Parks Library concluded its Centennial Celebrations on Sept. 24, marking a new chapter in the library’s history.
Sharing the importance of the celebration, Melia Licht, director of communications at Parks Library, discussed the work put in by volunteers in organizing the events.
“We’ve been thinking about how we can lift up our special building and share in this celebration with our campus community,” Licht said.
Celebrations started with free giveaways of the ISU Creamery’s newest creation, “Aha! Moments: Parks Library”. Free snacks were also given out to attendees.
The Statesmen Men’s Choir, conducted by Dr. James Rodde, also performed during the celebration.
The performance started with a traditional African piece, a new addition to their choral lineup. Tribal drums and other instruments joined them to mesmerize crowds further, ending with the ISU fight song, which was accompanied by dancing and applause from the audience.
Hilary Seo, the Dean of Library Services, followed the performance with a speech, emphasizing the importance of Parks Library to the campus community.
“We provide nearly 2.3 million physical items, as well as over 2 million e-volumes in addition to online articles and databases,” Seo said. “It’s our librarians and expert staff who have really made this library what it is today.”
Seo also announced that a new endowment to the Dean of Library Services at Iowa State has been received from the Estate of Colonel Gary G. Swenson.
“The position will now be known as ‘The Colonel Gary G. Swenson, PhD, Dean of Library Services,’ and I am honored to be the inaugural recipient,” Seo said.
After the speech, Seo suggested that the endowment might be used for AI integration into library services to assist students and faculty.
“Funding like this would enable us to quickly advance the instruction around AI,” Seo said.
Seo also discussed intentions on utilizing the endowment to renovate library infrastructure and facilities.
“We need to update the infrastructure. There is not enough power, and our students are always looking for modern facilities. Although we don’t want to change the aesthetics, we want to make sure that they can use the space the way they need to and want,” Seo said.
The tail end of the celebration invited visitors to look at the rare collections hosted during the open house at the Parks Library Special Collections and University Archives office.
The office showcased rare pieces ranging from the first architectural drawings of the Parks Library to the circuit drawings of the first digital electronic computer known as the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, made by alumni of Iowa State.
The open house also showed contributions made by notable alumni, including correspondence letters from George Washington Carver, renowned botanist and researcher from Iowa State, while stationed at the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute.
Notable collections with historical significance included original publications of books by renowned authors such as Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury, as well as scientific treatises, featuring Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘A Treatise on Paintings’ and Galileo’s ‘Dialogues of Galileo Galilei’. Both of these additions were acquired as part of the one-millionth-volume celebration and the three-millionth-volume celebration, respectively.
The library also hosted a scavenger hunt, with the first two hundred winners getting a travel chess set, inspired by the large chessboard hosted on the first floor of Parks Library.
The Centennial Celebration, the last of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Parks Library, concluded the series of events that began in the spring of 2025.
