Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Campus Community Invited to Celebrate 50 Years of Bird Library

Thursday, September 8, 2022, By Cristina Hatem
Share
Bird LibrarySyracuse University Libraries

Bird Library opened its doors to the Syracuse University community for the first time in September of 1972. As the University and Syracuse University Libraries marks Bird Library’s 50th anniversary, the campus community is invited to commemorate this occasion during a celebration on Wednesday, Sept. 14 from 3-5 p.m. on the first floor of Bird Library.

Bird Library’s Anniversary Celebration to Include:

  • An original model of Bird Library, created by architect Russell King ’52 of King and King Associates
  • University Archives exhibit display featuring architectural drawings, photos and other materials from the design, build and opening of Bird Library
  • Learning Commons display featuring popular cultural items from 1972
  • Professor Rick Burton ’80, David B. Falk Endowed Professor of Sport Management in Falk College, and Scott Pitoniak ’77, authors of Forever Orange: The Story of Syracuse University will share campus history and highlights from 1972
  • Remarks from David Seaman, current University Librarian and Dean of the Libraries, and also Interim Dean of the School of Information Studies
  • Photo opportunity with a green screen background consisting of Bird Library photographs
  • Trivia questions from 1972 and Bird Library displayed on the digital screens
  • Commemorative buttons and sticker giveaway
  • Anniversary cake and refreshments.

Reflecting on 50 Years of Bird Library

Designed by Syracuse architectural firm King and King Associates, Bird Library boasts seven floors and more than 212,000 square feet, and cost $13.8 million to build. Funding for the building came from Ernest Stevenson Bird ‘1916, George Arents H’33, the Federal government under Titles I and II, the University and many other donors.

Chancellor William Pearson Tolley was in office in 1969 when the groundbreaking for the building took place and presented the dedication address at the building’s formal dedication on April 6, 1973. Chancellor Melvin Arnold Eggers was in office when the building was opened in 1972.

Bird Library Celebrates 50 Years

Patrons utilizing the reference desk at Bird Library when it opened in 1972.

“The significance of this building is the increased opportunity it provides for learning. It is a new opportunity for the city and the county, for business and industry, for old and young, for everyone in the community as well as university students and members of the faculty. It is a community resource of the highest importance. It adds a new dimension to the cultural life of our city. It opens doors of opportunity to learn that we have not had before. . . . This is a learning center designed for people to use. . . This is a building that makes real the spirit of learning. Here one comes to understand the University’s threefold aim to conserve, transmit and advance knowledge and learning,” Chancellor Emeritus Tolley reflected during his dedication remarks.

As part of the move, more than one million volumes and millions more other items—including manuscripts, pamphlets and microform—were moved from the collections at Carnegie Library, the library annex and branch libraries. The following year, stress tests were conducted to ensure the building structure could withstand the weight of the books.

Library users increased from 1,500 to 7,000 in the first two months after Bird Library opened. Today, Bird Library is the busiest academic building on campus, with more than one million visits annually (pre-COVID-19).

In addition to the general collections and resources, Bird Library is home to several other campus-wide resources including: Syracuse Abroad, Center for Learning and Student Success, Blackstone LaunchPad, Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement, Digital Scholarship Space, Faculty Commons, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Women in Science and Engineering and the Special Collections Research Center.

  • Author

Cristina Hatem

  • Recent
  • Department of Drama Presents ‘Dance Nation’
    Friday, March 24, 2023, By Joanna Penalva
  • Three Faculty Members Collect Top National Awards and Grants
    Friday, March 24, 2023, By Dan Bernardi
  • Falk College Nutrition Science Students Examining Impact of Father’s Obesity on Children
    Friday, March 24, 2023, By Matt Michael
  • Student Veterans Spend Spring Break in Atlanta
    Friday, March 24, 2023, By Charlie Poag
  • Third Thonis Endowed Professorship Announced: The Multiplier Effect in Philanthropy
    Friday, March 24, 2023, By Eileen Korey

More In Campus & Community

Third Thonis Endowed Professorship Announced: The Multiplier Effect in Philanthropy

On the drive from his home in Wellesley, Massachusetts, to his alma mater in Syracuse, New York, Michael G. “Mike” Thonis ’72 says he counts rock formations, knows all their geological names and notices “as they suddenly become very dark…

Community Review Board Seeks Applications for New Members

Dear Fellow Students, Faculty and Staff: As I conclude my time as chair of the inaugural Community Review Board (CRB), I write to you today to invite members of our University community to apply to serve on the CRB. As…

Social Work Presents Social Justice Awards March 30

March is National Professional Social Work Month, and the School of Social Work in the Falk College is presenting its annual Dan and Mary Lou Rubenstein Social Justice Award program from 6:45-8 p.m. on Thursday, March 30 in Falk College…

Margaret ‘Peg’ Hermann, the Moynihan Institute’s Longtime Leader, Retires

The late U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, “If I were 26 again, I would be out in the world working with others on problems that no one country can solve on its own.” His words encapsulate the mission…

New Course-Tagging Tools Available to Assist with Undergraduate Course Selection

The Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Shared Competencies and the Office of Academic Affairs are now providing online tools to help undergraduate students make course selections according to the Shared Competencies offered by various courses. Among those tools are: A…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.