Olin Library
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Construction
Olin Library opened in 1986, and increased book capacity from around 300,000 to 600,000. Chalmers, which had functioned as the sole Kenyon library prior to Olin's construction, measures 45,000 square feet, so Olin, at 56,000 square feet, more than doubled available space. In conjunction with the construction of Olin, Chalmers Memorial Library underwent renovation to produce one continuous building. Olin Library was built with a $5.5 million grant from the Olin Foundation, its namesake. Situated just north of Rosse Hall, it faces Stephens Hall on Middle Path.
Proposal
On November 3, 1980, Kenyon President Philip Harding Jordan and other college representatives met with the Vice President and Counsel for the Olin Foundation of New York City, Lawrence W. Milas. At this meeting, they discussed the possibility of Olin Library's construction, first proposed in January of the same year. After a positive response from Milas, Kenyon submitted an official proposal to the foundation in the early spring of 1981. On September 21 of 1981, before funds had been secured, preliminary plans for the extended library were released to the college community, and a presentation by President Jordan, Coordinator of Library Planning Professor Owen York, and consulting architect Graham Gund explained the implications of expansion.
On March 23, 1984, Kenyon became the recipient of a $5.5 million dollar grant, both the largest in the Olin Foundation's history, and largest ever to be bestowed on an independent college or university in Ohio by a private foundation. In addition, the grant was, at the time, the largest in Kenyon history. On March 25, President Jordan and Lawrence Milas, now also a president, announced the decision to the student body. Simultaneously, the Olin Foundation also awarded grants to three other colleges for various building projects.
Groundbreaking
Architects selected for the project were Sheply, Bullfinch, Richardson, and Abbott of Boston. In March of 1985, Kenyon awarded the contracts for construction of Olin and renovation of Chalmers to the Albert M. Higley Company of Cleveland. On March 25 construction was begun, and on October 20 of that fall, a groundbreaking ceremony was held during Homecoming Weekend. Of the speakers at the event, Lloyd Tyrell-Kenyon, (aka Lord Kenyon, 5th Baron of Gredington) the great-great grandson of Kenyon's namesake, was most anticipated. He and his wife were guests of honor during their visit from England.
Dedication
Olin's dedication took place in conjunction with the rededication of Chalmers Memorial Library, on the weekend of October 17-18, 1986. On August 12 the Mount Vernon News reported on the upcoming event, stating the building's features to be "a sunny central atrium, a computer center, an audio-visual area with a small auditorium, an art exhibition gallery, seminar and study rooms, and a special collections area." Speakers at the event included President Jordan, Lawrence W. Milas and Dr. Werner L. Gunderheimer, Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.. During his remarks, Gunderheimer commented, "The Olin Library admirably fuses the most innovative aspects of the new technologies with the enduring strengths of a thoughtfully developed book collection, placing both of these in a setting that promotes interaction between them, and between the people who use them." After the ceremony, a luncheon in Upper Dempsey closed the day's events.
Developments
Several notable changes have occured since Olin's construction. On May 8, 1991, the Greenslade Special Collections, named in honor of late Kenyon archivist Thomas Boardman Greenslade '31, was dedicated. In the spring of 1994, the Music Listening room moved to third floor Chalmers. In the fall of 1995, a new security system, comprising 24-hour surveillence video monitors, was installed in the Olin Art Gallery to deter theft of artworks. In 1997, library hours expanded, allowing students access to resources later at night. In 2005, the Music Listening Room and the Audio-Visual Department were combined into the Multimedia Collections unit, and moved to the north side of the second floor of Olin.
Resources in the Kenyon Archives
- Olin Library -- collected materials
