|
....and there
was a library!
Even the most creative visions of the founders of Mississippi College could
not have pictured the resources provided by the current College library. The
Leland Speed Library almost certainly contains more books than were found in the
entire state of Mississippi in 1826. Hampstead Academy (changed to Mississippi
Academy in 1827 and Mississippi College in 1830) had to struggle to get a classroom
building partly finished and usable by January of 1827. If there was a library at
all in the earliest days, it would have consisted of the faculty's personal books,
and perhaps a reference bookshelf in one or more classrooms. There is no full
record of the progress from bare beginnings to relative abundance, but a few
glimpses may help.
We remember, of course, that big, sophisticated libraries are a recent development.
For instance, the prestigious University of Virginia began offering classes
just two years before Mississippi College did. In ex-President Thomas Jefferson's
magnificent design for the university, the focal point was the Rotunda, the upper
floor of which was a large assembly room (recently voted the most beautiful room
in America). Around the periphery of this room are several pairs of columns and,
discreetly out of sight behind these columns, are bookcases which housed the entire
collection of the University for many years.
Folks in the frontier village of Mt. Salus, Mississippi, certainly had nothing
resembling the vast resources poured into Mr. Jefferson's Academical Village in
Virginia, but they intended for their brave little college to be a good one, and a
library was a significant component. In 1837 the Board of Trustees appointed a
special Library Committee to assemble a library and science laboratory equipment.
Unfortunately, the committee probably accomplished little because of the financial
panic that devastated the country about that time. In 1844 a committee negotiated
with the local Masonic Lodge about a classroom to be shared by the College library
and the Lodge. And later that same year President Campbell reported the gift of
over 100 books to the library.
Mississippi Baptists accepted the school in 1850 but did not offer a college
degree program until 1852. At that time the Trustees asked a Doctor McClay "to
serve as Agent to procure a Library for the College." They also asked him on what
terms his own library could be obtained for the use of the college. Again, results
are unknown.
At least two events from that first decade of Baptist operation, though,
suggest that the library, although modest in size, was taken seriously. In February of 1854 a legislative
act required the Governor of Mississippi, upon request, to deliver to the librarian
of Mississippi College certain legal documents, including court records, legislative
acts "and any other books and maps which are now or hereafter may be published by
the authority of the state."
Then, in January of 1860, the Trustees adopted a resolution of thanks to United
States Senator Jefferson Davis and submitted it for publication in the Mississippi
Baptist:
"Whereas Gen. Jefferson Davis, United States senator has recently,
in addition to former favors to Mississippi College, directed the
Secretary of the Department of the Interior to forward ninety eight
volumes of congressional documents and other publications to the
library of Mississippi College, therefore
Resolved that the Trustees heartily unite in tendering thanks to
Gen. J. Davis for these favors, who by his achievements in the field
and in the Senate reflects so much honor on our State and on the
United States."
The question arises, naturally, as to whether the Library still has any
publications from those old gifts. And, who knows? An informal search through the
Treasure Room of the Library's oldest books reveals various volumes old enough to
have been part of those gifts, although most of them probably were gifts from
people's personal libraries. A few, though, make you wonder. For instance, a copy
of the Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, vol. II, 1796-1803 was published
in 1856; a copy of Blackstone's Commentary on the Laws of England was published
in 1822; and there is a Digest of the Laws of Mississippi: Acts of the Session of
1839. Nothing shows that these were from the gifts mentioned above. Still, for
the sentimental among us, they are enough to evoke a glow of nostalgia.
The Civil War wiped out college classes, although the Preparatory Department
continued to operate, and college students were back in classes by 1867. The
first catalog published after the war (1869-70) declared that the "extensive
Apparatus, Libraries, and other Appliances, formerly belonging to the College, were
all preserved." It announced plans to establish a Reading Room, which the next
catalog reported to be in full operation. The 1879-80 catalog reported an apparent
up-grade in the reading room. "A Reading Room Association has recently been organized,
a room in one of the College buildings neatly fitted up, and the following list of
publications may be found upon its tables. Periodicals from our own State are
generously contributed by their publishers." Then comes a listing, by name, of 22
newspapers from within the state; 14 papers from outside the state (including New York
and Boston); 17 magazines (including Baptist Review, Atlantic Monthly, Southern Law
Review, Harper's, etc.).
For more than three decades the college catalog proudly directed attention to
the libraries of the student literary societies. The Philomathean Literary Society
was established in 1846, stopped functioning in 1862 because of the war, and was
reorganized in 1870. The Hermenian Literary Society was organized in 1854;
theoretically it continued through the war years, although it probably functioned
little while the college classes were interrupted by the war. The 1870-71 catalog
said both literary societies were "in a flourishing condition" and added, "They
each possess a Library accessible to their members." The location of these
collections may have changed from time to time, but in later years they used the two
small rooms on opposite sides of the stage in the Chapel building. In the afternoons
after classes student volunteers from the two societies would open their libraries
for student use, generally for an hour. The catalog urged alumni of the societies
to contribute books to build the collections.
An 1872 publication of "An Extract from the Constitution and By-Laws of the
Ministerial Students Library Association" reveals a somewhat different student
initiative in library services. It appears to have been something like a combination
of a non-profit bookstore and lending library for ministerial students.
While the College depended heavily on the library collection of the student
organizations, the institution itself continued to provide library service and to
work for its support. For eighteen years, 1873-1890 and again in 1895, the faculty
listing in the catalog included someone with the title of Librarian. This was a
part-time position, since everybody on the small faculty in those days had multiple
duties. In the first four years listed, the Librarian was actually a student worker.
The rest of the time the Librarian was also the Principal of the Preparatory Department
(6 years), the Professor of Mathematics (4 years), the Professor of English
(3 years), or the Professor of Latin (1 year). It is unlikely that the established
function of faculty Librarian would have been dropped for a few years at a time;
this assignment simply was not always published in the catalog.
Presumably the Reading Room and special collections, such as government
documents, would have been the responsibility of the faculty Librarian. Library
resources may have been regarded in much the same way was as were laboratory materials
in the sciences, and one may guess that some professors had custody of special
collections in their subject fields. In 1874 the college agreed to "Sell Prof.
Whitfield a set of Geological & other Surveys, now in the college library at $20."
That same year, as a part of the continuing effort to channel scarce funds into
library support, a $20 Incidental Fee was established for all students, with "one
twentieth of this Incidental Fee set apart for the purpose of increasing the Library."
This bounty was short-lived, however, as the Incidental Fee was dropped for most
students after two years.
In 1889 the President's Report invited visitors to "step into the hallway back
of the chapel & see the renovation that has taken place there, not forgetting to
enter the elegant library rooms of the two Literary Societies, where you will find
larger and better libraries than are possessed by any similar societies in the land."
The faculty may have shared the President's enthusiasm for the student libraries,
but five years later they reported several urgent needs "including library rooms."
In 1906 the Philomathean and Hermenian literary societies decided to combine
their libraries and asked Mrs. A. J. Aven to become librarian and keep the library
open for two hours each afternoon. The next year the societies formally donated
their combined library to the college with the understanding that the college would
maintain and enlarge it and employ the librarian. Mrs. Aven was then elected, on a
part-time salary at first, and served as college librarian from 1907 to 1921.
A common perception has been that the Mississippi College library began with
the merger of the two literary society collections, and that is partly true. From
the information above it is obvious that the institution had provided a variety of
library services through the years, but the student organizations richly deserve the
credit given them for making their library resources available to students during
several decades of stark scarcity. And, with their gift, and the merger of all
separate collections, the college had for the first time a unified institutional
library under the care of a professional librarian.
The merger of Hillman College into Mississippi College in 1942 (made final in 1946)
brought with it the Hillman library of 2,250 volumes. The development of the Learning
Resources Center in the 1970's brought significant expansion into multi-media fields.
The library also contains the Mississippi Baptist Historical Commission collection,
a separate collection but available for research. With the opening of the Law School
in 1975 came another special-purpose library, housed on the Law School compus in downtown
Jackson.
In 1915 the college proudly dedicated its first building specifically for the
library, Lowrey Hall, which included classrooms and offices, but whose main focus
was the generous space for the 5,000 volumes of the library collection. In 1947,
with the collection at 35,000 volumes and college enrollment ballooning with returning
war veterans, an annex was added to the library building. Then, in 1959, the Leland
Speed Library building was dedicated and the 60,000 volume collection moved in. Again,
though, the library soon outgrew its space, and in 1975 an annex was completed to
provide room for the collection, then 150,000 volumes, and especially for the new
electronic Learning Resources Center.
Now, the Leland Speed Library has over 300,000 volumes and 800 periodical
subscriptions. (That is not counting the 300,000 volumes in the separate Law Library,
nor the Mississippi Baptist Historical Collection in the main library building.)
Library holdings are accessible by computer, both inside the library and from outside
it. The library offers access to a variety of full-text and bibliographic databases.
The Learning Resources Center is also accessible through the online catalog, and its
collection includes over 15,000 items. These consist of video tapes, films, music
scores and recordings, slides and audio tapes. It also includes a fully equipped
television production studio and dark room, carrels and viewing rooms.
Can you imagine trying to explain all that to the folks who founded the place
in 1826? But they did make it clear that they wanted a library worthy of the pride
of Mississippi College.
Library Directors, 1907 to the present:
Mrs. Mary B. Aven 1907-1921
Margaret Bennett 1921-1939
Mrs. Rosa D. Quisenberry 1940-1946
Annabelle Koonce 1947-1949
Mrs. Claudia S. Landrum 1950-1959
J. B. Howell 1960-1991
David Wright 1992-
References:
Trustee Minutes, April 13, 1837; June 26, 1844; Sept. 30, 1844; Feb. 14, 1852;
Jan. 30, 1860; June 24, 1874; April 3, 1874; June 22, 1889.
W. H. Weathersby, "A History of Mississippi College," Publications of the
Mississippi Historical Society, vol. V.
L'Allegro (college annual), 1921.
Pamphlet, "An Extract from the Constitution and By-Laws of the Ministerial
Students' Library Association," 1872.
J.B. Howell, "The Mississippi College Library," in A History of Mississippi
Libraries, 1974.
Mississippi College catalog, various years. Charles E. Martin
VP for Academic Affairs Emeritus
October 31, 2002 | 