For 50 years, several generations of students have walked through the doors of the Ashland University library. Towering over the city, the building remains rich in history, knowledge and community.

Before the current institution opened in January of 1972, The library was previously located in the Miller and Patterson buildings.

Library Director, Scott Savage expressed that due to student body growth and the increasing number of materials, a larger space would be necessary.

“They just kept running out of room,” Savage said. “When they built this one, they planned for it to be the last one…employees moved about 200,000 books over the course of a week.”

As the needs of students and faculty changed over time, the library has also evolved in resources, education and technology. The active learning lab is one of the most recent developments .

“It [the active learning lab] gives us an opportunity to do hybrid instruction,” Curriculum Librarian, Diane Shrecker said. “We’re doing group work in-person, and we’re on Zoom at the same time working with students at our other centers.”

Savage said that with generous donations from the Archer family, the library hopes to expand on this technology in the future to provide more student enrichment. The building has been renamed the Archer Library due to their benefaction.

The donations will also contribute to various restorations to preserve the library. This includes refurbishing older areas in need of attention and building new workspaces.

“The Archers have contributed a lot to the library and have set up a challenge fund that’s going to allow us to do a renovation project,” Savage said. “We’ll be looking in that project almost exclusively for how we can provide more spaces for students to do creative work.”

As the library continues to serve the community and progress, its committed employees reflect on the many memories and relationships they have made.

Acquisitions Librarian, Sarah Thomas is passionate about encouraging students to reach their full potential and helping them succeed.

“Knowing that I’ve helped individuals and that I have touched them has made such an impact on my life,” Thomas said. “There are students who think they can’t do it, but a couple years later, I see them walk across the graduation stage…we really do care about our students.”

Head of Circulation and Reserves, Judi Humphrey said her favorite part of working in the library is all the student employees she has worked with throughout the years.

“Even after graduating, they still reach out to me every now and then,” Humphrey said. “I’ve been here 35 years so there’s quite a few of them.”

Reference and Curator Librarian, Jessica Byers expressed her love for working with correctional education students. The staff assists them with their research needs and have even inspired a student to pursue a career as a librarian.

“It is not only wonderful to see that you’ve been making a change in their coursework, but to have them say they appreciate what I do and express an interest in it is really affirming,” Byers said. She added that impacting students on the individual level is one of the most rewarding parts of her job.

Students visit the library to fulfill a variety of academic needs such as finding research materials, scholarly journals, online access or just a focused place to study.

Allie Fussner, an Ashland University senior and middle grades education major, indicated that the library resources and support services have been a valuable asset to her education.

“The library contains a wide variety of texts that are useful when completing research projects, papers and many other assignments,” Fussner said. “It has many computers and printers that students can use to complete class work, and the staff is always willing to help you find anything.”

Fussner described the library as the quietest place on campus to finish school work and she enjoys using the private rooms to attend Zoom sessions or collaborate with classmates on projects.

“I think the university has done really well taking care of this beautiful building as it ages,” Fussner said. “I hope it continues to thrive after I graduate so it can be here for the next generation of students.”

The library invites the campus community to participate in the 50th anniversary celebration through upcoming activities.

Byers hinted at plans for a trivia raffle. The game will ask questions about the library’s history and winners will receive prizes such as Amazon Fires and Ashland University merchandise. More details and dates regarding the event are to be determined.

With new renovations, increasing resources and growing relationships with the student body, Savage is enthusiastic about the library’s future. He conveyed that during its 50 years of service, the library has continued to ecompasses the Ashland University Motto, “Accent on the Individual.”

“I think that is the library’s signature difference on campus, we really are about individuality,” Savage said. “I know it’s true for instructors, but for us, it’s what we actually do day in and day out.”