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Wisconsin's largest library turns 50
Posted 8/21/2003
MADISON-Memorial Library will kick off its celebration of the 50th anniversary of its opening Wednesday, Sept. 17.
In celebration of the anniversary, UW-Madison Libraries Director Kenneth
Frazier wil
l
present a speech called "Remembering Our Past, Envisioning Our Future:
Memorial Library at Fifty," at 4:30 p.m., Sept. 17, in L160 Elvehjem.
The talk, sponsored by the Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries, reflects
on the library's past, present and future.
Memorial Library will celebrate the day by opening its doors to the general public and offering tours to the general public. An exhibit of photos and documents compiled by University Archivist David Null will be on display in Memorial Library's main lobby starting Sept. 8.
A virtual exhibit about the history of the building is at: http://memorial.library.wisc.edu/memorialat50/memorial50th.htm
Construction on the building began in 1950 and was mostly completed
by Feb. 1, 1954, when the library was officially dedicated. At the time,
the library's capacity was 1.5 
million
volumes but held less than half that many. Memorial Library's collection
continued to grow, as did the building itself. In 1974 and 1990, the
building was enlarged through two additions to its present size. During
the initial construction, the library faced several setbacks, including
the collapse of steel girders in 1951 . Nevertheless, the library opened
to patrons Sept. 17, 1953, during New Student Programs and Registration
Week.
Today, the library houses more than 3.4 million volumes. It is Wisconsin's largest library.
