Richardson Library: Did You Know?

In honor of National Library Week, Jeremy Maynard ’08, User Services Librarian at Hardin-Simmons University, shared five facts you may not know about the Richardson Library.

1. The Rupert and Pauline Richardson Library is named after Dr. Rupert N. Richardson ’12, former president, faculty, and student of HSU, and Pauline Richardson ’12, former first lady, faculty, and student of HSU.

The Richardsons in front of Compere Hall, which served as the presidential home when they were the first family.

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2. The Richardson Library has over 100,000 visits per school year.

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3. Tucked away in Richardson Library is the original library of Simmons College. The texts in this collection are all a minimum of 130 years old. These books no longer circulate in the library’s main collection, meaning they cannot be checked out; however, they are searchable in the catalog and can be viewed/read in the building.

Items donated from James and Robert Simmons included their signatures, noting their gift. 

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4. The Quick Print Station in the library has had over 76,000 pages printed this semester. (That does not include the other printers in the library.)

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5. The Richardson Library is the home of the university archives, which hold papers, photographs, newspapers, and other memorabilia from the history of HSU.

One of the most utilized collections is the Decade Box. Decade Boxes contain any paper material produced by the school over the years. Items start in 1891 with original land deeds securing property for the new school and continue through the present.