Tisch Library

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tisch Library
Tufts Tisch library entrance.JPG
Established1965 (as Wessell Library); 1996 (as Tisch Library)
Location35 Professors Row, Medford, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°24′22″N 71°07′08″W / 42.4062°N 71.1189°W / 42.4062; -71.1189Coordinates: 42°24′22″N 71°07′08″W / 42.4062°N 71.1189°W / 42.4062; -71.1189
Collection
Size2.7 Million
Websitetischlibrary.tufts.edu
Map

Tisch Library, originally Wessell Library, is the principal library for the Medford/Somerville campus of Tufts University. The library holds 2.7 million volumes and serves as the main branch of the Tufts library system.[1] The building was originally designed in a brutalist style by Campbell and Aldrich.[2] Construction started in January 1964 and the library was originally named after Tufts' eighth president Nils Yngve Wessell. At a cost of $2.9 million the library was dedicated in September 1965. Wessell Library succeeded Eaton Memorial Library as the main library on campus and was constructed next to it. The library was enlarged in a $21 million renovation, designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott, that took place from 1994 to 1996.[3] Upon completion of the renovation, the library was renamed after Jonathan and Steve Tisch who donated $10 million for the project.

Tisch Library has two branches focused on the arts: Lilly Music Library at the Granoff Music Center in Medford, and the W. Van Alan Clark, Jr. Library at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts in Boston.

History[]

Tisch Library opened as the Wessell Library in September 1965. The original structure contained stacks and offices on the first floor; circulation, a reference desk, and study space on the second floor; and special collections, including the Crane School collection, the Tufts collection, and audio-visual aids, on the third floor.[4] Construction on the Tisch Library began in August 1994 as an 80,000-square foot addition to Wessell, as well as a renovation of the original structure. The rechristened library was formally dedicated on October 10, 1996.[5] As the library's collections continued to grow, unfinished space beneath the first floor was converted to stacks and study space, opening to the public as "Level G" in 2004.[6] That same year, the Tower Café opened on the second floor.[7] As of 2021, the library houses stacks and the Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives on Level G; stacks, study rooms, and the Mark Computer Lab on the first floor; circulation, the Hirsh Reading Room, the Data Lab, and the Tower Café on the second floor; and classroom space and the Digital Design Studio on the third floor.[8]

References[]

  1. ^ July 16, 2016 Tufts University Fact Book"
  2. ^ "Library Competition Elicits "Brilliant Solution"". The Tufts Weekly. September 16, 1963. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "Interview: Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott" Stone World
  4. ^ Nylander, Bob (5 June 1965). "Library Nears Completion; Meets Demands For Space". The Tufts Weekly. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  5. ^ Geiman, Gregory (10 October 1996). "The library that Tisch built: Dedication today". The Tufts Daily. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  6. ^ "New level in Tisch to be opened to the public". The Tufts Daily. 17 October 2003. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  7. ^ Howard, Marjorie. "Tower Café is the new gathering place on campus". Tufts Journal. Tufts University. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Tisch Library Floor Plans" (PDF). The Tisch Library. Tisch Library. Retrieved 28 April 2021.

External links[]

Stub icon

This article relating to library science or information science is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""