ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Seattle ’84

Although academic libraries of the Pacific Northwest are relatively young in comparison to their Eastern counterparts, their remarkable growth and the diversity of their collections reflects the intense interest in books and libraries which has characterized the area since the mid-19th century. When the University of Washington was established in 1861, residents donated 350 volumes to form a base for the first academic collection in the Washington Territory. Samuel Coombs, the first librarian at the University, not only served in that capacity but also as warden of the state penitentiary, postmaster of Seattle, Secretary of the King County Agricultural Society and proud owner of the certificate for producing the best homemade beer in the Territory.

A similar versatility and dogged devotion to progress characterized Coomb’s successors who guided the steady growth of the UW collection from its original 350 books to its current collection of over 4,000,000 volumes. The present University of Washington Libraries system has 17 branch libraries, a Health Sciences Library, the East Asia Library, and an undergraduate library of over

150,0 volumes. Suzzallo Library, the main library for the campus, is an imposing gothic structure constructed in 1926. A modern addition to the building, reminiscent of the original gothic design, was completed in 1963.

The University Libraries hold the largest collection of microforms in any ARL library, and are also proud of the Rare Book Collection, which includes a 19th century American literature collection and works of and about modern fine printing. An exhibit on book arts of the Pacific Northwest will be on view from March 4 through April 12, 1984. The Pacific Northwest Collection with its impressive historical photography collection containing works of artists such as Edward and Asahel Curtis and Imogen Cunningham is also worth visiting.

The variety of Seattle’s education scene is enhanced by its private colleges and universities. Seattle University, founded and operated by the Jesuits, has an enrollment of over 4,600. The A.A. Lemieux Library’s collection of almost 200,000 volumes supports graduate and undergraduate study in many subject areas, most notably business and management, education and religious studies. Seattle Pacific University is an evangelical Christian liberal arts university, founded in 1891 by the Free Methodists. The Weter Memorial Library contains an extensive collection of archival material on these early pioneers. The Cornish Institute, the only accredited independent college of performing and visual arts in the Pacific Northwest, counts among its early faculty members Martha Graham and Mark Tobey. The Poncho Library has a small collection of 7,500 volumes covering dance, design, fine arts, and theater. The Institute’s campus on Capitol Hill is an historic landmark and is situated in one of the most architecturally significant blocks in Seattle.

Satisfying the educational needs of a city as diverse as Seattle requires a commitment to a strong community college system. The system is comprised of three separate colleges, each with its own administration, faculty and distinctive character. The Seattle Central Community College, located near downtown on Capitol Hill, is the oldest and most distinctly urban college in the system. The instructional resource center contains the largest film collection of the system, as well as special collections in music and Braille.

The South Seattle Community College was built in 1969 on a 63-acre site 10 miles southwest of the city center in close proximity to the Boeing Corporation’s plants and the Port of Seattle. The instructional resource center has particularly strong collections of books, periodicals, and media in aviation and heavy duty equipment technology.

North Seattle Community College, the third component of the system, is located in a major shopping and residential area eight miles north of downtown. A micro-computer laboratory will soon be integrated into the services of the college’s instructional resource center, which will make available 15 IBM PC’s and an equal number of Apples for the use of the college community.

As part of the Pacific Northwest’s active bookselling community, many book shops specializing in antiquarian materials can be found throughout the Puget Sound region. In the 15 shops located in downtown Seattle and the 20 more situated in various other districts of the city, a collector can pursue a wide variety of subject specialities. Western Americana, literature on exploration and travel and items relating to native Americans are prevalent. Many book shops complement these regional interests with stocks specializing in illustrated books, art, literary first editions or historical children’s books.

Sales in general books are led by the University Book Store, the largest university book store under a single roof in the United States. Seattle has individual stores highlighting the cinema, computers, architecture, children’s literature, astrology, religion, politics, aviation and travel. One wellknown Seattle shop, Elliott Bay Book Company in Pioneer Square, features an underground restaurant which provides hundreds of books for the lunch time reader.

ACRL Conference attendees who wish to visit any, or all, of Seattle’s academic libraries may inquire at the Hospitality Desk for specific directions and hours of opening. A detailed list of new and antiquarian bookshops will be provided in a brochure on book stores, museums and libraries, available at the Conference.