DiMenna-Nyselius Library

DiMenna-Nyselius Library is located on the campus of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.

History

In 1948, the library at Fairfield University under the leadership of Librarian Robert Gaffney, boasted over 5,000 books and a panoramic view of the Long Island Sound from the windows of Berchmans Hall. With a new Librarian, Robert Barrows, it moved in 1949 to two rooms in Xavier Hall. Father Francis A. Small was named Director of Libraries in 1952, a position he would hold for over two decades of great change. Father Small led the move in 1957 to Canisius Hall, where the library remained for a decade. During this move, the science library was to stay in Xavier Hall. It was under the leadership of Father Small that the library began a microform collection, purchased its first electronic typewriter, and developed a procedure for duplication catalog cards.

Groundbreaking for a library building took place in 1967, with the building opening the following year. The new building was planned with an estimated 20 years worth of space to grow. With the opening of the new building in 1968, the library increased its capacity from 90,000 to 300,000 books. It featured a smoking area, two typing rooms, and its first full time reference librarian.

In 1971, the library was named Nyselius Library in honor of benefactors Gustav and Dagmar Nyselius. They were Swedish immigrants who had settled in Stamford and wanted to make a donation to Fairfield University to repay in part the kindness of their adoptive country. At the time of donation their gift was the largest ever given to Fairfield University.

In 1973, the library joined OCLC, an online cataloging service that provided access to a database as well as printed catalog cards. In 1974, Barbara Bryan, then Associate Director, was named University Librarian. The library added a media department in 1980, thanks to a grant from the Gladys Brooks Foundation. In 1982 it joined the Bibliomation consortium, which introduced barcodes and wands to replace handwritten sign out slips for checking out books. The library's first computer lab opened in 1986, offering access to 8 Apple computers. Steady technological improvements continued to augment the library-a CD-ROM reference center in 1990 thanks to the Gladys Brooks Foundation; a CD-ROM LAN in 1991 thanks to grants from the E.L. Cord Foundation and the George I. Alden Trust; an online public access catalog in 1993; and a computer lab with 25 workstations in 1997.

In 1996, James Estrada became the University Librarian and took the lead on the library expansion and renovation project. After long and careful planning, July 1999 marked the groundbreaking ceremonies for the library expansion, an undertaking supported largely by a gift from alum Joseph A. DiMenna, Jr. '80. The project neared completion as classes started in the fall semester of 2001, thanks to the leadership of Estrada and Director of Library Services Joan Overfield. In the fall of 2001, the DiMenna-Nyselius Library officially opened, ushering the library at Fairfield University into a new era. In addition to nearly doubling in size, it is fully wired and proudly offers state of the art technology.

Art Collection

Kress Art Collection

The DiMenna-Nyselius Library is the home of the Kress Collection of 10 old master paintings that date from the mid-14th through the early 18th centuries and are representative of the major schools of Italian Renaissance and Baroque painting. The paintings represent a spectrum of religious and secular images generally attributed to the followers or the studio workshops of some of the noteworthy major painters of Italian Renaissance and Baroque art. This was a gift to Fairfield University by the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport, CT and arranged by Dr. Philip Eliasoph. The paintings were originally given to The Discovery Museum by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation whose mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of European art in the United States.

The Book of Kells

Among its valuable collection, the DiMenna-Nyselius Library is home to a rare facsimile of The Book of Kells which was donated by The Wild Geese organization. The Book of Kells is an ornately illustrated manuscript, produced by Celtic monks around AD 800 in the style known as Insular art. It is one of the more lavishly illuminated manuscripts to survive from the Middle Ages and has been described as the zenith of Western calligraphy and illumination.

External links

* [http://www.fairfield.edu/library.xml DiMenna-Nyselius Library]
* [http://www.fairfield.edu/ Fairfield University]
* [http://digital.fairfield.edu/ Fairfield University Digital Archive @ DiMenna-Nyselius Library]

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