About Kent Library

For some years at the Third District Normal School, later Southeast Missouri State University, student use of books was limited to books they purchased. Shortly before the turn of the previous Century, literary societies, such as the Clio's collected books for the use of their members. The Normal School also purchased reference materials and kept them in the principal's office of the first Academic Hall that burned in 1902. The secretary, Louise Ranney, supervised this collection.

photos courtesy of Kent Library Special Collections and Archives
Click image for larger view.

On April 8, 1902, the first Academic Hall building burned. "All of the building burned, with the exception of the furniture in the society halls and the equipment from the physical laboratory. The greatest loss was that of the library, consisting of about 4000 volumes. . . "First Academic Hall Burned 25 Years Ago." Capaha Arrow 3 April 1927
First library - 1905 During the construction of the new Academic Hall, completed in 1906, the library was maintained in the Education-Social Science Building.
	Academic Hall Library - 1906-1938 After completion of the present Academic Hall in 1906, the library collection was located in the the East Wing which was set aside for the library. History professor Robert S. Douglas bowed out of the librarian's part-time position to become a full-time teacher. Miss Kent, who had been acting as Assistant Librarian since 1902, became the librarian in 1910. Under her aegis as full-time librarian, the library collection had its true beginnings.

Academic Hall reading room 1906-1938 click image for larger view Photos courtesy of Kent Library Special Collections and Archives
Government documents moved to campus library - 1917 The Capaha Arrow for January 12 relates the event that made the library the government designated depository for the Fourteenth Congressional District. This move added 7,000 volumes of books and 10,000 pamphlets to the Academic Hall library collection. Books were being stored because of lack of shelf room after government documents became a part of the library collection. Because of the addition of government documents to the Academic Library collection, a thick glass-floored additional level was added over the original stacks almost doubling the capacity of the stacks.
	Children's section added to library - 1926 "Room 104, in the basement of Academic Hall, formerly known as the Art room, has been converted into one of the most interesting and practical rooms of our college." For the remainder of Capaha Arrow article, click on page 1 and page 2.
Children's room click for larger view Photos courtesy of Kent Library Special Collections and Archives. Photo made by Kassel's Studio in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

House passes appropriation bill -1937
By 1935, the president of the College set priorities for a new library building and a new men's dormitory. By 1936, the Missouri General Assembly approved the two new buildings. The plans were for a library building to be located on the site of the tennis courts in front of Academic Hall. According to the Capaha Arrow of April 21, 1937, the plan was to have a reading room on the second floor with extremely high ceilings adorned with murals. This reading room would accommodate 260. There would be a printers' mark in the center of the windows. This new library would include a museum and a small auditorium on the main floor. This little theater would seat 252, while the museum would house the Beckwith and the Duckworth collections. Work on the new library building began in the fall of 1938.
Kent Library 1939-1968 click for larger view click for south elevation drawing by Bonawit Photos courtesy of Kent Library Special Collections and Archives
These stained glass window decorations were suggestive of the windows located at the Northwestern Deering Library and Yale Sterling Library. The stained glass for the three libraries was created by the same nationally renowned stained glass artisan, G. Owen Bonawit. The designs for the Kent stained glass windows were approved by the Board of Regents in 1939. The five-story stacks were in the rear of the building. See south elevation drawing executed by G. Owen Bonawit. The library was officially dedicated in November 1939.

Ms. Kent's name was carved over the entry door to the library in 1943. click for another view Photos courtesy of Kent Library Special Collections and Archives	View from inside the original Kent reading room click for larger view click for another view Photos courtesy of Kent Library Special Collections and Archives
At the proposal of Ms. Kent, nine leading authors were chosen by President Parker and H. O. Grauel for the frieze that bordered the top of the original Kent Library building.
Library seeks changes - 1963
Kent Library, originally designed for a maximum student body of 1200, was serving a student enrollment of 4,000. The $500,000 in the state budget for an addition to Kent Library was eliminated. Changes were made in the library to compensate for lack of space. Periodicals and reserve books were moved to the former museum and audio-visual room. Selected Children's Library titles were moved to the Campus school.
Plans for library addition - 1965
Twenty-six years after the library was built, the administration sought financing again to either enlarge the existing library or build a new one according to Felix Snider, head librarian.
Artists rendering of library addition and remodeling	Construction - 1966 "The exterior of the building is concrete and brick. . ." Capaha Arrow

	The stained glass printers' marks and the Mark Twain and Missouri panels were removed from the reading room windows during the work on the addition and placed on the second floor mezzanine. Capaha Arrow
photo by Cathy Stitz click for larger view

Photo by Cathy Stitz Click for larger view	The 1939 library bookplate medallion on the original central stair case is modeled after the design done in stained glass by G. Owen Bonawit.
	This stained glass pane explains a little of the history of the 45 stained glass window panes.
Photo courtesy of Kent Library Special Collections and Archives	The west end photo of the original library building shows the stacks addition to the rear and the beginning construction of the late 60's addition.

Addition completed - 1968 The remodeled and enlarged four floors of the library were dedicated to the following library functions. The first floor (lower level) housed Textbook Services, Audiovisual and Educational Media Centers, and Instructional Materials. The second floor had Circulation and Reserve Desks, Reference-Documents, Periodicals, Technical Services, Little Theatre, Rare Book Room, and library offices. The third level held the Browsing Area, documents storage, Library Science Department, and the literature and history collections. The fourth floor contained the remainder of the collection. It was hoped at the time the addition was completed that the new Kent Library would be adequate for 20 years or more according to a brochure published during the time the addition was completed.
Jake K. Wells Mural - 1973 Conceptualizations for the library mural began in 1970. "A decision was made to devote the main section of the work to the historical aspects of the area and to place the emphasis on the human element rather than the material aspects . . ."* JKW Four developmental areas of the Southeast Missouri region relate the regional history and heritage depicted in the mural--Mississippi River, mineral resources, timber resources, and agriculture. The 38.5' x 20.75' mural located on the east facing wall of the original library was dedicated in the fall of 1973 and was completed in honor of the University Centennial. *Parker, James Varner and Wells, Jake K. Theme Work Procedures Content, Jake K Wells Mural Kent Library. Cape Girardeau, MO: Southeast Missouri State University, 1982.	Jake K. Wells putting finish touches on mural. Photo by Lueders' Studio

	Parting gift - 1995 President Dr. Kala Stroup contributed a parting gift of $35,000 toward the construction of a fountain in front of Kent Library.
Photo by Cathy Stitz Click for another image

Sadie's Place - 2006 Phase I of a library renovation began in 2006 with the relocation of the Reference Desk and Reference Collection to the third floor of the library. In this newly available space on the main floor, a group study and reading area with shelving for popular current periodicals, new books, and best sellers was arranged. As part of this remodel, a coffee cart area was constructed along with a sprinkling of computers and a copier/printer dedicated to Southeast student use. Starting in the fall of 2007, a portion of this area was used for the Kent Library Athenaeum series.
Information Commons - 2008 Phase II of the library remodeling on the third floor is complete. Located here is the Carrie Woodburn Johnson Quiet Reading Room, the Heather MacDonald Green Multimedia Center, Reference, and group study rooms. In addition, there are pods of computers for individual and group student use.
Quiet Reading Room	The Quiet Reading Room was endowed by, Mary Johnson Tweedy ('37) and named in honor of her mother, Carrie Woodburn Johnson, wife of Dr. B F. Johnson, a professor and chair of the mathematics department for 44 years. A glass wall separates the Quiet Reading Room from the mezzanine areas pictured in the foreground. The quiet reading room was formerly the designated smoking lounge when the library was renovated in 1966. Mrs. Tweedy donated funds also for the renovation to turn the smoking lounge in the quiet reading room. This area was remodeled again in 2008.