92 • UNIV E R S I T Y O F A R K A N S A S - F O R T S M I TH : THE F I R S T 85 Y EAR S
just half of the books were moved to the new library (approximately one week). Then the circulation desk was moved to the Boreham Library while the remaining books were relocated. When a book was requested at the circulation desk, runners were sent out to the other building to retrieve it. The staff borrowed book carts from elementary, junior high, and high schools in town; books were loaded onto them, put in vans, and moved to a staging area in the new library. They were then carried to the appropriate stacks using a numbering system. It took ingenuity, planning, and much hard work to accomplish the building switch without interrupting library service. The new library was equipped with a humidity control mechanism and a four-pipe heating and air conditioning system that could both heat and cool simultaneously. It thus marked the next generation of campus buildings. Rooms were soundproofed, floors were carpeted, and classroom spaces were included. Learning CDs became available after the move, and library attendance skyrocketed. Manual checking of books continued for a time until a new automated system was installed. One day in 1991, Joel Stubblefield and Carolyn Moore, executive director of the Westark Foundation and vice president for institutional advancement, had breakfast with Roland “Rollie” Boreham, chairman of Baldor Company, at Denny’s® restaurant on Rogers Avenue. Boreham told them that he and his
wife, Sally, wished to assist the college with a $1 million gift. He talked with them about how librarians Carolyn Filippelli, Martha Coleman, and Charlotte Kirkpatrick had been helpful to him in the past. Some of his employees at Baldor had used the library and had received a great deal of assistance in their research. He was further impressed by the fact that the actual daily usage of the new library far exceeded that of the Fort Smith Public Library. As a result of his experiences and impressions, he decided to present a gift to the library. Only limited funds had been available for the purchase of books at Holt Library. Thanks to the kindness of the Borehams, a special endowment fund of $1 million was established, with annual earnings to be used for the acquisition of books and equipment for the library. As a result of their gift, Boreham was the name given to the building. Westark received several other gifts from Rollie Boreham in succeeding years, and a special room was set aside in the library so that he could study and read whenever he came to the campus. Boreham Library today offers patrons information through electronic databases such as LexisNexis®, Expanded Academic Index, FirstSearch, and Internet sources. Students can research legal, medical, news, and business information subjects easily through electronic means.
Opened in 1987, with 27,000 square feet of space, the Boreham Library signaled the beginning of a new generation of climate-controlled buildings on campus with simultaneous heating and cooling and humidity controls.