Libraries

Marshall Delancey Haywood served in 1902-1903, during which time he worked on his book, William Tryon and his Administration in the Province of North Carolina, 1765-1771 (1903). Haywood resigned when college president G. T. Winston cut his low-paying salary. He later became a noted author of North Carolina history and librarian of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1918 to 1933.

The library holdings moved from Holladay Hall to the first floor of the old Pullen Hall.

Caroline Sherman was the first woman hired as librarian at NC State. During Sherman’s tenure as librarian from 1903 to 1906, library holdings moved from the third floor of Main Building (later Holladay Hall) to the first floor of old Pullen Hall. With input from D. H. Hill Jr., she tried to make the library comfortable for extracurricular reading and subscribed to popular periodicals and newspapers from all North Carolina counties.

President D. H. Hill Jr. appointed English professors Thomas P. Harrison and George Summey as co-chairs of the Library Committee. Harrison and Summey departed from Hill Jr.'s solitary approach to book selection and instead asked faculty to recommend titles for the collection.

Charlotte M. Williamson was hired as a librarian and worked in the position from 1910 to 1923. Before becoming State College's librarian, Williamson served as a Raleigh high school teacher and principal of Murphey School. During her time as librarian, the collection continued to grow slowly. Although James R. Gulledge was named head librarian in 1923, Williamson remained on staff until 1937.

Library holdings included 7,500 print volumes and 150 magazine and journal subscriptions.

In 1923, NC State hired George Zook of the US Bureau of Education to survey the college and make recommendations on how it could be restructured. Zook recommended the creation of schools focusing on the following broad disciplines: engineering, agriculture, general science, social science, and business administration. He also reported that the library was inadequate for the needs of the growing institution and suggested that library services be centralized.

During Gulledge’s tenure, the library was designated as a depository for U.S. government publications, and the first formal library instruction for classes and individual students was implemented.

Books in departmental libraries were first cataloged as part of a central library system.

The contract for construction of a new library building, later Brooks Hall, was awarded to Joe W. Stout & Company at a cost of $227,500.

After a fire destroyed the library's card catalog, librarian James Gulledge changed the book classification system from Dewey Decimal to the Library of Congress System.

Procedures for interlibrary lending were first instituted.

The original D. H. Hill Jr. Library, in what later became Brooks Hall, was designed by Hobart Brown Upjohn and named for Daniel Harvey Hill Jr., the first faculty member to oversee the library.

The original D. H. Hill Jr. Library was dedicated in the building later known as Brooks Hall. The contents of the library were moved into the building the previous fall, marking the first time there was an entire building designated as the library.

Hugh T. Lefler, head of the history department and chair of the Library Committee, was appointed Acting Director of the Library.

State College joined UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University in contributing catalog cards to the North Carolina Union Catalog, the first collaborative effort between the three libraries.

D. H. Hill Jr. Library was gifted a private engineering library of more than 1,000 books by the widow of Colonel J. L. Ludlow of Winston-Salem, NC.

The Works Progress Administration commissioned James A. McLean to create four murals depicting agriculture, science, architecture, and engineering. The McLean Murals were displayed in Brooks Hall, originally the D. H. Hill Jr. Library. After complaints and ridicule, the murals were removed from display, three were destroyed, and one was rediscovered years later in the Raleigh Little Theater.

Clyde Hull Cantrell became the first periodicals and binding librarian.

As State College celebrated its 50th anniversary, materials on the institution's history were collected in the library. This formed the basis of what would later become the university archives.

The Architecture Library opened as the first branch library with Grace Sims Dalton as the first librarian. This was part of Library Director Harlan Brown’s goal to eliminate autonomous departmental libraries in favor of centrally-controlled branch libraries. The Architecture Library was renamed the Harrye B. Lyons Design Library in 1968.

Reference librarian Reba Clevenger became the acting college librarian during World War II when all male library staff members left for military service.

The Textiles Library was established, and Rachel Penn Lane was the first librarian. The library was originally located in the main library but relocated to Nelson Hall the following year in 1945. The library was renamed the Burlington Textiles Library in 1954 when Burlington Industries funded its expansion.

L. C. and M. M. Glenn donated $6,000 to State College for the library's purchase of geological publications, many rare and unique. In acquiring the L. C. Glenn Geological Collection, the Friends of the Library organization was formed.

Former Chancellor John Harrelson began an appointment as the head of the university archives collection at the D. H. Hill Jr. Library.

The new D. H. Hill Jr. Library, the east wing of the current building, was formally dedicated.

Edward Carson was the first African American student employed at the Libraries. He later served on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Library.

The library published its first newsletter known as the Bookmark.

Edward Walker, the first full-time African American staff member of the library, was hired as the mail clerk.

The college designated librarians the same status as faculty.

The Friends of the Library organization was reestablished after being largely inactive since the late 1940s. Faculty, staff, alumni, and local community members met at the Erdahl-Cloyd Student Union to reorganize the Friends of the Library organization and hold the organization's first general membership meeting.

The library received the Eugene Clyde Brooks collection of approximately 1,000 books and journals on the history of education and North Carolina.

Inez Ray began the Curriculum Materials Center, later renamed the Learning Resources Library and then the College of Education Media Center.

Doretha Blalock was hired as a "Typist II" for the library in 1964. She was later the first African American woman employed above the clerk level in a technical position processing books and was promoted to supervisor of the Collections Management Department. She also worked on the Affirmative Action Committee which oversaw hiring of African Americans in the 1970s.

The D. H. Hill Focus replaced the Bookmark as the Library's staff publication.

Air conditioning was first installed in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library.

Maurice Toler was the first professionally trained, full-time University Archivist. While the university archives were housed in the library, the division initially reported directly to the Dean of Faculty, later titled Provost.

The Technical Information Center opened in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library as a joint project between the library and the Industrial Extension Service.

The Cooperating Raleigh Colleges program was established by the libraries of NC State, Meredith College, Shaw University, Peace College, St. Mary's College, and St. Augustine College. The program allowed for direct borrowing of library resources among the six campuses.

D. H. Hill Jr. Library extended the closing hour from 11pm to 1am.

After thefts of valuable volumes, a security system was installed in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library, and all doors were locked after service hours.

The library received the Sanford Richard Winston Music Collection, consisting of classical music scores, opera librettos, guides, biographies of composers, books on music criticism and history, and musical recordings.

William V. Frazier was the first African American hired in a professional librarian position.

The School of Forest Resources Library opened in Biltmore Hall. It later became the Natural Resources Library.

The North Carolina General Assembly appropriated funding of libraries at the 16 senior public institutions of higher education in the state. NC State received an increase of $723,915, which resulted in a budget of $1,313,833 for fiscal year of 1970 to 1971. The budget for books, periodicals, and binding increased to $624,123.

Charles Aycock Poe served as the Friends of the Library President from 1970 to 1971. In 1971, Poe announced the Libraries reached 500,000 volumes due to contributions from the FOL.

A single entrance to the library, from the Brickyard, was established for the first time.

A reorganization of departments in the Libraries results in three major divisions headed by assistant directors. The divisions were General Services (including circulation), Reference Services, and Collection Development and Organization (including technical services). The school libraries, Design, Textiles, and Forest Resources, were classified as branch libraries.

Construction ended on the new 11-story tower addition, the North Tower, of the D. H. Hill Jr. Library.

The new 11-story addition, the North Tower, of the D.H. Hill Jr. Library opened.

The light mural (later known as the Color Wall) in D. H. Hill Jr. Library was displayed by this date, but not yet completed. The mural was created by Joe Cox, a faculty member in the School of Design.

D. H. Hill Jr. Library utilized document card catalogs in the early 1970s. By 1975, the Libraries had adopted the computerized cataloging of book collections, which led to the development of the online catalog.

The original 11-story bookstack tower, now the North Tower of the D. H. Hill Jr. Library, was dedicated. With the addition, the bookstacks were opened to all users. Previously, the library had closed bookstacks.

NC State became a charter member of the Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET). Library Director I. T. Littleton served on SOLINET's initial board of directors and chaired its first bylaws committee.

Margaret Hunt and Lillie Castor were the first two African American women hired as professional librarians to work at the D. H. Hill Jr. Library.

The D. H. Hill Librarians group met for the first time. In 1984, the group was renamed the NCSU Librarians' Association.

Friends of the Library president Henry M. Shaw organized a committee of local industry and business leaders to develop a corporate membership campaign for the Friends of the Library.

The library began computerized cataloging of materials. Retrospective conversion of the card catalog was started the following year.

Book, periodical, and binding expenditures exceeded $1,000,000 in a fiscal year for the first time.

A Rare Book and Special Collections Room, administered by the Reference Department, was established adjacent to the university archives.

The library directors at NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Duke University appointed a Triangle Universities Library Cooperation Committee (TULCC) to plan a cooperative program for the three universities. The Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) grew out of this effort.

The first Friends of the Library Fall Luncheon was held. Guests were invited to bring a book to donate to the library's collections.

The Friends of the Library Board of Directors created membership categories for their participating members.

The School of Veterinary Medicine started its own Veterinary Medical Library. In 2006, the Library became the William Rand Kenan Jr. Library of Veterinary Medicine.

One of the most well-attended annual Friends of the Libraries dinner meetings featured guest speaker Robert W. Burchfield, lead editor for the Oxford English Dictionary. He spoke about the English language and how it was evolving due to modern social movements.

The Friends of the Library began a campaign in 1979 to reach one million volumes. The D. H. Hill Jr. Library holdings reached this number by 1981.

The NC State University Libraries became a member of the prestigious Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

The online catalog became operational in 1986. It was originally called the Bibliographic Information System (BIS). In 1987, library staff stopped filing cards into the card catalog. In addition to providing information on NC State holdings, BIS gave users access to information on holdings at other TRLN libraries.

"The NCSU Libraries" became the official name of the library system, encompassing the D. H. Hill Jr. Library and four branch libraries (Design, Natural Resources, Textiles, and Veterinary Medicine). Decades later the system was renamed the North Carolina State University Libraries.

The first annual I. T. Littleton Seminar in emerging library issues was held by the Libraries. The seminar was established to honor Libraries Director I. T. Littleton, who retired in this year.

Susan K. Nutter was the first woman hired as Director of Libraries. During Nutter’s tenure, the Libraries grew from less than 2,000,000 volumes to more than 5,000,000, plus 90,000 print and electronic serial subscriptions, more than 500 bibliographic databases, and numerous electronic full-text and image collections. The Libraries advanced significantly in important library rankings, and innovative new facilities opened on campus. Nutter retired on 9/30/2017.

Kaye Gibbons, former NC State student, became the Libraries' first author-in-residence. The Friends of the Library awarded the first "Author of the Year" award to Kaye Gibbons during the Libraries' 100th anniversary celebration in 1989.

The first Friends of the Library (FOL) booksale was held in 1988. Proceeds from the sale went to supporting the formal preservation program for the Libraries' collection.

D. H. Hill Library Focus staff publication renamed NCSU Libraries Focus.

The library system unveiled a new logo designed by David Burney for the libraries and the Friends of the Library organization. With the new logo, the library system officially became known as "NCSU Libraries."

NCSU Libraries celebrated its 100th anniversary in a ceremony that included planting three Yoshino cherry trees in front of the east wing of the D.H. Hill Jr Library.

A new addition to the D. H. Hill Jr. Library, the South Tower, opened. Besides adding bookstack space, this addition featured a special facilities room and the Class of 1989 Reading Room.

The Libraries' Collection Management department was established with African American employee Margaret Hunt as its first head.

The Information Technologies Teaching Center (ITTC) was established in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library, initially funded through a gift from the Class of 1990.

In conjunction with the move of the College of Textiles, the Burlington Textile Library moved to Centennial Campus and became the first library unit on the new campus. The library remained in the College of Textiles complex until December 2012 when the collections were moved into the Hunt Library.

The library began an electronic document delivery service for researchers.

The Friends of the Library published The D.H. Hill Library: An Informal History, 1887-1987. The work was commissioned for the centennial of the Library in 1989 and written by former library director I.T. Littleton.

Susan K. Nutter served one year as president of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL).

The Libraries implemented a new online information system that was accessible to remote users through campus local area networks and the Internet. The system provided access to external databases, journal indexes, and the online catalog.

The Friends of the Libraries started an alternative endowment option for those who could not donate enough funds for a separate endowment. The Incubator Endowment was made up of many individual accounts that grew into separate endowments over time.

During the 1993 to 1994 academic year, the holdings of the Libraries reached 2,000,000 volumes.

The Libraries initiated daily van delivery of library resources between the D. H. Hill Jr. Library and branch libraries.

The Libraries was selected by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) as one of six "Research Libraries of the Future."

Library employees Nancy Gibbs, Carmen Wijeyasingha, and Annis Barbee, with support from the FOL, began selling Libraries' branded items to support preservation and restoration of library books.

The Special Collections Research Center was established with David Jackson as the first department head.

The Libraries began twenty-four hour service on Sunday through Thursday. The increase was funded by revenue from a university-wide tuition increase, and faculty advocated for the funds to be allocated to the Libraries.

With funding from a tuition increase, NC State University Libraries initiated the TRIPSaver service for NC State users to expedite retrieval of items from other TRLN libraries.

NC State University Libraries became a charter member of the JSTOR electronic archive of journal articles.

The Scholarly Communication Center was established with Peggy E. Hoon as the first Scholarly Communications Librarian. NC State's library became the first in the nation to hire an intellectual property attorney to help librarians and faculty interpret how copyright law protected or limited their access to information.

The Friends of the Libraries held a book signing event with author John Grisham and proceeds benefited the D. H. Hill Jr. Library.

NC LIVE, North Carolina Libraries in Virtual Education, began. NC State served as NC LIVE's primary server site.

The Donald E. Moreland Associate Director for Public Services, the first named position in NC State University Libraries, was created from an endowment established by Professor Emeritus Donald E. Moreland and his wife Verdie S. Moreland. Carolyn D. Argentati was the first to hold the position.

The Libraries established the Fellows program in 1999 for new graduates with master's degree in library and information science.

NC State University Libraries won the first-ever "Excellence in Academic Libraries" award in the university library category. This award was sponsored by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

The Libraries’ Bug-O- Rama festival, an insect cook-off event, was organized by the Friends of the Libraries to promote awareness of the library’s world-renowned entomology collections.

NC State University Libraries was ranked 32nd among 112 Association of Research Library (ARL) libraries, which was an improvement from 101st in 1987. This increase was an unprecedented accomplishment in ARL history.

The Libraries received its largest gift, a $1,000,000 charitable remainder trust, from an anonymous donor.

The Hill of Beans coffee bar opened in the D. H. Hill Jr. Library.

Susan K. Nutter was named the "Librarian of the Year" by Library Journal.

The Libraries implemented a revolutionary new online catalog, leveraging the advanced search and faceted navigation capabilities of the Endeca software platform. The new catalog provided the speed and flexibility of popular online search engines, while capitalizing on the rich content of existing catalog records.

The North Carolina General Assembly appropriated funding for the planning of the new James B. Hunt Jr. Library to be built on Centennial Campus.

A major renovation of the east wing of the D. H. Hill Jr. Library was completed, featuring the Learning Commons, the Conservatory, the Special Collections Reading Room, the Exhibit Gallery, and a Preservation Lab. The opening of the newly refurbished space coincided with the fifty-second anniversary of the dedication of the original building in 1955.

A groundbreaking ceremony initiated construction of the James B. Hunt Jr. Library.

This walking tour of the campus highlighted locations of significance in the lives and experiences of African American students and the larger community. These tours were held every semester, and they were co-sponsored by the NC State University Libraries and the African American Cultural Center.

The library was named in honor of former four-term NC Governor and NC State alumnus James B. Hunt Jr. The new building housed the Institute for Emerging Issues.

Immediately after the dedication, the James B. Hunt Jr. Library won the AIA National Award and the AIA/ALA Library Building Award. In 2014, the library won the ALA Library Interior Design Award and the AIA Education Facility Design Award. It later garnered additional awards and was featured in Architecture magazine. Time magazine called it the "library of the future."

The Friends of the Libraries Staff Award was created to annually recognize staff members for building external funding relationships for the Libraries and reaching advancement goals.

The Makerspace gave students access to emerging technologies, including 3-D printing, electronics prototyping, inventor kits, and more.

The Libraries was awarded the "National Medal for Museum and Library Service" by the IMLS. This award was the nation’s highest honor for public service.

Raschke became Vice Provost and Director of Libraries. He was Interim Vice Provost and Director from 2017 to 2018.

The name of the campus library system was changed from the NCSU Libraries to the North Carolina State University Libraries, also known as NC State University Libraries.

Author Margaret Atwood visited campus for events organized by the Genetic Engineering and Society Center (GES), in collaboration with the Friends of the Libraries and the Gregg Museum.

A memorial service was held for Susan K. Nutter at the James B. Hunt Jr. Library. Nutter was the former Vice Provost and Director of the Libraries who retired in 2017 after a 30-year career with NC State University. More information about Nutter's career can be found on the Libraries' website.

A major renovation of the D. H. Hill Jr. Library was completed by architectural firm Lord Aeck Sargent and the Libraries in fall 2020. The renovation included the addition of the Academic Success Center and new innovative and immersive spaces.

The Libraries exceeded its previous two years of "Day of Giving" efforts combined, bringing in $1,491,566 from 217 gifts. Two new scholarship endowments were created, and two new collections endowments were established.

NC State University Libraries released sensory-friendly maps for users with sensory sensitivities who are looking for study spaces that fit their needs.