Tour Detail

Blegen Library, once the University's Main Library, was deemed too small in 1963 for the University's growing collection and enrollment. The Main Library's collection moved to Langsam Library in 1978. After this move, the building was renamed Blegen Library and was renovated and reopened in 1983, housing the Archives and Rare Books Library, the College-Conservatory of Music Library, the Classics Library, and the Curriculum Resources Center (now the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, or CECH library in Teacher’s College).

The renovation of the Main Library created a drastically different interior. Previously, there was a large, grand, open entrance hall to the library. Upon renovation, this space was divided into numerous floors to allow for multiple divisions of the building, not just one library. Fortunately, “the beautiful architectural details were preserved and cleaned.” There are statues, chandeliers, carvings, inscriptions, and decorations found inside and outside the building.