Library history timeline

1916 With the opening of the university, the

library occupied space in Webster Hall, the

original administration building.

1918June - the collection is up to 5000

volumes

1920 A card catalog was begun by Sr. Ann

Frances McArdle, Head of the Education Dept.

and Librarian.

1969June — Webster College and Eden

Seminary sign five-year contract for a

cooperative program establishing the Webster-

Eden Library on the campus of neighboring Eden

Theological Seminary. The two institutions

shared space, resources, and staff in the Luhr

Reading & Reference Library which had been

constructed two years earlier.

1993 The library card catalog is replaced with

an online public access catalog.

The library barcodes the collection.

1995 First generation library Web site comes

online.

1996 The library Web site is

branded Passports to reflect that the Web site is

international in scope and it represents

Passports to Knowledge".

1998 The joint library collection reaches

248,000 volumes and 1,200 periodicals

subscriptions. Webster University announces it

will build a new library building within 5 years.

2001 June — Webster-Eden Library System is

online with MOBIUS giving the the library system

the ability to borrow and loan materials from

other higher education libraries, public libraries

and other institutions that are MOBIUS members

statewide.

August — The library installs eReserves which

gives users of the Webster-Eden Library system

access to electronic reserves via the Internet.

September — Cataloging of the Community

Music School collection begins with the

university's purchase of the school.

October 30 — Ground is broken for the new

library.

2003 Emerson Library is completed. In

addition to the library facilities, the new library

includes multi-media facilities, an electronic

commons, and electronic classroom, and 24-

hour Cyber Café.

April — Eden Seminary and Webster University

guarantee future library cooperation by signing

an "Agreement Concerning Library Cooperation"

on April 3 forming the Eden-Library System.

June 30 — Seven hundred volunteers form a

book chain to transfer the remaining books that

are to be shelved at Emerson Library.

July 1 — Webster University Emerson Library is

open for business.

September 22 — Emerson Library is dedicated.–

2007 The library conducts its first triennial

satisfaction survey in the new library. Many

suggested implemented, including increasing

hours on Fridays and Saturdays; offering free

printing for students and faculty, revising

several Passports sections to make them

clearer; improving signage for use of group

studies, and more.

2009 The library removes Passports from this

years redesign of the Web site.

Library creates a Facebook presence.

December — It is announced that the joint Webster-

Eden Library System is entering a new phase in its

40+ year history by increasing library collaboration.

In the coming year, the active collection in Eden's

Luhr Reading & Reference Library will move to

Webster's state-of-the-art Emerson Library to be

consolidated into one joint collection.

2010 Library creates a Twitter presence and a

Facebook page.

Chat boxes were added to the subject portals

form improved communication with patrons.

2011 The library added eBook Patron-Driven

Acquisitions.

Mobile webpage added

Alumna Marsha Mason’s papers and scripts

added to Archives.

2013 Library accepted into the first cohort of the

Association of College and Research Libraries

Assessment in Action program.

2013 Ghana campus library brought online.

2014 The library Media:Scape technology