Juxtapositions

Then and Now

Much has changed in Parks Library in the past hundred years, but many things have stayed the same. On this page you can view historic photos of the library building compared with modern-day views of the same locations. Simply move the slider on each image to the left and right to compare.

The tiers (stacks) of the newly opened library, 1925

The books and the students have changed over time, but the Stacks have been a popular destination for quiet study as long as the library has existed.

Behind the Service Desk, 1944

The second floor rotunda, familiar to many today as the location of Barks at Parks at the end of each semester, was once home to the library service desk.

Close-up view of the main (east) entrance to the library, 1949

The original entrance to the building now serves only as a fire exit, but the ornate stone carvings surrounding it remain the same.

Dorothy Kehlenbeck looking at files, 1954

In the 1950s, what is now the Fireplace Reading Room served as the precursor to today’s Special Collections and University Archives. Note that prior to the expansion of the building, the windows in the background faced the outdoors.