Library History- Staley Library
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Staley Library under construction, 1976. |
Staley Library architectural firm: Salogga, Bradley, Likins, Dillow.
Ground was broken for Staley Library on April 8, 1976; and the library was officially dedicated on May 21, 1978.
The building encompasses 60,000 sq. feet, at a cost to build of $45.00/sq.ft.
Staley Library is named for "three generations of the Staley family [of Decatur] in recognition of their generous gifts of money and service." (from dedication plaque)
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Who was the first A. E. Staley? Famous First Facts, A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in American History (Fourth Edition) by Joseph Nathan Kane (published by H. W. Wilson Company, 1981), on page 604 has this to say about A. E. Sr.: SOYBEAN PROCESSING PLANT (commercially successful) was built by Augustus Eugene Staley in Decatur, Ill., in 1922. The beans were run through an expeller, the oil removed to within 4 percent, and the residue or cake sold to the feed industry for use in commercial feeds or to farmers, who mixed the meal with other ingredients as a protein supplement.
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Early summer 1978: library staff moved all the books from Gorin to Staley libraries, 145,364 volumes @ about 60 volumes/cart (almost 2,500 carts).
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click to see Staley Library in 1980 |
1993: change-over from card catalog to state-wide computerized catalog. (The library began using electronic cataloging & circulation systems in 1978.) |
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Rear view of Staley Library in the evening
2000: construction behind Staley Library
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click to see Staley Library in 1999 |
to Library history home page This page created on January 26, 2000
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