Laurier Library History
The Library in Willison Hall
Waterloo College students walking towards Willison Hall, ca. 1957
Willison Hall was built in 1914, expanded in 1924, and demolished in 1970. It contained administration offices, classrooms and laboratories, a chapel, a dining hall, a gymnasium, student accommodations, and the library. The building was commonly known as “Old Main” until the mid 1950s when it was named in honour of Waterloo College graduate Nils Willison.
In the early days of the institution, a professor would assume responsibility for the library in addition to other duties and would be assisted by student volunteers. Library materials were available on an honour system because no check-out process had been developed. This proved difficult during busy seasons, and part-time librarians were hired.
Eventually, the demand for library materials and space exceeded the capacity of its location at Willison Hall, and the university began the process of planning and fundraising for the next chapter.
Library in Willison Hall, Waterloo College, ca. 1950
Building the New Library
University Librarian Erich Schultz at the site of the new library, August 1964
Planning for a new library building on campus began in 1962 with fundraising commencing soon after. On November 19, 1964 a ground-breaking ceremony marked the beginning of the construction of the first three floors of the library.
The Cord Weekly, September 1965
Architects Kruschen and Dailey began the project. When discussing the building in an interview with The Cord in 1965, reporters noted Kruschen's goal for the design, “The library is styled to be a part of the total picture at Waterloo, but [Kruschen] noted that in designing any building the function must always take precedence over the form. He meant that the building is first a library, for the use of the student body, and secondly a balanced piece of eye-catching form.”
The library was built in three phases spanning from 1964 to 1984.
Phase 1
Initial construction on the new library building began in 1964, and was financed by the National Development Fund. The footings poured were strong enough for a seven-storey structure, and the new three-storey library building opened in 1965.
The first phase was designed to house 90,000 volumes and had a seating capacity of 400. Staff members remember hot fall days as they moved collections from the library in Willison Hall to the new library building in 1965.
Construction Phase 1, November 1964 - September 1965
Phase 2
On May 1, 1970, construction began on the fourth and fifth floors of the library. The second phase of the library building was financed from university reserves and fundraising initiatives. Most of the construction was completed by February 1971, but the move to the new floors was postponed till the end of the academic year.
The official opening of the fourth and fifth floors took place on July 7, 1971. These two floors provided space for other parts of the collection and services such as microforms, recordings, music listening, photocopying, typing booths, rare books, and archives.
Blueprint depicting the library's fourth floor, ca. 1970
Phase 3
In the summer of 1983, construction began on the sixth and seventh floors for the third and final phase of the library building. Funding for the two-floor addition was met by the WLU Development Fund, Excellence in the Eighties. The third phase of the library was the first major construction project of the fund drive.
Construction was completed in 1984. The official opening of the sixth and seventh floors took place on October 19, 1984.
Phase 3 Construction, 1983
New Chapters, New Searches
Woman using card catalogue at Wilfrid Laurier University Library, 1979
On January 15, 1986 the library catalogue went online. There were eight terminals located on the third floor of the library for researchers to search the catalogue, with staff ready to assist in the process during the first few months of rollout. With the introduction of the online catalogue, the card catalogue was closed. A few faculty and students who preferred using the card catalogue continued to do so, until it was removed in 1991 to make space for more terminals and CD Rom workstations.
Reference librarian John Arndt (left, centre) instructing patrons
on the use of the automated cataloguing system, ca. 1987
In 1995, the Tri University Group (TUG) began pooling library resources to conduct more efficient services for patrons. Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo had had a history of sharing resources due to their close proximity, and with the University of Guelph a short distance down the road, the three universities banded together in an effort to control costs and broaden access to the total of more than seven million equivalent volumes contained in the three university collections.
TRELLIS, the online catalogue system from Endeavour shared by TUG, launched on May 1, 1998. The joint holdings of the three libraries were now accessible in one database. Reciprocal borrowing privileges and document delivery were introduced. In 1997, the Laurier Library team received the Tamara Giesbrecht award in recognition of the innovative, cost-effective advancement initiative.
Archives and Special Collections
Head of Archives and Special Collections Joan Mitchell
and library staff member Doreen Udit in the Archives, November 1994
In 1994, the Archives and Special Collections department began with Joan Mitchell as the first Head of the department. Archives and Special Collections established space in the library on the 5th floor, and began collecting archival material. In 2002, as part of the library renovation, Archives and Special Collections moved to its current location on the first floor of the library.
During the 2010s, Archives and Special Collections expanded the scope of collections, enhanced collection-management and access systems, and explored new methods of digitizing archival material. In 2023, the reading room was named the Julia Hendry Reading Room.
In addition, Archives and Special Collections acquires records of individuals and organizations in specific subject areas, rare books, and related material in support of teaching, learning, and research at Wilfrid Laurier University. Laurier Archives and Special Collections serves the University community, including Laurier students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as researchers and scholars from other institutions, and members of the public, both locally and beyond.
Renovation
Library renovation, 2002
In 2002, a major renovation took place to modernize the library. The library was identified as one of the priority projects for the university’s Millennium Projects fundraising campaign.
Only 45% of the library space was identified as appropriate by the Council of Ontario Universities standards. Inadequate space for library functions, reading areas, and graduate carrels prompted a need for more space.
The renovation created additional space for a collection expansion of approximately 100,000 volumes, 150 additional study carrels, reading areas, and display areas. The Bibliotheque Café, the library’s first offering of a café, opened in 2002.
Culture and Learning Commons
In 2015, the Culture and Learning Commons was introduced as part of the library strategic plan. With this plan, several cultural organizations were integrated into the library's organizational structure including the Robert Langen Gallery, Wilfrid Laurier Press, and the Makerspace.
Robert Langen Gallery
The Robert Langen Gallery opened in 1989, named in honour of Dr. Robert Langen, Professor Emeritus and Art Committee Chair. Langen was also credited with establishing the fine arts program, building the university’s art collection, and campaigning to establish a permanent gallery.
Insisting on greater visibility for the university’s art, which was at one point displayed only in offices and hallways, Langen used space in the Concourse of the Student's Union Building. While it provided greater exposure, the Concourse was not ideal for art and Langen continued to campaign for a permanent gallery.
In the 1980s, the Cultural Affairs Committee highlighted the importance of arts and culture at Laurier. The committee identified a gap and a need for space, security, and time dedicated towards art. The search for a gallery space and funding culminated in a space for the gallery located in the John Aird Centre.
As the university’s visual arts centre, RLAG’s mission was to provide knowledge, stewardship, appreciation, and enjoyment of Canadian art and culture to members of the Laurier community and to the community at large. The gallery aimed to provide a social and cultural opportunity which contributes to the growth and experience of Laurier’s students as well as the broader community.
In May 2015, the university announced plans to integrate the gallery into the Laurier Library. A space was built on the second floor of the library for the gallery's new home.
Today, RLAG continues to oversee art collections and policies across Laurier’s multicampus milieu and organizes visual arts programming that inspires, challenges, and expands learning beyond the classroom.
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
Wilfrid Laurier University Press staff member Heather Blaine
typesetting a page of text for publication, 1983
The Wilfrid Laurier University Press was founded in 1974 and began under the direction of former Laurier faculty member Norman Wagner. WLU Press built a reputation early in its existence as a leading publisher of scholarly books in the social sciences and humanities, defined by a spirit of creativity and technological innovation.
The Press publishes books in the social sciences and humanities, with specializations in Indigenous studies, environmental humanities, feminism and women’s studies, life writing, poetry, literary criticism, international politics, sociology, social work, and history.
Among its achievements, WLU Press was one of the first university presses to digitize an academic journal, the first university press to produce a book app, an early adopter of digitizing backlists, and in 1994 became one of the first scholarly publishers in Canada to host a website.
WLU Press publishes scholarly podcasts in partnership with Amplify as part of the Resonate stream of peer-reviewed podcasts. Publication under the Resonate stream serves as professional attestation that the podcast has undergone a university press-led editorial process, a formal peer review, in-house publishing design, publication distribution, and promotion.
The Makerspace
The Makerspace was established at the library in 2017. The Makerspace functions as a space for the Laurier community to gather and build not only projects, but community. With a mission to inspire makers to create, and to pass on their knowledge to others, the Makerspace is fueled by a mission to build capacity in people.
The Makerspace teaches everything from sewing, soldering, photography, 3D design and printing, electronics, coding, die-cutting, printed circuit board design, block cut printing, knitting, and more.
The Makerspace shapes a legacy of creativity, sustainability, and connected communities. The space empowers makers to try new things and build confidence, and creates a space to gather as community.
2019 and Beyond
In December of 2019, OMNI launched as an academic search tool that connected fourteen university libraries. The initiative increased resource sharing and increased access for users across the province.
Campus communities across the province use OMNI for fast, easy access to nearly 26 million resources to succeed in their learning, research and teaching goals. By collaborating and sharing expertise at Ontario university libraries, the 19 OMNI partners build capacity through learning new skills while providing efficient access to information in every field of study.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the library faced new challenges in carrying out its mission to provide services and support to the community. The Books to Go Service was launched on July 23rd, 2020 as the university went through a phased re-opening of services. Books to Go allowed users to request materials through OMNI remotely and pick them up at Waterloo, Kitchener, and Brantford campus locations. Staff prepared books for patrons, put them in paper bags labelled with the appropriate name, and delivered based on the safe distancing protocols of the time.
2025
The library continues to thrive on campus in its mission to provide space, support, and inspiration for the Laurier community in their endeavours. As a place to gather and learn, the library is the intellectual and cultural heart of Laurier.
It is the place where the university community comes together to access and interact with information and people, generate new ideas, and engage with the great questions of our time. The library will continue to provide exceptional resources, services, expertise, and spaces that inspire our users to achieve excellence in their work and lives.
The Library by the Numbers
1965
Collection: 52,600
Staff: 7
Stack Space: 90,000 volumes
Seating: 450
Acquisitions: $69,067
Annual Budget: $156,797
Students in the library, ca. 1955
1971
Collection: books (123,000) total (205,665)
Staff: 32
Stack Space: 275,000 volumes
Seating: 875
Acquisitions: $150,754
Annual Budget: $396,201
Students in the library, ca. 1970
1984
Collection: books (406,000) total (950,000)
Staff: 53
Stack Space: 425,0000 volumes
Seating: 932
Acquistions: $898, 526
Annual Budget: $2,333,647
Library staff member Robert Noecker assisting students at the reserves desk,
ca. 1985
2024
Collection: 1,026,867 (books), 1,553,645 (digital books)
Staff: 54
Stack Space: 1,026,867 volumes
Seating: 1095
Acquisitions: $4,277,558
Annual Budget: $11,775,432