The Main Library celebrated its 100-year anniversary at the “Century of Scholarship” event Friday, unveiling a time capsule from 1924 and showcasing 1920s-themed performances in its reading room.
The celebration included speeches from Vice Chancellor for Advancement Barry Benson and Dean of Libraries and University Librarian Claire Stewart. The library’s reading room was officially dedicated to Steve and Megan Shebik, alumni whose donations to the library will fund upcoming improvements.
Outside the reading room, attendees visited various exhibits, including a display showcasing a recently opened time capsule from 1924.
Joanne Kaczmarek, a University archivist, was involved in the discovery of the time capsule. She said the capsule was a box hidden in the cornerstone, a cement block at the northeast corner of the building.
It was placed in the cornerstone, likely by campus facilities employees, when the building was constructed. Inside the capsule lived the president’s report, a yearbook, materials from historical research, newspaper articles and other records of the University’s functions at the time.
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Jennifer Hain Teper, head of the preservation unit at the library, helped open the capsule. Upon opening the box, the team found that humidity and condensation had damaged the contents during its century of storage, according to Hain Teper.
Consequently, the display shows duplicates or photos of the capsule’s contents, sourced by the University Archives.
“The purpose of a time capsule is to give the future an inside view of what the past was so that we can learn from our mistakes and not become complacent,” Kaczmarek said.
The event was much like an opened time capsule, with dancers dressed in flapper attire, vintage cars sitting outside the east entrance and 1920s-era live music echoing throughout the reading room.
During her speech, Stewart reflected on the history of the library and looked toward its future.
“It’s core to our mission, to equip our students, our faculty and our staff to go out into the world and make it a better place,” Stewart said. “We are so honored and so thankful to be here, 100 years after this building was built, to continue that work.”
