Background

he Pennsylvania Center for the Book was approved by the Library of Congress to begin operation on January 1, 2000, joining 41 other state centers for the book in the United States. An Act of Congress established the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress on October 13, 1977, to serve as a focal point for celebrating the legacy of books and the printed word. The function of the center has expanded dramatically since 1984 with the establishment of affiliated centers for the book in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The mission of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book is to study, honor, celebrate, and promote books, reading, libraries, and literacy to the citizens and residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Location

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book opened a study alcove for the public on January 15, 2002. The alcove is located in 201B Pattee Library, Penn State University, University Park, PA. Hours are Mondays 9 - 7 and by appointment, 814-863-2141. Book collections include a reference collection pertaining to books, writing, libraries, and Pennsylvania; Penn State University Press books about the Commonwealth and writing; a collection representing Pennsylvania writers connected to the Literary Map of Pennsylvania.

Advisory Board

The Advisory Board of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book assists the director in carrying out the mission of the Center. The initial board was appointed for the term 2000-2003.

Sponsoring Institution

The sponsors of the Pennsylvania Center for the Book are Dean Nancy Eaton and the University Libraries of Penn State University. In addition to providing space and administrative support for the Center's offices, the University Libraries provide in-kind contributions that include staff and faculty time as well as the Pennsylvania Center for the Book alcove in 201 B Pattee Library.

University Libraries

Penn State's first library collection consisted of approximately 1,500 volumes in agriculture and the sciences and was housed in Old Main, along with most other college facilities. The nineteenth-century library was considered an auxiliary to study and by 1888 was open six hours a day. By the turn of the century the library had grown to nearly 20,000 volumes. The overcrowding finally was relieved by construction of the Carnegie Library, a gift of steel magnate and college trustee Andrew Carnegie.

The library moved to what is now the Carnegie Building in 1904. The 50,000-volume-capacity building had the beginnings of some special collections, including government documents and the Penn State Room. Departmental libraries in a number of the sciences also had been established by this time, and some continue today as our branch libraries. The collection eventually outgrew the building, which by 1940 contained three times as many volumes as the number for which the building was designed.

A new main building, now Pattee Library, was constructed as part of a multiple building Public Works Administration-General State Authority project in the 1937-40 period. As Pattee Library grew, three major additions were made, the most recent being the East Wing in 1973. Although the holdings of the University Libraries had grown to some 800,000 volumes by the mid-1960s, it was recognized by the University that this was insufficient to support a major research-oriented university, and budgetary support for the University Libraries increased rapidly. The cataloged collection now exceeds 4.5 million items. More than 120,000 volumes are added to the collection annually.

After a three year building campaign that never closed the library for a single hour, the dedication ceremony was held for the new Paterno Library in the Fall 2000. The existing East Pattee, now part of the Paterno Library, was renovated to provide office and workspaces, periodical collections, reference areas, and workstations. The Paterno Library ground and first floors house special collections, maps, and key operations; the second and third floors support the Social Sciences Library and the Schreyer Business Library. The fourth floor features the Life Sciences Library and the fifth floor houses the Education and Behavioral Sciences Library. The Arts and Humanities Library is located in Pattee Library.