University of Waterloo's 60th Anniversary, Part 2

How well do you know the Library?

Try the quiz below and test your knowledge about UW Library history and facts!

1. When did the Dana Porter Library open the doors to its first patron?

a) 1957
b) 1965
c) 1970
d) 1983

The correct answer is B. Built on the University’s highest point of land, the library is home to a large collection of books relating to Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. It only had 3 stories originally and 6 additional stories were added due to accelerating needs for spaces. The photo above is from 1969, when Dana Porter Library was under construction.

2. How many books were in UW library in 1975?

a) 10,000
b) 100,000
c) 500,000
d) 1,000,000

The correct answer is D. On November 7, 1975, UW library celebrated acquiring its one-millionth book. Today, UW library houses more than two million books and materials. With increasing popularity of electronic resources and shifting in demands of research materials, we will constantly see changes in dynamics of library collections.

3. When was the Davis Centre Library built?

a) 1967
b) 1975
c) 1987
d) 1991

The correct answer is C. Awarded through a national competition, this building is distinct from other buildings on campus. Instead of brick and concrete, glass and metal were used as the visible structure of the building.

4. Where was the Science Library originally located?

a) Physics building
b) Math and Computing building
c) Chemistry and Chemical Engineering building
d) Optometry building

The correct answer is C. If you recall from the last blog, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Building (in the picture) was also the first permanent building to rise on campus in 1958. There were only four staff working in the library at that time.

5. When was the library website (www.lib.uwaterloo.ca) released to public?

a) 1992
b) 1994
c) 1999
d) 2001

The internet was much blurrier then...

The correct answer is B. UW Electronic Library released www.lib.uwaterloo.ca in 1994 and it received Ontario Library and Information Technology’s 1994 Award for Information Innovation. In the same year, electronic interlibrary loan service, called GETLIB, was also established.

“In conclusion I like to mention that to me the most attractive part of the library besides the people are the stacks. This “special air” of books I remember from my first library year at the Landes-Bibliothek in Dresden (incidentally this library celebrates its 425^th anniversary this year) and it is the same air whether in Berlin, London, Paris or Waterloo. Not “Good-Bye Gutenberg”, but rather: “See You Again”. (an excerpt from Happenstance¹  written by a beloved library staff - Esther Michael).
 

¹ Happenstance was an occasional paper prepared by and for the University of Waterloo Library staff and published with the financial support of the University Librarian.

Special thanks to Nicole Marcogliese in Special Collections for providing archived materials!
 

References:
University of Waterloo: 60 Years of Innovation. Retrieved from https://uwaterloo.ca/innovation60/60-years-facts-0.

About Waterloo. Retrieved from https://uwaterloo.ca/about/who-we-are/history.

Waterloo facts. Retrieved from https://uwaterloo.ca/about/who-we-are/waterloo-facts.

A History of University of Waterloo Architecture. Retrieved from http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/50th/remember.html.

Celebrating the 50^th Anniversary. Retrieved from http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/50th/library.html.