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History of The University Library
By Daryle McEachern Maroney
The University Library has always depended on the generosity of its friends and the energy of its librarians.
What is now Georgia State University started in 1913 as the Evening School of Commerce on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Students used the library at Tech until 1931, when the school moved to its own building at 223 Walton Street, and the Junior College, or Day Division, opened.
George M. Sparks, Director of the school, began the library with a donation of his own books. Several members of the faculty also donated books, and the school newspapers, the University Signal and the Junior Collegiate held book drives. The library also leased textbooks to students for $1.00 per quarter, with any extra money at the end of the year going to purchase library books.
Mrs. Wayne S. Kell, widow of the first director of the school, contributed her husband’s large commerce library, and is said to have been one of the first volunteer librarians for the collection. Other volunteer "librarians" included students, faculty members, and outside volunteers like Mrs. Palmer Johnson, who was full-time librarian at Boys’ High School (Atlanta) during the day and came to the Evening College at night. These dedicated souls administered a collection that grew from zero in 1931 to over 3,000 volumes by 1936 and 8,000 volumes by 1938, despite the lack of a budget. The first trained, full-time librarian was George Hugo Richter, in 1940-41.
In 1946 the school, then called the University System Center, moved to 24 Ivy Street (now Kell Hall), where the library occupied space near the Refectory. In 1947 the Board of Regents changed the name to the Atlanta Division, University of Georgia, and Wilson W. Noyes joined the faculty to lead a staff of 4 full-time librarians, administering a collection of 20,351 volumes and an annual books budget of $10,000. By the 1950-51 academic year, a separate Business Library had been established on the sixth floor of the building.
William Russell Pullen became Librarian of Georgia State College in 1959, administering a staff of 16 librarians and a 1960-61 books and periodicals budget of $62,470. Under his administration, a separate two-story library building, with parking underneath, was built. By the time the building was occupied in 1966, it was 2/3 full, and the Board of Regents had approved a three story addition, bringing the present Library North to its current height by 1969, when Georgia State became a University. Under Pullen’s administration, the Southern Labor Archives and the University Archives became departments of the library, and circulation procedures were automated. By action of the USG (University System of Georgia) Board of Regents, Library North was named in honor of Dr. Pullen shortly after his death in 1974.
Automation picked up steam under Carolyn Robison. Her tenure as interim University Librarian saw the beginning of automation of the card catalog, when the Library became a member of the Southeastern Library Network (SoLiNet), and started cataloging its holdings on OCLC (which now stands for Online Computer Library Center). This move accelerated a trend in library cooperation that had started in 1938, when the Atlanta-Athens Area Union Catalog and reciprocal borrowing agreements were begun, and has continued with the PALS Across Georgia and GALILEO programs.
Ralph Russell served as University Librarian from 1975 to 1997. Under his leadership the Library acquired its one-millionth volume and a second building, connected to the first by a bridge. The card catalog was automated and acquisitions and circulation systems were added to create an integrated library management system. Compact-disc reference databases were acquired, and then connected through a local area network. The Media Center was established. Special Collections acquired the records of the International Association of Machinists, the Lane Brothers Photographic Collection, the Johnny Mercer Collection, the papers of W. J. Usery, Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Labor, and other collections of local and national significance. In 1989, Dr. Russell submitted a successful grant application to the National Endowment for the Humanities which resulted in an NEH challenge grant of $400,000 for the purchase and processing of books on the humanities. Through the efforts of the University Development Office, Dr. John Palms, Dr. Sherman Day, Dr. Russell, and many generous friends, the challenge amount of $1.2 million was raised in three years, a year ahead of schedule.
Now under the direction of Charlene Hurt, the Library is planning for expanded service to the growing GSU campus. The second phase of the GALILEO project will connect Pullen Library more closely to other libraries in the state and allow for enhanced borrowing opportunities for its patrons. We are experimenting with document delivery and looking for more efficient ways of processing incoming materials. We are dedicated to building on the legacy of collection development and service which have been so much a part of our history.