UF Libraries
History Narrative

Precursors: The College Libraries, 1853 - 1905

• 1853 / East Florida Seminary, Ocala / Gainesville established
• 1884 / Florida Agricultural College, Lake City established
• 1893 / St. Petersburg Normal and Industrial School established
• 1894 / South Florida Military and Educational College, Bartow established

Genesis: The University Libraries, 1905 - 1918

• 1905 / University of Florida established from these four colleges
• Main Library established
• Agriculture (Experiment Station) Library continued (established about 1887 at the Florida Agricultural College, Lake City)
• Standing Committee of the Faculty on the Library established
• C.A. Finley, Librarian (1905-06)
• 1906 / W. S. Cawthon, Librarian (1906-08)
• 1907? / Library becomes a Federal Depository Library
• 1908 / Milton B. Hadley, Librarian (1908-18)
• 1909 / Law Library established
• Botanical Library established
• Zoological Library established
• Physics Library established
• 1911-12 / Education (Curriculum) Library established
• 1912-13 / Engineering Library established

First Library and Professional Development, 1918 - 1937

• 1918 / Cora Miltimore, University Librarian (1918-37)
• 1919-20 / Museum (Florida Museum of Natural History) Library established
• 1921-22 / Rev. Rees W. Edwards Memorial Collection for religion and philosophy - First special collection
• 1923 / Chemistry-Pharmacy Library established
• 1923-24 / Assistant librarian positions created
• 1925 / Main Library opened - the university’s first library building
• Architecture Reading Room established / 1957 Branch Library
• 1925-26 / Catalog, Circulation and Reference Departments established
• 1931 / Exchange (Gifts & Exchange) Department established
• New wing added to Main Library for stack space
• 1931-32 / General (Agriculture) Extension Library established
• 1932? / Interlibrary Loan Department established
• 1932-33 / Freshmen library orientation classes begin
• 1933 / Florida Room set up for Florida materials
• 1934-35 / P.K. Yonge Laboratory School (Mead) Library established

Wartime Era, 1937 - 1946

• 1937 / Henrie May Eddie, Acting University Librarian (1937-39)
• Order (Acquisitions) Department established
• Forestry Library established
• Friends of the University of Florida Library established
• 1938 / Book checkout instituted (for reading outside the Library)
• 1940 / Walter Hill, University Librarian (1939-44)
• 1941 / Library becomes a State Depository Library
• Automation begun with the use of IBM sorting equipment and punch cards for book circulation and fines
• 1943 / Documents Department established (with appointment of Documents Librarian / may not have been a separate Department until 1955)
• 1944 / P.K. Yonge Library of Florida History established
• Nelle Barmore, Acting University Librarian (1944-46)
• 1944-45 / Florida Union Library established
• Fulk Administrators’ Library established

Resurgence and Growth, 1946 - 1967

• 1946 / Vivian Prince, Acting University Librarian (1946)
• Stanley West, Director of Libraries (1946-67)
• 1947 / Biology-Geology Library established
• Assistant/Associate Director of Libraries position created
• 1949 / Department of Library Science, College of Arts and Sciences established to teach library courses
• 1950 / Main Library enlarged
• Creative Writing Collection created with donation of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings books and papers
• Audio-Visual Aids Department established
• 1951 / Rare Books Department established
• Archives Department established
• Latin American Collection established (with the appointment of Latin American Bibliographer - separate fund established in 1948 - collection gathered together in one location in 1967)
• 1953 / Belknap Dance and Music Archives / Collection for the Performing Arts established
• Medical Library / Health Sciences Center Library established
• 1954 / Music Reading Room established / 1984 Branch Library
• 1955 / Chinsegut Hill Library established (at Colonel Raymond Robins estate in Brooksville, Florida)
• 1956 / Agriculture Library moved to McCarty Hall, dedicated to H. Harold Hume
• Member, Association of Research Libraries (ARL)
• Member, Association of Southeast Research Libraries (ASERL)
• 1959 / Special Collections Department created
• Photocopier service provided
• 1959? / Herbarium Library established
• 1960s / Journalism Reading Room / Allen H. Neuharth Journalism Library established
• 1960-62 / Microforms added to collection (cards and film, followed by the first microfiche in November 1962)
• 1962 / Machine Services (automated services) program developed and Information Retrieval Center for Florida established
• 1963 / ONE Millionth book acquired
• Libraries become Florida Regional Depository (for federal documents)
• 1966 / Library participates in MARC (Machine Readable Catalog Copy) project
• 1967 / Graduate Research Library opened (Library West)
• Main Library becomes Undergraduate (College) Library (Library East / Smathers Library)
• Open stacks initiated
• GENESYS Library established
• Margaret Goggin, Interim Director (1967-68)

Social and Collection Challenges, 1968 - 1984

• 1968 / Annette Liles, Interim Director (1968)
• Gustave Harrer, Director (1968-84)
• Systems Analyst hired and Automation Proposal report presented
• 1969 / Assistant Director for Systems appointed
• 1970 / Library West (Research Library) and Library East (College Library, formerly the Main Library) names designated
• 1973 / Map Library / Map & Imagery Library established (with appointment of Map Librarian)
• Member, Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET)
• 1973-74 / Access to OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) database
• 1977 / Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica established (dedicated March 1981)
• Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature established
• Classification scheme changed from Dewey to LC
• 1979 / TWO Millionth book acquired
• 1980? / Systems Office (Dept of Systems and Computer Based Operations) established
• 1980-81 / NOTIS program acquired (installed for public use statewide in 1985/86)
• 1984-85 / Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA) established
• Barcoding project initiated along with an automated circulation system
• Max Willocks, Interim Director (1984-85)

Electronic Era, 1985 - 2007

• 1985 / Dale Canelas, Director (1985-present)
• Collection Management program established and Librarians take over acquisition budget from the faculty
• Library Human Resources Office established
• Member, Research Libraries Group (RLG)
• 1986 / LUIS online catalog inaugurated statewide
• Business Services Office established
• 1987 / Marston Science Library opened (combining several science branch libraries, including the Hume Agriculture Library)
• Collection Management Department established
• Preservation Office / Department established
• African Studies Collection established (with appointment of African Studies Bibliographer)
• Fundraising and public relations efforts begun in cooperation with the UF Foundation
• 1987-88 / Card Catalog closed (having been replaced by electronic catalog - LUIS)
• 1988 / Participation in NAL text digitizing project
• 1989 / Library East receives major renovation and renamed Smathers Library
• 1989? / Email accounts established for Library staff
• 1990 / Facilities Management Office established
• 1991 / UF Libraries named in honor of George A. Smathers
• 1993 / THREE Millionth book acquired (ceremonial volume acquired 1991)
• E-journals acquired
• 1997-98 / WebLUIS introduced (Internet based LUIS system)
• 1998 / Library Development Office established
• 2000 / Digital Library established
• PALMM program established
• RefeXpress pilot project (launched 2001)
• GIS Librarian appointed
• Asian Studies Collection established (with appointment of Asian Studies Bibliographer)
• 2001 / E-books acquired
• 2002 / Member, United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN)
• Planning underway for addition to Library West
• 2003 / Exlibris/Aleph library management system (online catalog and electronic resources replacing LUIS) inaugurated
• FOUR Millionth book acquired.
• Library West closes for renovation and expansion in December
• 2004 / Library West closed 2004 - 2005 with most public services shifted to the Marston Science Library
• 2005 / Map & Imagery Library celebrates acquisition of 500,000th map
• 2006 / Library West reopens in August
• Institutional Repository established at the Digital Library Center in July
• Carl Van Ness, UF Archivist, appointed UF Historian replacing Dr. Sam Proctor (the first UF Historian)
• 2007 / Library West dedication ceremony in January
• Dale Canelas, Library Director, retires in January
• Judith C. Russell, Dean of University Libraries, starts in May
• Documents Department celebrates 100 years as a federal depository in August
• Digital Library Center celebrates ONE Millionth digitized page in September

History by Vernon N. Kisling, Jr.