 The building that serves as the library on the campus of Lincoln
Christian College and Seminary was gutted and renovated into a
state-of-the-art facility this summer.
Lowery, the dean of the seminary, called his presentation "The
Unquiet History of the Jessie C. Eury Library." He remarked that
every library has an unquiet history. His seemingly peculiar choice
of words to describe a library became very appropriate as he
discussed the power that libraries hold.
In the last months, the library has been anything but a quiet
place. Hammering, noisy drills, loud voices and the shuffling of
books have been the noises a bystander could hear from the Jessie C.
Eury Library.
However, this is not the kind of unquiet he was discussing. What
he was referring to is a restlessness, an uneasiness that a library
can bring about in a person. Lowery said he has a great love for
libraries and learning and has spent thousands of hours in a
library. He noted that most unsettling moments happen in a library,
with words spoken, written, heard and visualized. Change has
occurred, whether comforting or challenging, in libraries.
Furthermore, he explained, libraries are a threat, and people who
want to control other people destroy libraries because they
liberate. After we enter libraries, our thoughts and actions won't
be the same. This is why libraries are linked with noise, the
shouting of lives changed and nations reborn.
Lowery notes that he is a better person and servant because of
the library. It is a place where revolutions start. Lowery said he
hopes the 21st-century Lincoln Christian College alumni are anything
but quiet.
Currently the library hosts over 140,000 items, plus a large
array of online resources, providing an endless amount of
information to its patrons. The students can sit in one of 67 comfy
chairs new to the library.
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The library is now acoustically improved, has wireless Internet
access and is well-lit, with a sunroom peering out to the campus.
The library is a better environment that is conducive to studying
and doing research.
"Librarians are great fans of libraries," noted Dr. Keith Ray,
president of the college and seminary, referencing the attendance of
Lincoln Public Library staff. Many people from the community came to
the event.
Thanks were extended to those who made the renovations possible.
A generous estate gift from Jessie C. Eury, who was head librarian
from 1944 to 1980, and a grant from the Woods Foundation supplied
the resources needed for this project. Woods Foundation Chairman
Bill Bates attended, showing his support. Thanks were also given to
Webster Construction for completing the project.
Many thanks were given to the head librarian, Nancy Olson, for
enduring this long process and casting a vision that made this all
possible. She hopes that the library gives a warm feeling to
students and makes them want to stay there all day!
The event was followed by refreshments and an open house at the
Timothy Center, another renovated building on the campus of Lincoln
Christian College and Seminary.
[Jenna
Gleason]
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