1894 Elon library
Miriam Pace – volunteer in Archives
March 23, 2011
When: 1894. Where: The Elon College Library, located in the Old Main Administration Building. What: A committee composed of faculty members reported on the condition of the library and stated, “We find the library in a confused state due, we judge for the most part, of the library being left open without someone in charge.” All faculty members had a key to the library and were supposed to take turns supervising the activities and enforcing all rules. For instance, students were fined five cents for sitting on the table in the library (there was only one table). If a student spoke above a whisper, they were fined five cents. Books were not arranged on the shelves in any order, though some sort of system had been repeatedly recommended by the faculty committee. The 1894 library surely would not have qualified Elon University for membership in Phi Beta Kappa!
Leave a Reply