University Libraries

The University Libraries at Old Dominion University (ODU) consist of the Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library, the Music Library, and the Elise N. Hofheimer Library.

History

The first library at the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary was located in Room 18 of the Old Larchmont School on the corner of Bolling Avenue and Hampton Boulevard. In 1931, the collection consisted of 200 books and was judged so limited that professors would bring in books from their own libraries to supplement the collection. With the expansion of the division, a new Administration Building (now Alfred B. Rollins, Jr. Hall) was completed in 1936 and housed a new library to seat 60 users and approximately 2000 volumes. As the division continued to grow in the 1940s and 1950s, more space was added to the library and eventually was located on two floors and housed over 30,000 volumes. When the division began to create four year degrees in the early 1950s, the idea of a dedicated library building began to take shape to house all the volumes needed for the new programs. Built in 1958 and dedicated in 1959, the Hughes Library was named after Robert Morton Hughes, a Norfolk attorney and supporter of the division. The 52,000 square-foot, two-story structure consisted of large reading areas and open stacks on the first floor and space for classrooms, staff offices, and an auditorium for special events on the second floor. The building had a capacity to store approximately 150,000 volumes. An art library was established in 1963 inside the Fine Arts Building by Elise Hofheimer, a Norfolk native and philanthropist, who gave money and pieces of her art collection to the new library.

By the early 1970s, the capacity of Hughes Library reached over 400,000 volumes for the newly created university, and for the second time in twenty years, a new library building was needed. The New Library Building, located at the corner of Bluestone Avenue and 43rd Street, opened in 1976 but by 1981 had reached capacity. In 1982, the art library was formally dedicated as the Elise N. Hofheimer Art Library and a collection endowment was named in her honor. In 1994, Jean Major, the University Librarian, and First Lady Donna Koch created the Friends of the Libraries organization to provide extra financial assistance for library acquisitions and services. Over the the years, to help raise funds for the Libraries, the FOL have held annual dinners with authors such as Alf Mapp, Jr., Michael D’Orso, and Larry J. Sabato; hosted lectures on various topics; and even created a “Baskets for Books” program, where each basket scored at an ODU Men’s Basketball game provided money for the Libraries. A 76,000 square-foot addition to Perry Library was completed in 1998 and dedicated in April 1999 as the Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library in honor of Patricia Perry, class of 1989, and her husband Douglas Perry, co-founder of Dollar Tree. Dedicated in 1997, the F. Ludwig Diehn Composers Room features the music library and a reading room for viewing musician’s manuscripts. To help students complete their undergraduate degrees in four years and create an environment of student success, the Learning Commons @ Perry Library was completed in 2011 and offers collaboration rooms, research assistance and equipment loans, computers, courses and workshops, and academic tutoring for students.

Departments

University Archives

The University Archives, which documents the history of Old Dominion from its founding in 1930, was created in 1974 with Dr. James R. Sweeney, a history professor, as the first University Archivist. In 1976, the scope of the archives was changed to also include local history collections. In 1978, the name of the archives was changed into the Department of Archives and Manuscripts and became a department within the library the following year. In 1998, the department re-branded itself as Special Collections and University Archives.

University Librarians

Dorothy Pierce, 1937-1948

Dorothy Pierce was the first full-time trained librarian at the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary. Ms. Pierce was an alumna of the Norfolk Division and a 1937 graduate of the College of William & Mary with a major in library science. She was paid a salary of $750 her first year. Ms. Pierce’s work consisted of ordering and accessioning new books, putting materials on reserve, circulation duties, and helping the students located books. Although she never held academic rank, she was listed as a member of the faculty, and in 1948, married a fellow faculty member, Ralph Ladd, and moved to Boston.

Louise Bethea, 1948-1954

Louisa Bethea served as librarian from 1948 to 1954 and was a graduate of the Emory University library school. After she left the Norfolk Division in 1954, Ms. Bethea worked at the Wake Forest College and the North Carolina State libraries. She returned to the Norfolk Division in 1958 to serve as the cataloger and remained until her retirement in 1968.

William C. Pollard, 1954-1966

William C. Pollard received his education in librarianship at Florida State University and was recruited to the Norfolk Division in 1954 to serve as the Acting Librarian for one year. Originally hired to be the technical processing librarian, Mr. Pollard was appointed the college librarian at Norfolk in 1955 after another candidate, James Servies, elected to stay at William & Mary. He oversaw the transition of the library from the Administration Building to the first, dedicated library building, Hughes Hall, in 1958. In 1966, Pollard left Old Dominion College to serve as the college librarian at William & Mary.

Brewster Peabody, 1966-1976

After the departure of William C. Pollard, Brewster Peabody was appointed college librarian in 1966 from Southern Illinois University at Evansville. His tenure at Old Dominion lasted until 1977 when he left the college to serve in the gift section of the Library of Congress. He received his library education from the University of Michigan.

Cynthia B. Duncan, 1977-1991

Dr. Cynthia B. Duncan came to ODU in 1977 as the director of the University Library from Northeast Louisiana University and oversaw the transition of the library from Hughes Hall to the newly constructed New Library Building. She was the first female librarian as well as the first librarian to hold a Ph.D. In 1979, Dr. Duncan’s position title changed from director to Dean of Library Services.

Jean Major, 1992-2002

Jean Major came to ODU in 1992 as the University Librarian. Under her tenure, the library received a large donation from Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry to name the library after them, the F. Ludwig Diehn Composers Room was created, services for distance learning students were initiated, and an electronic information resource center was established at the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center.

Virginia O’Herron, 2002-2014

Virginia O’Herron was selected as the Acting University Librarian in 2002 and became the University Librarian in 2004.

George Fowler, 2014-2020

George Fowler was selected as the Acting University Librarian in 2014 and became the University Librarian in 2015.

Stuart Frazer, 2020-2022

Stuart Frazer served as the Interim University Librarian from 2020 until the selection of Tim Hackman as the Dean of Libraries in 2022. 

Tim Hackman, Dean of Libraries, 2022-present

Resources

1. Old Dominion University Libraries Records, Special Collections and University Archives, Patricia W. and J. Douglas Perry Library, Old Dominion University Libraries, Norfolk, VA 23529.
2. Old Dominion University Photographic and Multimedia Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Perry Library, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529.
3. ODU Photographic Collection, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Collections, Old Dominion University Libraries.
4. Building the University, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Exhibit, 2005.

References

1. Major, Jean A, Old Dominion University Library: History, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va., 2002.
2. Bookman, Steven and Jessica Ritchie. Old Dominion University: A Campus History Series.  Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, South Carolina, 2017.