University of Portland Library Dedication Booklet, November 30, 1958 (University Archives)
The University Library was in the basement of Christie Hall from the 1930s until 1958. The basement space was quickly outgrown and the book collection put at risk from leaky water pipes — with as many as fifty-one leaks in one year! — but there were no resources to move or replace the library and study space. Planning for a new library extended through two decades while gathering funding through private gifts and foundation grants. Groundbreaking for the new library occurred on October 24, 1957 and the dedication of the completed building on November 30, 1958.
Pictured here is the spacious central study area, from 1958 library and in today’s Clark Library, remodeled and expanded in 1979, renovated in 2013.
Library reference room, ca1958 (University Archives, click to enlarge)
Clark Library, Fall 2013 (Marketing & Communications, click to enlarge)
For more pictures and history of the library, visit the Clark Library’s Digital Buildings Collection displaying images of photographs and objects of the library held by the University Archives and Museum (with descriptions from the Archives and Museum).
Related blog post about the library:
https://sites.up.edu/museum/extended-hours-weekends-and-late-night/
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