History (most recent first)

Library Named for President Walter M. Bortz III
Mr. Tom Allen, Chair of the Hampden-Sydney College Board of Trustees, announced on Commencement Sunday, May 10, 2009, the naming of the Library in honor of President Bortz.

Planisphere Installed in Library Cupola
The long-awaited final touch has been added to the new Hampden-Sydney College Library.  On January 15, 2009, the planisphere was installed in the interior of the cupola.  The cupola rises above the roof of the Library just outside the entrance to the Rare Book Room on the fourth floor.  A planisphere celeste is a map of half or more of the sphere of the heavens that indicates what is visible at a specific time and location.

The Library planisphere is based on an 18th Century drawing of the night sky in 1775 adjusted to show the position of the constellations at 9 PM on November 10, 1775, the first day of classes at Hampden-Sydney College.  Working from this historical document, muralist Elaine Tucker Haviland created a dazzling work of art.

Haviland has worked at the Virginia Governor's Mansion and the Landmark Theatre in Richmond and has been a featured expert on Bob Vila's Home Again.


The planisphere, painted on linen, is laid out ready for trimming and installation.


The installation forty feet above the floor.


Details form the planisphere.
    

A Celebration of Extraordinary Maps
THE HENRY & KAYE SPALDING MAP COLLECTION
ANOTHER EVENT IN THE YEARLONG CELEBRATION OF THE OPENING OF THE NEW HAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGE LIBRARY, 2007-2008
March 20, 2008, Library Rotunda, 4th floor
11:30 am:
GLOBES AND MAN
Katie Register, Antique Globe Collector
Kim Soerenson, International Expert on Antique Globes

4:00 pm:
COLLECTORS ON COLLECTING
Darby G. Hand '77, Map Collecting Over Two Generations
Sharon I. Goad, H-SC Library Director, Antique Embroidered Maps and School-Girl Geography
Refreshments Available

7:30 pm:
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HENRY & KAYE SPALDING MAP COLLECTION Henry C. Spalding, Jr. '60, Map Collector
Marianne M. McKee, Map Specialist, Library of Virginia, Co-author of Virginia in Maps Refreshments Available

Pages From Our Book
Honoring Authors from the Hampden-Sydney College Community
AN EVENT IN THE YEARLONG CELEBRATION OF THE OPENING OF THE COLLEGE’S NEW LIBRARY
February 12, 2008, Library Rotunda, 4th Floor
11:30 am Hampden-Sydney young authors Neal Adelman ’02 and Ross Garrison ’07 read from their works.
4:30 pm Hampden-Sydney author H. William “Bill” Hoffman ’49 reads from his most recent manuscript and sign his books (Lies, Yancey’s War, Furors Die, and Wild Thorn).
Full Story...

Library ground-breaking November 4, 2005 -- opened August 13, 2007

A Symbol of Progress
On Thursday, August 23, students, faculty, and staff participated in a symbolic move of books from Eggleston Library to the new College Library. Around 500 people moved over 1000 of the 8000 reference books across the Via Sacra to their new location. Each participant put his or her name on bookplates in one or two books as a recognition of their participation. Full Story...

• Several photo galleries during the construction

Hampden-Sydney College Library opened on August 13, 2007, a little less than two years after the ground-breaking.

Library Reaches Half-Way Point
The cupola was hoisted to the top of the new library on June 19 marking the half-way point in construction.
The building will be completed in May 2007; the books will be moved over the summer, and the completed facility open to students when classes begin in August 2007. Full Story...

New Library Shows the Steel
When asked about the progress of the new library, Dr. Sharon Goad, Director, responded, "The steel structure should be up by the end of March. While that is occurring, planning of the interior details is ongoing." Dr. Goad, meets often with Joyce Smith, CID, the interior designer for the project. Full Story...

New Library Dedication and Ceremonial Ground-Breaking November 4, 2005

Ceremonial ground-breaking on behalf of -- the Students, Architects & Builders, Library Staff, Faculty, Trustees, and Alumni Full Story...