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Collection is open for research.
Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
[Identification of item], Woman's College Library records, University Archives, Duke University.
The Woman's College Library records were received by the University Archives as a transfer in 1966-1993.
Processed by Sherrie Bowser, December 2007
Encoded by Sherrie Bowser, December 2007
Accessions were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
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The Woman's College Library began its operations on September 24, 1930. Designed primarily for the new coordinate college, the new library on East Campus (completed in March 1927) served as the interim university library until 1930 when the main library on West Campus was completed. While serving as the main Duke library the future Woman's College Library housed over one hundred thousand volumes transferred from the previous library; a number that would more than double over the next three years as the collection grew to meet the demands of the developing university. When the main collection transferred over to West Campus in 1930 the number of volumes dramatically dwindled as the Woman's College Library was left with approximately 4,000 new books "selected with special reference to the needs of the Coordinate College for Women."
The first librarian of the Woman's College Library, Lillian Baker Griggs (1930-1949), believed that a college library should promote "the love of books and libraries in the heart of the average student to such an extent that a library will be necessary to a contented life." She began by making the library an inviting place citing a plan "to give the library certain distinctly feminine touches which have hitherto been lacking on campus." The Woman's College Library became known for its Booklover Room with its browsable collection, and informal atmosphere which later led the way to regular teas and evening talks by professors.
The librarians worked hard during the first couple of years to triple the holdings, and soon the collection numbered over twelve thousand. They also devised collection strengths in education, art, juvenile literature, literature, music, history, and psychology through both buying new material and recalling back volumes that had previously been transferred to the main library. Over the forty-two years that the coordinated college for women existed at Duke, art and the Woman's College Library became inextricably linked. Art objects were displayed throughout the building, and the library hosted numerous exhibitions.
In 1972 the Board of Trustees approved the merger of the Woman's College and Trinity College. The Woman's College Library became known as the East Campus Library. The library was renamed Lilly Library in 1990 in recognition of a generous gift from Miss Ruth Lilly. The library underwent extensive renovations in 1993, and today (2007) houses the collections for the visual arts, art history, philosophy, and theater studies, and has services geared especially to the first-year experience.
Collection contains material pertaining to the operations of the Woman's College Library including clippings, correspondence, and periodical subscriptions. The major topic in the collection is art exhibits including: announcements of art exhibitions; booklets on works of art; biographical sketches of artists; and schedules of exhibitions. Materials date from 1930-1994, bulk 1930-1970.
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
The General folder includes the Woman College's Library buying policy, proposed budgets, correspondence, committee records, study guides for students, and a student paper (1971) examining the operations of the Woman's College Library.