Library staff hosted an afternoon celebration with ice cream and a display of photos, floor plans, and blue prints. Surplus books, library t-shirts and some of the original library chairs.

June 30, 1971 – the day that the new library opened – was an historic day on the Eastern Mennonite College campus. The building was completed only with the help of a last-minute during which students raised the final $111,000 needed to secure a matching grant. Construction began through the 1970-71 school year. Faculty, staff, students, and community members helped to move each book from the Administration Building.

Enjoy a few photos from the EMU Archives capturing the campus’s second librarian Margaret Shenk, President Myron Augsburger, the big book move, and historical records. For more detail, check out a library timeline we published during our Centennial celebration in 2017.