Published: May 06, 2008 07:37 am            

Eastern library struggled for more books in early years

When Eastern Kentucky State Normal School & Teachers College was established by the Kentucky legislature in 1906, only a small, inadequate amount of tax money was appropriated for the library.

After that, no significant provision was made for the library for several years.

The new institution obtained a few books from the library of old Central University and its graduates, the teachers and public school districts that were very supportive, and the small library of Walters Collegiate Institute, the “prep school” that was operated on the old CU campus from 1901 to 1906.

The Eastern library also received some donations from the graduates of the old Madison Female Institute, which stood on the hilltop that is now occupied by Madison Middle School.

The management of the library, which was located in the “prep school” building, which stood where the Keen Johnson Building is now, was pretty well left up to the school’s business office! The only new books for which requisitions were made were those requested by the faculty members (who were generously loaning their own books to students — and occasionally did not get them back.

An “incidental fee” charged all students was supposed to include some funds for library development, but somehow all the library’s share often did not appear to go to the library's account.

In 1918, President Thomas Jackson Coates appointed a library evaluation committee composed of Miss Estelle Reid, librarian, and faculty members Dr. E.C. McDougle, Mr. (later Dr.) Charles A. Keith, Dr. J. Wren Grinstead, Dr. Jas. D. Bruner and Mr. R.A. Edwards. Older Madison Countians will remember some of those names.

The committee met Nov. 19, 1918, and sent a rather strong petition to the institution’s governing body, the Board of Regents. It stated that: “Whereas practically no money has been expended for many

years for the systematic stocking of the library; and whereas because of this fact the members of the faculty have freely used their own private libraries for public use (to their own loss), be it resolved that we respectfully petition the Board of Regents to appropriate at once the sum of $1,000 as an emergency fund for library purposes.”

The request was signed by every member of the Library Committee and presented to the board by President Coates, who supported it. Upon motion by Judge Jere A. Sullivan and seconded

by W.A. Price, the request was approved. As the minutes of the Board of Regents stated, the “motion was put and carried, the petition of the Library Committee was received and its request for a thousand dollars for the library was granted.”

Our thanks to our long-time friend Harry Johnson for helping to find this information.

        

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