Harvard’s Widener Library Celebrates Celebrates Its 100th Birthday
From the Harvard Crimson:
Widener Library was dedicated in memory of Harvard graduate Harry E. Widener, Class of 1907, in 1915 when his mother earned naming rights to the building after a donation of nearly $2 million and 400 books—a gift that Sarah E. Thomas, vice president of the Harvard Library, called the “nucleus” of the library system. Widener died aboard the Titanic in 1912.
The library officially opened on June 24, 1915, coinciding with the College’s 264th Commencement Day.
At the centennial event, Thomas lauded the progress that Widener had made in its first century, including allowing women into the library and building upon Harvard’s library system to include a network of libraries encompassing multiple schools.
Read the Complete Article
MUCH more about the Widener Library in, “At 100, Widener Opens Its Arms Wider” (via Harvard Gazette)
See Also: History of the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Collection, Online Exhibition
See Also: Widener Library History (via Library Web Site)
Filed under: Libraries, School Libraries

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.