April 14, 1912
Harry Elkins Widener, class of 1907, died aboard the Titanic. He left his collection of rare books to his mother, Eleanor Elkins Widener, with the understanding that she would donate them to Harvard once there was a suitable library in which to store them. She offered Harvard a library as a monument to her son. The building was a compromise between recommendations made by Harvard’s own library committees and the wishes of Eleanor Elkins Widener regarding its appearance.95
1912-1916
During the construction of Widener Library, most books remained accessible and were stored in Massachusetts Hall, Randall Hall, the Andover-Harvard Theological Library, and departmental libraries. Some rare books were stored in a safe deposit vault. Widener was built on an area that stretched from the site of Gore Hall to Massachusetts Avenue. A patron with access to the stacks (professors and “advanced students”) had access to the entire collection, not just subject-specific collections.96
1913-1914
After renovations at the Fogg Art Museum, prints were moved from the basement into upstairs storage cases. The Museum, which owned large collections of books, slides, photographs, and prints, was hindered by a lack of space.97
January 1914
The Radcliffe Student Government Association took “responsibility for the conduct of the students in the Library,” and meted out punishments for improper behavior.98
June 24, 1915
Widener Library was formally dedicated. Books began to be moved in from Randall Hall. Widener had adequate space for Harvard’s books, as well as ample study and classroom space. Load-bearing stacks allowed for the weight of many books. A small reading room was reserved for Radcliffe students, and some advanced Radcliffe students were allowed into the stacks.99
1916
With the understanding that photographic reproduction would be important to a modern research library, a photographic laboratory with one wooden camera was established in Widener. The laboratory was intended to be financially self-sustaining, but had to sell its equipment to the library in 1918.100
1918
George Vasmer Leverett bequeathed to Radcliffe Library more than a thousand books, some very valuable and rare.101
1918-1920
The Radcliffe Library had run out of shelf-space, but could not afford a major renovation. Instead, new shelves in the basement would house periodicals and a fireproof vault would store rare books and doctoral theses.102
1918-1920s
World War I and post-war inflation caused Widener to postpone projects, including necessary binding, due to rising costs. Several staff members were fired due to lack of funds.103
1919
Robert H. Pearman, who was also a photographer at the Massachusetts Historical Society, was hired to recondition the camera and the darkroom in Widener. The laboratory charged for reproductions, and in 1920-1921 the Photostat was used for 184 jobs, taking in $772.73. These numbers rose in the following years. Pearman continued to work on a part-time basis until he was replaced by Walter B. Ballantyne in 1925. The Photographic Department gained business, added staff, and updated its equipment.104
1920s
Widener Library was already overcrowded. It became necessary to add shelving to the lowest two floors and to various sections throughout the stacks.105
1920
Charles Facey developed the Library Bindery as an expansion of a small repair shop in the basement of Widener. The Bindery gained staff and equipment over the following years. It was overseen by the library’s administration.106
References
95 Bentinck-Smith, “Archibald Cary Coolidge and the Harvard Library, II. Facing the Question as a Whole,” 428-442.
96 See Archibald Cary Coolidge’s and A. Lawrence Lowell’s annual reports of this period (in Reports of the President and Treasurer of Harvard College).
97 Edward W. Forbes, “The Fogg Art Museum,” Reports of the President and Treasurer of Harvard College 1913-1914 (1915): 250.
98 Rose Sherman, “Report of the Librarian,” Radcliffe College Reports of the President and Treasurer for 1913-1914: 115.
99 A. Lawrence Lowell, “The President’s Report,” and Archibald Cary Coolidge, “The Library,” Reports of the President and Treasurer of Harvard College 1915-1916 (1917): 20 and 202; Carpenter, The First 350 Years of the Harvard University Library, 143; Radcliffe College Library, Handbook of the Library (Cambridge: Cosmos Press, 1923), 16-21.
100 Charles L. Grace, “The Photographic Department of the Harvard Library,” Harvard Library Bulletin 4, no. 2 (1950): 278.
101 Rose Sherman, “Report of the Librarian,” Annual Report of Radcliffe College for 1917-1918 (1919): 50.
102 See Rose Sherman’s annual reports of this period (in Annual Report of Radcliffe College).
103 See Archibald Cary Coolidge’s annual reports of this period (in Reports of the President and Treasurer of Harvard College). Regarding layoffs, see Archibald Cary Coolidge, “The Library,” Reports of the President and Treasurer of Harvard College 1919-1920 (1921): 190.
104 Grace, “The Photographic Department of the Harvard Library,” 279-280; William C. Lane, “The Library,” Reports of the President and Treasurer of Harvard College 1920- 1921 (1922): 229.
105 See Archibald Cary Coolidge’s annual reports of this period (in Reports of the President and Treasurer of Harvard College).
106 Mabel F. Barnes, “The Library Bindery,” Harvard Library Notes 25 (June 1935), 60- 63.