West Chester University - Serpentine Yearbook (West Chester, PA)

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A few rabbit hops from tfie New Education Building, halfway between Main Dorm and Wayne hiall, there stands a living institution, our Library, it is living because it is vital, always changing and growing, always serving. Knowing that a college without a library would be like a workman without his tools, our college has always concerned itself with the development of the best library possible. In 1871 when the West Chester Normal School opened, our Library had its beginning with the library of the Chester County Cabinet of Natural Science. This nucleus of eight hundred volumes of early nineteenth century books, which Miss Sauer recently catalogued, still remains in our Library as a separate group known as The Chester County Col- lection. hHowever, it is a collection of more interest than utility, for many of its volumes ore written in Latin, German, or French. Besides these works, our Library by 1873 proudly possessed two reading rooms, now the y Room in Main Dorm. From year to year our Library grew through appropriations of the Board of Trustees, through proceeds of the Lecture Courses, through gifts from interested individuals of the community, and through gifts — now indicated only by book plates — from the Aryan and the Moore Literary Societies, until its space in Main Dorm could no longer house it. Then in 1902 the college providad for the erection of a library building, a Serpentine structure of Greek architecture with marble columns and sky-lighted galleries. The moving of the library into its new building saw the beginn- ing of a new era in its social, cultural, and intellectual influence. In addition to books, the Library contained a museum housing the Darlington heroarium (a remarkable collection of dried plants now shelved in the New Education Building), a picture gallery whose contents are now in various places about the college, and many THE OLD rr T -aR iM possessions of the Chester County FHistorical Society including a George Washington buggy . Strange as it may seem today, the Library used to be the scene of an important social event- Every year until the Philips Memorial Building was ready for use, there was a reception in honor of the seniors on George Washington ' s birthday. The colonial costumes which the dancers of the minuet wore on that annual event are still in our property closet. Furthermore, incongruous as it seems now, a cafeteria once existed in the basement along with a manual training shop. FHowever, the Library proper grew until it crowded out oil other collections and until its size demanded a bigger house . Then in 1938, the college— through a P.W.A. Project — was able to evacuate the building and begin the supervision of remodeling, renovating, and refurnishing it. Familiar is the story of what has happened since tnen: of the crowded and poorly lighted ' temporary library in Recreation FHall, of the long and longingly awaited return to the new building, and of the homecoming inSeptember, 1941, to spacious and pleasant surroundings. Today our Library, with its thirty-five thousand books, its pamphlets and pictures, textbooks and courses of study, reference books, magazines, newspapers, and various indexes serves more efficiently than ever before. Students and faculty members of our collage are not the only people who profit from its services. In-service teachers often find helpful information, and citizens of West Chester frequently seek answers to reference problems here. Student teachers are tha Library ' s most solicitous patrons, and the Demonstroti Dn School pupils ore the most enthusiastic. For the present status arid organization of our collection of books , immeasurable amounts of credit and com- mendation are due our librarians: Miss Russell, Miss Sauer, and Miss Collicott. THE NEW © eHsojo

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We are seldom awara of the behind the scenes work done by the Maintenance Department, and perhaps this is as it should be. So long as affairs are going smoothly, they do not reach our notice; if they were being handled inefficiently, they would bother us. While Mr. Reilly is on leave of absence to serve in the army, Mr. Freel is in complete charge of the department. He supervises the purchase of food supplies, the care of buildings, all construction work, the laundry service, the power house, the college transportation problems, and everything else necessary to the proper functioning of the living arrange- ments here at West Chester. MR. FREEL Head Steward In and around the Maintenance Department offices, there is on army of workers. Some employees ore under the direction of Miss Dissinger, the Matron,- she sees that the dusting, cleaning, repairs, and replacements are carried on A ' ith despatch. Miss Wilson, the Dietitian, has another group of workers under her charge; these ore the cooks, the dishwashers and the helpers of various kinds, Miiss Kelly, Mr. Freel s secretary, attends to the office work incident to a vast project of this type. Miss Kelly Miss Maiy Wilscn MR. REILLY Superintendent oF Grounds and Buildings Miss Dissinger e{29}5

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(1) Arlene Seaman blowing as hard as she can while Mabel Ridge measures the results; (2) A hiealth Education student inspector Rnds out Janet Brat- sing ' s height; (3) We think that ' s Harry Johnstone at the X-ray machine, while Don Kirk awaits his turn to be examined. Last year there were the unsual rather cursory health exams, but we knew something was stirring In the Infirmary because of the Issuance of health bulletins and the Installa- tion of the health proctor system In the dormitories. This yeor they started right In on us with an exam that was an exam! Then they kept it up with a new lights-out regulation and the X-roy pictures. The climax a os a clever contest, under the supervision of the health eds, to make us posture- conscious. You d never think that the Normal School ' s Infirmary, bock there from the founding to 1893, was what Is now the Diet Kitchen of Main Dorm — but that ' s the truth. It was in 1892 that the principal reported the building of a school infirmary at a considerable distance from the school to prevent the possible spread of contagion. According to the catalog of 1893, It is believed that this is the first school of its class to take this important step. Of course there have been some changes in the building since then, and there have been changes in personnel even since the time the present senior class members were freshmen. Dr. Scattergood was physician during our first two years, and Miss Dries and Miss Glance were the nurses. Then during our second year, Mrs. Bonsall came in the place of Miss DrIes; last year Miss Weaver replaced Miss Glance. This year Mrs. Bonsall and Mrs. Mock are the two nurses. Dr. Pleasants came to us last year for the first time as a medical doctor, although he was well known to us previously through his writing and his work as a community representative on the All-Star Course Com- mittee. He has become a familiar figure on campus and at college events. The Infirmary has achieved a position of honor on campus under his direction. The competent staFf of the Student Health Service: Mrs. Verna Bonsall, Dr. Henry Pleasants, Jr., and Mrs. Sarah Mock. ©|33 c?