Southeast Missouri State University - Sagamore Yearbook (Cape Girardeau, MO)

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Dr. Felix Eugene nider The 1969 Sagamore is gratefully dedicated to Dr. Felix Eugene Snider, a man fully aware of his responsibilities and obligations, who has pledged himself through his profession to the service of man- kind and has become one of the out-standing librarians of Missouri. Dr. Snider is a native of Fremont, Missouri. As a student at State Teachers College, he worked under Miss Sadie Kent from 1928-1930 and as a full-time assistant from 1930-191141. He served as librarian at East Carolina Teachers College in Greenville, North Carolina, for two years, but returned to Cape Girardeau in 1943 as director of Kent Library. He has remained here, except for brief leaves of absence for graduate study while he earned his doctorate at the University of Illinois, since that time. Dr. Snider has directed the library during the period of the college's greatest growth and, of course, has been vitally involved with the plans for the rebuilding of Kent Library. .. if 1 at . ,aa .1 .- 1- . The original 'glibraryl' of the Third Dis trict Normal School consisted of a few vol umes of reference material housed in tht principal7s oflice in old Academic Hall. li 1905 Robert Sydney Douglass, history pro 't:gs..s...saXe2wsges. . . . fessor, was named librarian and the llbrari - h ' h Ed - X was set up in w at is now t e ucatiol saws Building. ln 1906 when the present Ac ademic Hall was completed, the library, con sisting of several thousand books, moved intr sw . the east wing. ln 1910 Professor Douglas: KE We chose to devote full time to teaching ant f D Miss Sadie Trezevant Kent became full-timt librarian. The Textbook Service started fur nishing books to students in 1916, the sam: year the Government Depository privilegt was taken over from St. Vincent's College ln 1924 a Childrenls Library and Conferenct Boom were set up in the area now housing Data Processing. These areas of Academi: Hall continued in use until the fall of 1935 when Professor H. O. Grauel inauguratef the move to the original Kent Library bj carrying a copy of the Bible into the build mg. This building, jointly financed by state appropriation and the Public Works Admini stration, provided about 23,000 square fee and cost 3250,000 exclusive of movablt equipment. Jamison Sz Spearl, architects 0' St. Louis, designed the building based or plans devised by Miss Kent in a building seminar while a student at Columbia Uni! versity. Construction was by the McCarthy Company of the same city. ,Fist asv' .. The exterior was Ste. Genevieve limestom with Bedford trim. ln addition to the stacks it contained on the first floor a Little Theatre Museum, Children's Library, two seminai rooms and a small shipping-receiving room The second level had the Main Reading Room, Browsing Room, Periodical Room Library Ollice, and Workroom. The building was designed for a student body of 1000 Dr. Snider, aware of the need for more library room, anticipates the com- pleted expansion of Kent Library.

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4'All that mankind has done, thought, gained or been: it is lying as in magic preservation in the pages of booksf' Thomas Carlyle DEDI TIO

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Total capacity was about 150,000 volumes md 350 readers. Before the present build- ng was completed the enrollment approxi- nated 6500 plus the space requirements of a lew service in 1948-the Audiovisual Center. During construction in July 1938, the Eioard of Regents voted to name the building llent Library Min recognition of long, faith- ul, and efficient service on the part of Miss Sadie T. Kentf' The action was rescinded lpon learning that PWA regulations forbade iaming a building after a living person. In .943, when PWA had become inactive, the 'ioard repeated its action stating, the Presi- lent of the College be, and he hereby is. lirected to cause to be cut in the stone slab 'eserved for the name of the building, the vords 4'Kent Libraryf, The same year Felix Eugene Snider be- :ame Head Librarian, Miss Kent assuming Llimited servicew status which continued un- il her death in 1951. Consideration of larger library facilities megan in the late 1950's, and in 1960 a re- guest for funds to construct a library addi- ion went to the Legislature with no success. n 1963 most state colleges received allot- nents for library additions, but Southeast State was not included. ln 1965, with the ap- yrioval of the new Missouri Commission on ligher Education, the college requested and 'eceived an appropriation of 552,164,000 for he purpose, which was augmented by a 2151,- l00,000 grant from Federal funds. Educa- ional specifications were drawn up, Pearce Lnd Pearce, lnc.. of St. Louis were chosen to lesign the structure, and the general con- .ract was awarded to McCarthy Company of it. Louis, the same firm that erected the ,riginal Kent Library. The new facility consists of four levels vith a total of 140,000 square feet. When 'ully equipped, it will suffice for 350,000 folumes and 2200 readers-making it one of he largest library plants in Missouri. There ire 58 private studies for faculty use, over 500 individual study carrels for students, an lrray of conference and seminar rooms of farious sizes. and reader spaces with tables md chairs scattered throughout the building. The first level houses Textbook Service, Xudiovisual and Educational Media Center, and lnstructional Materials. The second level las the Circulation and Reserve Desks, Ref- erence-Documents Department, Periodicals Service, Technical Services Area, Little Thea- re, Rare Book Room, library offices, and re- :eiving-shipping facility. The third level ac- :ommodates the Browsing Area, documents torage, Library Science Department, the lit- erature and history collections, and eventu- ally a Graduate Room. The top level has he major collection of books from 000's hru 700's. M74-W 4 .... -v , e 'i'2 t' - - ' t.. The original Kent Library l939 1 lfigffffi, QQ, g,1-.- K? f ,, A gf . , .-.. was xt - iifxixkkvpxx i 1 gi'S..-szzwfrdp K g xg Q L 'QQ ...,. ,.., . gigs , . ,SMS ri f after undergoing months of construction . . X E45 J 1 X N ' .1 1 ' - ,.-ails, J, . Lgiyf xq :A 4. 3-v' -Aditi, . .1 emerged as Kent Library 1968.