Father Albert O'Brien's vision of Friedsam Memorial Library

Before leaving for Albuquerque in 1937, Fr. Albert was asked by James Bly, the editor of the St. Bonaventure newspaper, for a description of the coming new library.  It was also to appear in The Alumni Quarterly so the whole Bonaventure community would see his impressions of what the facility would offer.

St. Bonaventure's New Library

     A college is known by its library if it is to fulfill its educational program at all adequately.  St. Bonaventure College has been fortunate enough to have a faculty keenly aware of this fact and also an alumni body that has seconded their efforts.  As a result the library out grew its present quarters and for several years the faculty has been trying to erect a new building.  Generous friends have a t last mad this possible and plans for an absolutely modern library building are now completed and ground is about to be broken.

     The building is to stand between De La Roche hall and the gymnasium.  This site was chosen as most central and convenient for both faculty and students.  The building is some two hundred feet long and will complete the quadrangle.  Over the entrance which is towards one end of the building is an octagonal tower which lends dignity to it.  The charging desk is opposite the main entrance so that the librarian at the desk has  perfect control at all times.  Behind the charging desk is located the catalogue files which in turn open into the stack room.  There are three floors of stacks, giving space for over 150,000 volumes.

     To the right as you enter, the old students will se a bit of the old library.  Theology hall is to be reproduced with the some old stacks that we have in the old library.  This room will be dedicated to the memory of our first President, Father Pamphilo da Magliano, and will house all the historical mementos that the fire of 1930 left us.  Incidentally various friends have been most kind, presenting us with pictures of the early friars, so we have hopes of a fairly consecutive history of the college in that room.

     The vault leads off from this room.  It will have two rows of book stacks, with a balcony running around the room to make accessible cases in which the old manuscripts and incunabula can be suitably displayed.  St. Bonaventure's has a very valuable collection of old books and medieval manuscripts but the facilities of the old library do not permit anything but storage.

     To the left of the entrance lobby there will be a magazine and newspaper room for current periodicals.  Passing through this room, you enter the reading room which is spacious enough to admit of accommodations for two hundred and fifty students.  It is a large room, over one hundred feet long, dominated at the far end by a huge fireplace over which will be displayed the large painting of Savonarola preaching to the Florentines.  This will be lighted by artificial lighting to enable one to study the painting properly.  The room itself is well lighted with high windows and agrees with the best modern library standards.

     The office of the librarian will be over the periodical room and has a balcony opening into the reading room, so that, when occasion requires it, an address could be given from the balcony to an audience assembled in the reading room.

     The basement of the building is given over to the work rooms and seminar rooms.  At one end is a large room where art displays can be held and where thee books treating of art will be housed.  The seminar rooms will have access to the stack room, and will give accommodation to research students who are pursuing some special line of study.  A special room for cataloguing and another for bookbinding are also in the basement.

     The building has been planned to suit the particular needs of a college like St. Bonaventure's.  An effort will be made to make the library attractive, too, and as homelike as possible.  We like to know that the student comes to the library not only to find information but also to receive a certain degree of culture.  Oil paintings, Navajo blankets and Pueblo pottery will lend color and contribute to the atmosphere.

     Every effort is being made to have the building ready for the fall.  A hearty invitation will be extended to all the friends of St. Bonaventure's to come and rejoice with us on the day we take possession.

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Last updated:  12/18/12