Alcuin Library

Historical Images


A black-and-white image of a building at night, with illuminated windows and a sign displaying a logo. The foreground contains parked cars, and tree branches frame the top of the image.
Alcuin Library at twilight (no date)
Exterior view of a modern library building with large windows and a sign that reads "Alcuin Library." Surrounded by trees and a clear pathway.
South side of Alcuin Library, 2006

(click thumbnails for larger images)


Architect: Marcel Breuer

Construction: Gunnar Johnson and Son, Inc.

Location: Across plaza from Abbey, East of Mary Hall, south of football field

Groundbreaking (Alcuin): July 2, 1964

Groundbreaking (Learning Commons): April 22, 2016

Cost: $1,772,000 (original)

               Construction for a new library began in 1964. The original plans included seating for 620 people, shelving 450,000 volumes, 6 Seminar rooms, a listening room, an audiovisual room, and auditorium, 20 private study rooms, typing rooms and smoking rooms. Additionally, a temperature-controlled room was requested to house the Kritzeck Manuscripts which are a collection of several hundred holograph documents. The building was designed in order to accommodate for changing technology by having large spaces that could change with the needs of the times and by having plentiful electrical outlets for increase technology use.

                Books were moved from the old Wimmer Hall library into the new Breuer library over the Christmas break in January 1966. The building was dedicated on Saturday, May 7 th, 1966. Hubert Humphrey and his wife, Muriel, came to the dedication ceremony, arriving by helicopter. Vietnam picketers with anti-war signs were present and Humphrey wished to talk with them but was told he had to go on to his next event.

                The new library was generally well received by the St. John’s community. People generally liked the inside architecture, especially the trees and the central staircase. People also enjoyed the modern amenities such as air conditioning and the audiovisual room. There was some controversy surrounding the outside of the building, with multiple people commenting on its tendency to look like a parking garage.

                In 1975, the Media Center was moved to the Mezzanine in response to increasing complaints about the noise created by the computers. The Mezzanine had been a repository for government books which then found a home in the main section of the library.

                In 1987 there was further rearranging of the library. All of the computers were moved to the first floor of the building, the reference section was moved towards the entrance of the building to be more convenient, and the book stacks were move to the lower level.  This transformed the top floor into a service floor instead of a quiet study area. In addition, the basement was updated and upgraded, and new barcodes were put on all books.

                The library was further expanded in 2000, this allowed for more space to be given to the ever-expanding Hill Monastic Manuscript Library. This addition also made the basement of the library wheelchair accessible.

                After several almost a decade of planning, construction for a complete renovation of Alcuin Library began in June of 2015. The first steps of the construction involved creating a space in the basement of the library for the university archives as well as the rare books collection, and the archival collections of the Hill Monastic and Manuscript Library. This project was completed first so these artifacts would be safely housed for the duration of the construction. Additionally, a new elevator was installed that would be able to service all four floors of the building. Next, the room that had previously functioned as an auditorium was repurposed to serve as the new permanent home of original seven volumes of the Saint John’s Bible. This space also includes information about the creation of the Bible and some of the tools and materials that were used to create the bible.

                In 2016, the rest of the construction on the library continued as well as construction on the Learning Commons, a building that would attach to the existing library. The new space offered additional classroom space, study spaces, a coffee shop (the Schu), a new computer lab, and a sound studio. President Hemesath stated that the space was created with three things in mind “information technology, changing pedagogies, and student service help.” The renovations created spaces that recognize a transition towards group work and increased technology use. The renovated library and Learning Commons opened in the fall of 2017.

See Also:

Text drafted by Maria Schrupp, CSB ’20