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University Archives
University of California, Davis Library Timeline
by John Skarstad
- 1908
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- Library is established in one room of the Creamery Building.
- 1913
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- Margaret Mayberry becomes Librarian.
- 1915
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- Classroom Building completed. Library occupies two rooms.
- 1916
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- Agnes Elizabeth Brown becomes Librarian.
- 1922
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- Dorothy Deming becomes Librarian.
- 1924
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- Library holds 1,840 volumes.
- Nelle U. Branch becomes Librarian.
- 1925
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- Formal arrangement for the ordering of books on approval is established.
- Periodicals room is opened.
- Reserve book system is set up.
- 1926
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- Library cataloging changes from Dewey to Library of Congress call numbers.
- 1938
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- Classroom Building condemned. Library occupies five rooms. Students form human chain to move the collection to temporary quarters in the recreation building behind West Hall.
- 1940
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- New library/administration building is completed (current north wing).
- 1943
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- U.S. Army Signal Corps takes over the campus.
- 1948
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- First commencement ceremonies on the Davis campus held in the Library courtyard (Sunken Garden).
- 1950
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- Veterinary holdings transferred from UC Berkeley to Davis.
- 1951
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- J. Richard Blanchard becomes Librarian.
- Microforms are made available.
- Agricultural Economics Library is established.
- 1955
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- New stack addition built.
- 1956
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- Veterinary Medicine Library is made a branch of the library system.
- 1957
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- Library course in bibliographic research offered.
- Food Technology holdings are transferred from UC Berkeley to Davis.
- 1958
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- C.K. Ogden Library is purchased: Davis' share includes a second folio of Shakespeare.
- Air conditioning is installed in the main library.
- 1959
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- F. Hal Higgins Library of Agricultural Technology is acquired.
- 1961
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- 200,000th book — Lowie's Selected Papers in Anthropology by DuBois — is acquired.
- 1964
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- Library's east wing is added.
- Government Documents Department is established.
- 1965
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- Rare books are transferred from Loan Desk to Reference Department.
- Library Associates formed.
- 1966
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- 400,000th book — Principia Philosophiae by Descartes — is acquired.
- University Archives is established.
- Veterinary Medicine Library becomes Health Sciences Library with founding of School of Medicine.
- Special Collections Department (rare books, archives, and the Higgins collection) is created.
- Serials Department is formed.
- Collection Development Department is established.
- 1967
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- Library's south wing is added.
- 500,000th book — Illustrations to the Bible by William Blake — is acquired.
- 1969
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- Library becomes a member of the Association of Research Libraries.
- 1970
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- 750,000th book — Compendius Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster — is acquired.
- Medical Center Library is established at UC Davis Medical Center.
- 1971
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- New Physical Sciences Library built.
- 1972
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- University Library named for Judge Peter J. Shields.
- Remote Searching of Medline database is operational in Health Sciences Library.
- 1973
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- Library begins formal participation in the Mountain Valley Library System.
- Library's first oral history is completed by Ben Madson.
- 1974
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- 1,000,000th book — Emil Mrak's oral history — is acquired.
- 1974
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- Bernard Kreissman becomes University Librarian.
- 1975
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- Library holds 1.2 million volumes.
- 1976
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- Automated circulation system is installed.
- Library holds 1.4 million volumes.
- 1977
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- University of California Library Plan is presented.
- New Health Sciences Library is opened.
- Automated cataloging of new materials begins.
- 1978
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- Library holds 1.5 million volumes.
- 1979
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- Biological/Agricultural Sciences Reference Department is established.
- Acquisition of Gary Snyder's papers begins.
- 1980
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- UC Davis becomes a member of the Research Libraries Group.
- 1981
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- Michael and Margaret B. Harrison Western Research Center becomes part of the University Library.
- Conservation and Preservation Department created.
- 1983
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- MELVYL, the on-line catalog, is made available for public use.
- 1984
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- Northern Regional Library Facility opens.
- William F. McCoy becomes acting University Librarian.
- Health Sciences Library is named for Loren D. Carlson.
- 1985
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- Marilyn J. Sharrow becomes University Librarian.
- 1986
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- 2,000,000th book — L'agriculture et maison rustique by Charles Estienne — is acquired.
- 1987
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- Endowment creates the Margaret B. Harrison Preservation Department.
- 1988
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- Ground-breaking ceremonies are held for west wing of Peter J. Shields Library.
- Automated acquisitions system is installed.
- 1990
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- Library's west wing opens. Gary Snyder gives keynote address.
- 1992
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- Shields Library Renovation completed.
- 1993
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- E-mail accounts established for all staff.
- 1994
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- The Special Collections reading room named for J. Richard and Christine H. Blanchard.
- 1996
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- Cadet Hand Library at Bodega Marine Laboratory opens.
- Gary Snyder gives the inaugural reading of Mountains and Rivers without End in the Shields Library courtyard.
- The A.W. Noling Hurty-Peck Collection of Beverage Literature acquired.
- 1997
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- The Christine H. Blanchard Rudyard Kipling Collection acquired.
- 1999
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- Library Instruction Lab built for hands-on teaching of electronic catalog and databases.
- 2006
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- The Michael and Margaret B. Harrison Western Research Center moved to Shields Library.