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Tisch Library

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1996

The Tisch Library (1860-present) opened in 1996 as the main Arts, Sciences, and Engineering library at Tufts University, made possible by a generous donation from the Tisch family. From 1908-1965, the library was called Eaton Library and from 1965-1996, the Arts and Sciences library was known as the Wessell Library.

The Tisch Library (1860-present) opened in 1996 as the main Arts, Sciences, and Engineering library at Tufts University, made possible by a generous donation from the Tisch family. Between 1965 and 1996, the Arts and Sciences library was known as the Wessell Library. From 1908-1965, the library was known as the Eaton Library and was housed in Eaton Hall.

Prior to the 1860-1861 school year, the library began as the personal collection of President Hosea Ballou. In 1860, that collection was moved to Ballou Hall as a permanent library space for students to have easier access to the material. In 1886, the library moved to Middle Hall (later called Packard Hall) (Light on the Hill, 74). In 1906, Andrew Carnegie donated $100,000 to build the Eaton Library, in its own space. The Eaton Library, completed in 1908, was named after Crane Theological School graduate Rev. Charles H. Eaton, who was the Carnegie family pastor who graduated in 1874 (Light on the Hill, 201).

In 1965, the entire collection of the Eaton Library moved into a brand-new building, the Wessell Library, named for Tufts University President Nils Y. Wessell. The collection comprised of Crane Theological School materials temporarily moved into the Wessell Library in the mid-1960s, but the materials were transferred to the Harvard Divinity School in 1973 after the Crane Theological School closed in 1968.

The Wessell Library, which then became the main library for Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (the latter department moved its collection to Wessell Library in 1990 from the Lufkin Engineering Library). In 1996, the name of the library was changed to the Tisch Library after a donation from the Tisch family (Jonathan Tisch is an alumnus and is on the Board of Trustees). The library currently houses the collection for the Arts, Sciences, and Engineering departments.
List of head librarians for Eaton/Wessell/Tisch Library:
  • President Hosea Ballou (prior to 1861/1862 academic year)
  • John Barry, 1861-1862
  • A.A. Keen, 1862-1866
  • William R. Shipman, 1865-1904
  • Helen L. Mellen, Assistant Librarian, 1904-1907, and 1869-1904 as Assistant Librarian
  • Ethel Hayes, 1907-1928, and 1928-1943 as Reference Librarian
  • Raymond L. Walkley, 1928-1955
  • Dorothy Markle Union, 1955-1956, (Interim Librarian)
  • Joseph S. Komidar, 1956-1981
  • Murray S. Martin, 1981-1989
  • John E. Austin, 1989
  • David McDonald, 1989-1991
  • Jo-Ann Michalak, 1991-2011
  • Laura Wood, 2011-

Found in 12 Collections and/or Records:

BiblioTech Connections: Newsletter of the Tisch Library

 Collection
Call Number: UP078
Scope and Contents: This collection contains issues of BiblioTech Connections. It was a newsletter published by the Tisch Library. It was distributed to faculty and staff and includes news about the library's programs, events and acquisitions. BiblioTech Connections began publication in Fall 1993 and it descended from the previous Tisch Library Newsletter, Jumbo's Tale. It completed publication in Fall 2008, and was succeeded by the TischLibrary Connections in Fall 2009. From Fall 1993 through Spring 2007,...
Dates: 1993 -- 2008

Friends, A Newsletter for the Friends of Tufts Libraries

 Collection
Call Number: UP161
Scope and Contents: This collection contains the newsletter from the Friends of Tufts Libraries announcing news, sponsors, calendar of events, and other information. It is published twice a year. Libraries covered by the publication include the Tisch Library, Digital Collections and Archives, Edwin Ginn Library, Hirsh Health Sciences Library, and Webster Veterinary Library.
Dates: 1999 -- 2016

Tisch Library Guide

 Collection
Call Number: UP079
Scope and Contents: This collection contains issues of the guide to Tisch Library.
Dates: 1996 -- 2011

Tisch Library Records

 Collection
Call Number: UA137
Overview: This collection contains materials pertaining to the Tisch Library, the libraries that preceded Tisch as the Arts and Sciences library, and related branches of the Tufts University libraries.
Dates: bulk 1960 -- 1990, 1853 -- 2017

TischLibrary Connections

 Collection
Call Number: UP258
Scope and Contents: This collection contains TischLibrary Connections. It is a newsletter published by the Tisch Library. It was distributed to faculty and staff and includes news about the library's programs, events and acquisitions. Tisch Library Connections began publication in Fall 2008 and it descended from the previous Tisch Library Newsletter, BiblioTech Connections. It is published twice a year, in the Fall and Spring.
Dates: 2008 -- 2011

Tufts Medford campus

 Digital Image
Dates: 2008 -- 2011

Tufts Medford campus

 Digital Image
Dates: 2008 -- 2011

Tufts Medford campus

 Item — Box: 1
Call Number: UA225.004.001.00001.00123
Scope and Contents: Person reading on grass outside, building faintly visible in background
Dates: 1893 -- 1987

Tufts Medford campus

 Item — Box: 1
Call Number: UA225.004.001.00001.00120
Scope and Contents: Photo of greenery outside, people sitting on grass
Dates: 1893 -- 1987

Tufts Medford campus - Tisch Library

 Digital Image
Dates: 1893 -- 1987