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College & Research Libraries News

Ramapo College Dedicates New Library

On November 17, Ramapo College, Mahwah, New Jersey, dedicated its new $4.2 million library, marking the completion of the new state college’s initial building program. Ground was broken for the four-year liberal arts college on November 17, 1970.

The official dedication ceremonies featured remarks by the 1962 Nobel Laureate James Dewey Watson, who received the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his work in unraveling the molecular structure of DNA—the key to cell reproduction. Watson currently serves as director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Edward Hollander, New Jersey chancellor of higher education; Ramapo College President George T. Potter; and Wilson Sterling Dillon, director of symposia and seminary at the Smithsonian Institution, also were among the keynote speakers.

The Ramapo College Library ceremonies spanned four days, November 15-18, and included displays by members of the Ramapo faculty, staff, and students, Special exhibits in the library included “Stage and Screen,” highlighting the artistic achievements of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Sidney Kingsley and his wife, actress Madge Evans, of Mahwah; and “Political Triumphs and Tragedies,” an audiovisual display of major political figures, with actual voice tapes, campaign memorabilia, and the well-known Quackenbush Collection of Historical Sound Recordings of 78rpm discs.

On November 16, Ramapo College hosted an all-day conference on the media for area high school students with Dave Marash, CBS News Coanchorman, as the keynote speaker. Watson gave a public lecture on “Science and Society,” followed by an open house and public tour of the new college Library facilities.

The new Ramapo College Library contains 62,0 square feet and cost $4,200,000. It was designed by Mahony and Zvosec/Kenneth Demay of Princeton and Watertown, Massachusetts. The book collection contains 120,000 volumes, including daily editions of the New York Times since 1851. In addition, the library maintains a large number of slides, films, records, multimedia kits, and a collection of topographic maps of New Jersey and neighboring states. Special facilities for disabled and visually impaired students are also included in the barrier-free building, including a Braille typewriter and large-print books. Open seven days a week, the Ramapo College Library serves the academic, cultural, and intellectual needs of the entire Ramapo community.

Exterior and interior views of new Ramapo College Library.