This information was previously prepared in 2016 by Archives & Special Collections student research assistant Jonathan Homrighausen with the research of Nadia Nasr.

Every book tells a story: a story about who bought it, when they bought it, why they bought it, and how they used it. In books held by the Santa Clara University Library, some of that history can be discerned from the various stamps, perforations, and writing placed inside a book. These markings are in the front cover, inside back cover, title page, and copyright page of books. Other information can sometimes be found on the gutter of the copyright page, where the acquisition date and source is sometimes written in pencil. This blog post surveys some data that can help piece together the story of a book’s provenance at SCU, and provides exercises for students on how to use this information. I organize this data by crucial dates.

1777: In order to “read” the history of any given book, we must first learn something of the history of libraries at Santa Clara University. The history of the university library extends back to 1777, when Mission Santa Clara was founded. Over the ensuing decades the Franciscan fathers who ran the mission created their own library, including both books brought from elsewhere and books created by and for Mission Santa Clara. The Mission Library is now in Archives & Special Collections.

1851: The land is given to the Society of Jesus, who found Santa Clara College under the presidency of Fr. John Nobili. The property came with the Mission Library of about 250 books.¹ By 1855, the college boasted of already having 10,000 volumes.² The history of the library in its earliest days is sketchy. The earliest available reference, from 1877, states:

There are nine sectional or branch libraries, located in the various departments and selected severally with a special view to the particular wants of the Professors, the Normal School, the Science room, the Philalethics, the Philhistorians,³ the Sodalities, the Congregation, the Dramatic and the Musical Society. The principal Library of the College, though containing not more than twelve thousand volumes, possesses one of the choicest collections of books in the State.⁴

1877–78 College Catalog, p. 16–17.

The catalog also contains a drawing of the main library, shown below.

From a map in the 1888–1889 catalog we can see that it is in the southernmost section of what is now Adobe Lodge. A photo of it first appears in the 1895–1896 catalog.

Another key library at this time was the Fathers’ Library, housed in the Fathers’ Residence, also known as the Faculty Residence or the Teachers’ Residence.⁷

This building, on the site of what is now St. Joseph’s, predated the college but burned down in 1909. Several books in SCU Special Collections still contain the stamp of the Santa Clara College Fathers’ Library.

1912: Santa Clara College became Santa Clara University. That year, Bergin Hall was also built to replace the Fathers’ Residence. (Bergin Hall was also called the Faculty Building, and is now known as St. Joseph’s Hall, housing the English Department.) According to the 1914–15 College Catalog, the “Faculty Building” housed “the Library of the University.”⁹ The descriptions of other buildings in that year’s catalog do not mention any other libraries, even in buildings which used to house libraries, such as the Science Building. This suggests that some or all of the earlier nine libraries were consolidated in the new Faculty Building / Bergin Hall.

However, during the time until the Varsi Library was opened in 1931, the university’s libraries continued to change. By 1925, there were three libraries:

Pending the completion of the new Library the University libraries are arranged on a departmental basis. The Fathers’ Library, in Bergin Hall, is devoted mainly to classical, literary, philosophical and ascetical subjects, and includes many rare volumes [the Mission Library?]. The Students’ Library, on the second floor of the Refectory, is devoted to reference and general subjects. The Law Library, also on the second floor of the Refectory, contains a selected collection of books on general and California law.¹⁰

1925–26 Catalog, p. 13

These three libraries contained around 50,000 books in total. The 1925–26 University Catalog also describes the planned construction of a new library with room for 150,000 volumes:

An added unique feature will be a whole floor devoted to the many rare books possessed by the University dealing not only with literature, divinity, and science, but also with the earlier history of California, and which have been treasured from Mission days; also for the many interesting relics of the early Mission.¹¹

1925–26 Catalog, p. 12.

At this point, the Fathers of the College seem to have realized that certain books must be kept separate for their historical value and rarity. In other words, this seems to be the beginning of what would become Special Collections.

Of course, in 1926 the Mission Church burned down and the university turned its energy to that urgent problem. By the time the 1926–1927 catalog was written, the construction had been delayed due to lack of funds. This catalog also noted that the Law Library had moved to O’Connor due to “the recent fire,” which must have destroyed part of the Refectory where the Law Library and the Students’ Library had been. It does not mention a Students’ Library at all, but it does mention various departmental libraries for each branch of the university.¹² What seems to have happened is that the Students’ Library was disbanded, its contents distributed to various departmental libraries for lack of space.

1931: The new Varsi Library, now Varsi Hall, was completed.

At this point all of the libraries on campus seem to have been consolidated. The 1930–1931 catalog mentions that the Law Library occupied the second floor of Varsi.¹⁴ However, there is no mention of a separate room for rare books in this catalog, suggesting that perhaps that idea did not come to fruition.

1938: Bergin Hall, the new law school building, was completed, housing the new Edwin A. Heafey Law Library. Expanded in 1972 and 1988, this was the location of the law library until the new Charney Hall was opened in 2018.

1964: The new Michel Orradre Library opens its doors.

Two years later, in September 1966, many of the biology, chemistry, and physics books were transferred out of Orradre and into the Science Library in the Daly Science Center.¹⁷ These books were likely consolidated back into the general collection in 1996.

2008: The Harrington Learning Commons/Orradre Library completed, including the Automated Retrieval System (ARS).

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References

¹ Gerald McKevitt, The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977 (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1979), 26.

² Ibid., 47.

³ The Philalethic Senate and the House of Philhistorians were two long-lived debate societies in the early days of the college and university.

⁴ 1877–78 College Catalog, p. 16–17.

⁵ SCU Digital Collections, https://content.scu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/college/id/111/rec/64.

⁶ SCU Digital Collections, photo of Workspace in Library Stacks. See also photo of Library Stacks and photo of Reading Perch and Workspace in Library

⁷ 1888–89 Catalog, p.18.

⁸ SCU Digital Collections, photo of Fathers’ Library. The creator of this photo mislabeled it as a photo of the Fathers’ Library; however, if given that this photo was taken in 1911 and the Fathers’ Library burned down in 1909, this is impossible. Figure 2 above may be a room off the side of this main library room. Note the Mission Santa Clara choir book open on the table at center. See also, photo of Main Library.

⁹ 1914–15 Catalog, p. 22; emphasis added.

¹⁰ 1925–26 Catalog, p. 13.

¹¹ 1925–26 Catalog, p. 12.

¹² 1926–27 Catalog, p. 12–13.

¹³ SCU Digital Collections, photo of Study Tables in Varsi Library.

¹⁴ 1930–31 Catalog, p. 12.

¹⁵ SCU Digital Collections, photo of Law Library.

¹⁶ SCU Digital Collections, photo of Orradre Library Main Stacks.

¹⁷ 1974–75 Catalog, p. 21.

Header image and stamp images created by Kelci Baughman McDowell. Editing of references and hyperlinks by Timothy Troglia. Original report adapted to blog post format by Ellie Rabenberg.