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History of Hill Memorial Library

  • 1903: LSU’s first purpose-built library, Hill Memorial Library, opened in downtown Baton Rouge. John Hill, Sr., a Scottish-born sugar planter in  West Baton Rouge Parish, provided funding for the library in memory of his son, John Hill, Jr. The new building housed 22,000 volumes. The library had, until that point, operated in one of two powder magazines of the former U. S. Arsenal (no longer in existence).
  • 1907: Hill Memorial Library became a Federal Depository Library, one of 43 in the United States. Libraries with this designation house and make available one of each government publication made available to depositories.
  • 1926: The present LSU campus – referred to as the “Greater University” – was dedicated. Hill was hailed by the Baton Rouge newspaper State Times as “one of the most modern and well equipped institutions of the kind in the South today” (see special “dedication” edition of April 30, 1926). Designed to serve 3,000 students, the library had the capacity for 60,000 volumes.
  • 1936-1939: Hill was ranked 10th in the nation in acquisitions; holdings increased to over 200,000 volumes. Approximately “two miles of books” (25,000 volumes) were added each year after its opening and space was at a premium. To alleviate overcrowding, eleven specialized branch libraries were established around campus. The archives were housed in the basement of the newly-constructed law school, for example. 

    Hill was invited to join the Association of Research Libraries, but the American Library Association reported that Hill no longer met their standards because of space issues. Students began a campaign for a better library and voted down a proposal for a union building in favor of a new library. Said one student, “We should build something we need instead of something which, in our weaker moments, we think we ought to have.”
  • 1941-1942: Hill served an enrollment of 7,500 and housed 275,000 volumes, some of which line the office walls of director James A. McMillen. Hill became a Library of Congress depository library.
  • 1947: Students revived the campaign for a new library. Enrollment surpassed the 10,000 mark and Hill had seating capacity for only 375 students; when no seats were available, students sat in the stairways. A report from Guy Lyle, library director at the University of Illinois, noted that Hill’s condition limited the types of assignments for undergraduates and thesis topics for graduate students. The report also stated that “the importance of air conditioning and good lighting for the library cannot be overemphasized,” and that “a new library be given a high priority on the University’s future building program.” Library conditions were detailed in a report titled The Library Building Situation at Louisiana State University: A Survey Report, with Recommendations, by Robert B. Downs.
  • 1947: The microfilm department officially opened.
  • 1950-1953: Hill held nearly 375,000 volumes. Planning began for a larger building with better lighting and reading areas within the stacks. LSU received funding to remodel the medical school, add seats to Tiger Stadium, and construct a new library, in that order. The medical school and Tiger Stadium were given priority by a majority of the members of the Board of Supervisors.
  • 1954: LSU's student newspaper, the Reveille, reported that of six major southern universities, LSU had the smallest and oldest library. Referencing a survey by the U.S. Bureau of Standards (that noted that a book's life was increased by 50% when in a climate-controlled environment), the Reveille concluded that because Hill was not air conditioned, the library was losing an estimated fifty cents for every dollar spent on books due to deterioration.
  • 1955-1957: Final plans were drawn up for the new library to be constructed in the north quadrangle. The 187,350-square foot building would have two floors plus a basement and cost $3.5 million. The planning committee commented “We wanted a building that will say ‘I was built in 1955.” Construction of the new library began on April 5, 1956. After the announcement was made that the new library would be called the LSU Library, prominent citizens from West Baton Rouge Parish (John Hill’s home) protested, calling for the new building to retain the name Hill Memorial Library.
  • 1958: Approximately 600,000 volumes and two million archival and manuscript items were moved from Hill on motorized conveyor belts to the newly-completed LSU Library. The new building had space for one million volumes on 22 miles of shelves. The LSU Library opened on September 12.
  • 1959: The architecture department, psychology clinic, and LSU Press moved into the renovated and renamed Hill Memorial Building. LSU Library’s photo duplication department and storage for infrequently used items remained at Hill.
  • 1960s-1970s: Hill was continuously used for various offices, storage, and LSU Library’s photo duplication department.
  • 1977: The Library Long Range Planning Committee began planning for renovating Hill into a special collections library that would house rare books, the Louisiana Collection, and the Department of Archives and Manuscripts.
  • 1983: Renovations began, including installation of climate control and fire suppression systems.
  • 1985: Renovations costing $4 million were completed and Hill Memorial Library reopened on June 17. The project included an overhaul of the stack space and creation of a lecture hall and exhibition gallery space.
  • 1986: Hill acquires Senator Russell Long’s papers and New Orleans photographer Clarence John Laughlin's book collection consisting of 33,000 titles. LOLA (Library On-Line Access), the library’s new computerized catalog, became available.
  • 1992: Hill celebrated the addition of its two-millionth volume, an illuminated manuscript Book of Hours from the 15th century.
  • 1995: Mary Garrett Hauer, a former LSU faculty member, died, bequeathing nearly $3 million for the benefit of the rare book collections at LSU.
  • 2001: Hill received an IMLS grant of $219,000 to fund the creation of the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial digital collection.
  • 2005: Hill received Louisiana Board of Regents Enhancement Grant of $400,000 to support a project to enhance access to Louisiana's historical newspapers.
  • 2009-13: Hill received three National Endowment for the Humanities National Digital Newspaper Program grants.
  • 2014: Hill Memorial Library lecture hall was used for a scene in a blockbuster film about Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four. The lecture hall was painted and renovated after filming.