Browse Items (87 total)

Arminda Fix was the first librarian at Whitman serving from 1899-1916. A Walla Walla native, Fix attended Whitman Academy then Whitman College, graduating in 1899. She subsequently attended library school in New York and studied at Columbia…

Arley Jonish was the college librarian from 1966-1989. He oversaw many changes to the library, including the addition of the Stuart Wing in 1974.

A student conducts business at the circulation desk, which in 1984 was located on what is now the first floor of Penrose Library. The desk was in the northeast corner of the building. Notice the pillar near the "Book Return" sign that leads to an…

Henry Yaple was college librarian from 1988-2005 He is seen here holdings a $1200 reference book, which is ???

When Penrose Library opened its doors in the Spring of 1957, classes were cancelled for a day so students could provide the manual labor to transport books to the new building. These students seem to be enjoying it!

Ruth Reynolds directed the safe transfer Whitman's collections between several buildings during the course of over forty years as college librarian (1932-1966). Here she orchestrates the last move into the current Penrose Library Building.

Built to accommodate the growing library collections, the useful but unslightly "Shack" was added to the West end of Memorial Building, which housed the library from 1900-1934. The Shack was moved across Isaacs Ave and used by the physical plant…

A view of the Elbridge Hadley Stuart Suart Wing from the southeast. This was the main entrance to the library, which was located approximately at the foot of the main straircase in the library, near the entrance to what is now the cafe. The In 1971,…

A view from the Ankeny Field of the original main entrance to the library, with the Memorial Building visible behind.

A modern view of Penrose Library.