The History of the Library
In honor of their fellow classmates who lost their lives in WWI, the Class of 1914 established a textbook-lending library in 1920. In constant operation since that time, today it presently serves approximately 900 financial aid students who are entitled to borrow from its 35,000 volume collection.
On Opening Day, the Wednesday before classes start each semester, a long line of students winds its way around stanchions set up in the parking lot outside the door of the 1914 Memorial Library in hopeful anticipation of borrowing many textbooks from this unusual lending library.
The Williams College 1914 Memorial Library is located directly behind Water Street Books at 26 Water Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. More about the 1914 Library can be found on Williams College's own wiki, Willipedia.
A Note from the Coordinator
Borrowing books is an incredible idea and fantastically cost effective. Whatever books I am not able to lend can be purchased by the students with their vouchers and, therefore, will be available to other students in years to come. I can't count the number of seniors who have told me that in four years at Williams, they spent under $200 on books because of the 1914 Library. (Generally, the average cost of books is $600 per semester.)
The 1914 Library gives clear evidence of the College's commitment to need-blind admissions. The Library's very existence and its ongoing support is proof that the College wants to make a Williams education an achievable goal for every Financial Aid student. Personally, it gives me great satisfaction seeing the surprise on the face of a student when I hand over a stack of required textbooks. The many thanks that I hear leave no doubt in my mind that the students appreciate this resource.
If you would like to know more about the 1914 library, please e-mail Felicia Pharr, the Coordinator of the 1914 Library.