooks

Creating a written history of Jacksonville State’s Library

The fascinating history of the Houston Cole Library building’s 50 years since construction, and much more, has been captured in a new book, Houston Cole Library at 50 Years: A Historical & Architectural Exploration of Jacksonville State University’s Libraries. The book was authored by Library faculty members Bethany Latham, Kim Stevens, and John-Bauer Graham, with research contributions by Allison Boswell.

The idea to write a book to celebrate the Library’s 50th Anniversary was put forward at a meeting of the Library Public Relations Committee. Despite Jacksonville State University’s much lengthier relationship with its Library, whose collections predate the University’s founding in 1883, it was decided that the unique Houston Cole Library structure deserved its own dedicated celebration. Latham, Professor and Digital Assets & Special Collections Librarian, said, “We had architectural materials in our Special Collections, and we also had employees who had been here long enough to offer a valuable perspective on our institutional history – a perspective [that] would be great to document before we no longer had access to it.” Although an article was the initial aim, it quickly became clear that there was enough information available to create a book. Graham, Dean of Library Services, agreed that a book would be a fitting way to celebrate the tallest academic building in the state of Alabama: the Houston Cole Library.

When discussing the process of writing the book, Latham stated, “I started researching, created an outline and began filling it in, wrote most of the ‘older’ sections (from the late 1800s up to about the 1990s) and the architectural information, because that’s what interested me the most. It turned out to be a larger project than we had anticipated for a relatively short deadline. Allison did a lot of re- search, and Kim helped immensely by writing the later sections and covering things like the programming and all the speakers and authors we’ve hosted through the years. We solicited the dean to write the biographical sections on himself and [former University Librarian] Mr. Hubbard, since he’s an expert on the former and the latter was his mentor and friend.” Many captivating discoveries were made during the process of researching Houston Cole Library history. Boswell, Assistant Professor and Electronic Resources/Documents Librarian, stated, “We used to have paper airplane contests from the 12th floor balcony! I wish we’d do this again!” Stevens, Professor and Senior Catalog Librarian, said, “I found it quite interesting to see all of the people and organizations the Library has hosted over the past decades, such as Truman Capote and the Supreme Court of Alabama. It’s been a hub for campus and community activity. Also, there were quite a few interesting tidbits such as smoking once being permitted in the lobby lounge area, but not on the floors, as it posed a fire hazard to the collection (Chanticleer, 12/8/1975). This isn’t related to the Library, but one of the most amusing things that caught my eye (while sifting through the plethora of information that Allison compiled) was a ‘letter to the editor’ in which someone was questioning why the SGA was spending money to bring the bands Kiss and Rush to campus, instead of bringing a group that ‘at least some of the students had heard of’ (Chanticleer, 9/16/1974).” Latham said, “I don’t know if I could point to one thing as the most interesting; I loved learning all kinds of esoteric facts, from the name of our first accessioned title (Beacon Lights of History) to the physics of why the building’s original Sylacauga marble cladding lost its structural integrity (thermal hysteresis) and had to be replaced. I also really enjoyed comparing the shift in architectural forms and functions from the original 1800s library space in the old Calhoun College building, through the Bibb Graves library space, Ramona Wood Library, and down to our current Houston Cole Library. It was fascinating to see how the Houston Cole Library – what it would contain, how it would be organized – evolved from concept to finished building, and the 1970s reactions to this ‘modern marvel.’”

Included in the book are many images of Houston Cole Library events, people, and architectural drawings. Boswell and Jodi Poe, Head of Tech-

“50 Years Book” continued on Page 7