March 15, 2023

西北庆祝欧文斯图书馆成立40周年，前总统和第一夫人的领导

周二，全国网赌正规平台庆祝了其图书馆的影响和同名图书馆的遗产, marking the anniversary of the building’s opening exactly 40 years earlier.

With Dr. B.D. Owens and Sue Owens in attendance for the event, Dr. Mike Steiner, 本科研究副教务长兼文理学院院长, and Interim President Dr. 克拉伦斯·格林回顾了这对夫妇在1977年至1984年担任全国网赌正规平台校长和第一夫人期间大学的发展历程，并感谢他们的贡献.

“这是对图书馆工作40年历史的认可，也是对你为这个地方带来的精神和领导力的致敬。,斯坦纳在图书馆招待会开始致辞时对欧文斯夫妇说.

The evolution of Owens Library

A hub of student activity on the Northwest campus today, the B.D. Owens Library houses the Student Success Center, Learning and Teaching Center, International Involvement Center, Writing Center 星巴克，除了作为学习和研究的宝贵资源中心.

The facility opened its doors to public use for the first time March 14, 1983, 当学生们从春假中归来，并取代了威尔斯图书馆, 这是一座历史悠久的校园建筑，于1939年完工，但不再提供不断发展的大学所需的空间和功能.

1983年春假期间，全国网赌正规平台的工作人员和大约60名学生每天工作两班，每天工作8小时，运送了大约320人,000 items and pieces of equipment, including about 200,000 books to the newly completed 120,000-square-foot library. Wells Library furniture also became a commodity on the campus, 在欧文斯图书馆的入口通道内，原图书馆的公告板仍在使用, Steiner noted.

“They didn’t just move them over here,” Steiner said. “They had to land on the shelves here in order, which was a significant part of the undertaking, 在一周的时间里把这么多东西搬到一个全新的图书馆, perfectly as it should be and ready for use and they accomplished it.”

当欧文斯图书馆正在建造时，全国网赌正规平台的学生和库珀大厅的居民, 斯坦纳还讲述了他从街对面的窗户看到的进展. The Northwest campus was undergoing a transformation during the early 1980s, and the new library was a source of excitement and inspiration.  

“Computers were showing up in our mode of operation, and nearly everything we did was very rapidly changing,” Steiner said. “The sense was excitement and optimism, and I truly believe this building by itself had to do a lot with that. It was hugely impressive in its architecture.”

Within two years after the Owens Library’s opening, usage increased more than 30 percent, and monthly circulation of books jumped from 2,500 to 3,200. 此举还促进了技术的实施，这在Wells图书馆是不可能的, Steiner noted, pointing to reporting in a 1986 issue of The Northwest Missourian.

“Nancy Hanks, the library director who assumed the role in that period, oversaw the implementation of a computerized catalog in 1985,” Steiner said. 她向《全球网络赌博平台》表达了自己的愿景:有朝一日，学生宿舍里会有电脑, 学生不用离开房间就能看到图书馆里有什么书. I keep thinking I would love to go back and tell Nancy, ‘Oh, and by the way, they’re going to read the books on their phone, which is also their camera, which is also their music player and pretty much their life.’”

As technology has shifted library materials to digital modes, 全国网赌正规平台重塑了欧文斯图书馆及其空间，使其比1983年更加不可或缺, Steiner said.

“We continue to plan ways to adapt to evolving student use,” Steiner said, pointing to the many mobile work stations, 白板和其他资源分散在整个建筑中，以支持学生的学习. “周三晚上7点在这里走来走去，看到学生们正在想出或决定如何使用图书馆，这仍然让我着迷.”

The leadership of B.D. and Sue Owens

分别于1959年和1957年在全国网赌正规平台获得学士学位后，B.D. and Sue Owens returned to the University in 1977. B.D. 曾担任坦帕大学的校长，并在全国网赌正规平台担任了七年的校长，其中包括加强学术项目, increasing enrollment and improving the institution’s fiscal outlook.

最值得注意的是，1979年7月，大学的多栋校园建筑遭到严重破坏. In a span of days, 狂风暴雨严重损坏了奥利弗·德鲁斯美术大楼和威尔斯图书馆的屋顶, leading to significant water damage in both.

Then, on July 24, 行政大楼四楼以上的电气故障引发了一场大火，烧毁了大约60%的设施. The next morning, President Owens famously set a tone of strength and resilience for Northwest, 告诉聚集在查尔斯·约翰逊剧院的教职员工，他们将“照常工作”.”

“Dr. 欧文斯的领导和他那天早上发表的简单声明推动全国网赌正规平台进入了生命的下一个阶段,” Green said. “The fire was devastating, but this laid the groundwork for Dr. Owens to begin the conversation of building a new theater, a new academic space in the Wells Library, now Wells Hall, 并最终为1980年开始建设的新图书馆设施让路.

“It takes a special kind of leadership in times of crisis. Dr. 欧文斯在把全国网赌正规平台历史上一个可怕的时刻变成一个巨大的机会时表现出了勇敢和坚韧. 全国网赌正规平台不可能有今天的样子. B.D. Owens’ leadership.”

Simultaneously, 苏·欧文斯组织了一群西北公司雇员的配偶和社区成员来帮助清理行政大楼, called the Diamond Damsels. In the aftermath of the fire cleanup, 该组织继续在西北校区和玛丽维尔社区需要帮助的地方提供服务.

在行政大楼火灾后的几年里，他在全国网赌正规平台读本科, Steiner said, “我不得不说，我的经历是令人兴奋的——真的看到校园不仅恢复了，而且由于博士的聪明才智而显著改善. Owens, his staff and the considerable energy of the campus community.”