Vol. 1, No. 2 Spring 2004

Library Celebrates 30th Anniversary

by John McGinty, Director

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Loyola president Fr. Harold Ridley (l.) and LNDL director John McGinty (r.) in conversation with keynote speaker Taylor Branch (c.)

On the afternoon of November 14, 2003 the main floor of the Library was transformed into a makeshift auditorium with a stage and seating for over 150 people, as we celebrated 30 years of service to Loyola College and the College of Notre Dame with speeches and a reception. The near capacity crowd, comprised of alumni, faculty, students, staff and friends of the institutions and Library, heard Dr. Dorothy Brown, President of the Library Board of Trustees, give an historical overview of the purpose and unique mission of the Library, along with the achievements and milestones made by the staff in building collections and providing information services to the two colleges.

Taylor Branch, Pulitizer Prize-winning biographer of Martin Luther King, Jr., gave a thought-provoking and well-received main address on the stresses placed on American democracy in the current era and during the time of the Civil Rights Movement, touching on the role of libraries in informing the populace and scholars during times of conflict.

While the hits of 1973 played in the background, the reception that followed gave ample time for the attendees to share food, drink, ideas and memories with the speakers and the distinguished guests, including Library Board members past and present, the founding Library Director Bill Kirwan and Sr. Ian Stewart, the long-standing Director who retired in 2000.

Guests were able to view in a new digital format the original film Because It Makes Sense, which was produced to showcase the original building project for fundraising back in the early 1970s. I wish to thank Philip Fryer, the Media Librarian, for converting the film for digital viewing. Jack Ray produced a photo exhibition of the actual construction of the Library and the opening and dedication of the Library in May of 1973. Also displayed were plans and renderings for the new building project and a chart of the historical milestones during the 30 years of the Loyola/Notre Dame Library.

LNDL 30th Anniversary Celebration
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