The first "official" college library was likely that of the Adelphian Literary Society, which in 1880 had acquired the Corvallis Library Association's library. Ten years later, the Adelphians transferred their 605-volume library to the college. By 1899, when the first full-time, nonstudent librarian, Arthur Stimpson, was appointed, the collection had grown to 3000 volumes and 500 pamphlets and bulletins. The first professional librarian, Ida A. Kidder, was appointed in 1908.
Initially housed in the Administration Building (now Benton Hall), a structure for the library was constructed in 1918 with funds appropriated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly passed a year earlier. Named Kidder Hall in honor of Ida Kidder, the library was re-named in 1954 for William Jasper Kerr, president of OSU from 1907-1932 and first chancellor of the State System of Higher Education.
Despite the construction of a west wing to the library building in 1941, space needs continued to become increasingly acute with the expansion of collections and staff. In the late 1950s, planning began for a new structure that was completed in 1963 and expanded in 1971 with the addition of two floors. A branch of the Library at the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center was completed in 1976 and eventually named for Marilyn Potts Guin, the first librarian there.
Increasing demand for space drove plans for further expansion and renovation of the library building that began in 1988 but really gained momentum with the approval of funds from the Legislative Assembly in 1993. Owing to the success of a fundraising campaign to raise private money to match state funds, expansion efforts began in 1996 and were completed in 1999. The Kerr Library was renamed the Valley Library in 1995 in honor of the Wayne and Gladys Valley Family, whose foundation donated $10 million to library expansion efforts.
Librarians subsequent to Kidder were Lucy M. Lewis (1920-1945), William H. Carlson (1945-1965), Rodney K. Waldron (1965-1984), Melvin R. George (1984-1996), Karyle S. Butcher (1997-2010), and Faye A. Chadwell (2010-).
E. Doris Tillis was appointed as the Assistant Acquisitions Librarian in 1968 and shortly thereafter became the Gifts and Exchange Librarian, a position she held until her appointment as the Interlibrary Loan Librarian in 1976. Karen Starr was appointed as the Gifts and Exchange Librarian in 1976.
These records were transferred to the Special Collections and Archives Research Center by Oregon State University Libraries and Press administration in 2015.
Collection is open for research.
Library Gifts and Exchange Department Records (RG 261), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
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The Library Gifts and Exchange Department Records are arranged in 4 series: 1. Chronological Correspondence, 1970-1991; 2. Alphabetical Correspondence, 1951-2004; 3. Subject Files, 1951-2003; and 4. Administrative Records, 1972-1995.
The Library Gifts and Exchange Department Records document the donation of gift books and journals to the Oregon State University Libraries and the exchange of materials with other libraries and repositories. The collection consists predominantly of correspondence. Reports, policies and procedures, and correspondence with the Library Director document the functioning of the department primarily during the 1970s-1990s.
Series 1 comprises about half of the collection. It consists of correspondence arranged chronologically that documents donations of books and journals to the OSU Libraries. These records also include accession records for materials received and correspondence with other libraries that were exchange partners with Oregon State.
Series 2 consists of several sets of alphabetically arranged correspondence. The first set begins with "S" and covers the period 1951 to 1965. Other sets are for 1981-1982; 1984-1986; 1991-2001; and annually for 2002-2004. This correspondence documents the gifts of books and journals to the OSU Libraries.
Series 3 consists of subject files documenting the receipt of gifts by the Oregon State University Libraries as well as distribution of books to organizations within Oregon, such as the Children's Services Division, and internationally to Africa, China, and Nepal.
Series 4 consists of operational procedures and policies for the Gifts and Exchange Department, reports, and memoranda to and from the Director of Libraries, Rodney Waldron. The bulk of the reports (1976-1986) were prepared by Karen J. Starr, Gifts and Exchange Librarian, while the earliest reports (1976) were prepared by E. Doris Tilles, her predecessor as Gifts and Exchange Librarian. Of special note are materials documenting a 1972 salary review for women librarians mandated by the Office of Civil Rights and conducted by E. Doris Tilles. The series also includes materials pertaining to Tilles' participation in the 1974 Student-Faculty Conference at Oregon State.
Also includes quarterly and annual reports.