By Jackie Roberts
Contributing Writer
For decades, the Friedsam Memorial Library has been a hideaway for stressed Bonaventure students running on caffeine and adrenaline. The building is not only a place for students seeking silence and solitude, but also symbolizes the Franciscan values held so dear to the Bonaventure community.
Tami Attwell, library secretary, raved about plans for the 75th anniversary of the library.
“The last celebration of the library was 25 years ago, for the 50th anniversary,” Attwell said.
Two librarians working the front desk added that Father Ireneaus Hersher, the campus’ first librarian, tried to hold an anniversary event every year from 1938 to 1970. This anniversary is significant because it is the 75th, but also because it recognizes the growth over its past seven-and-a-half decades.
The library opened on March 7, 1938, and was funded by money donated by the foundation of Col. Michael Friedsam, according to the Olean Times Herald. The colonel set aside the majority of his fortune to form a foundation that donated money to institutions that promoted the betterment of youth and the human condition.
A campus press release stated that though the Friedsam was not the first library on campus, it serves as an example of the Franciscan themes of growth and prosperity taught at Bona’s. The former library was located for more than 50 years in what is now known as Alumni Hall. When the number of books outweighed the available space in Alumni Hall, the books moved to the Friedsam.
The library now holds more than 375,000 titles. In addition to the literary works that call Friedsam home, the library also has 35,000 newspaper and periodical articles.
“The library is a very important resource,” Attwall said. “It is rich in history, with a rare book collection. This anniversary is special and significant because it shows the library has grown as the education at St. Bonaventure has grown with it.”
The Holy Name Library for the Franciscan Institute, added to the Friedsam in 2008, is home to the rare book collection and protects more than 9,000 titles. Included are Thomas Merton’s journals.
According to a university press release, the collection on campus has been noticed by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Bona’s students also show their gratitude for the library’s anniversary.
“I love the library. We’re lucky here on campus to have such a great place to work and research,” said Amber Williams, a freshman journalism and mass communication major. “I’m glad to see the school celebrating it.”
Aside from the thousands of titles that students have access to in the library, they also have other resources such as computer labs and a digital media center.
The anniversary ceremony took place yesterday at the Friedsam Library. During the program, campus figures including Sister Margaret Carney, O.S.F., university president, gave remarks on the history and legacies surrounding the library. Father Francis DiSpigno, O.F.M., executive director of University Ministries, delivered a prayer to bless the institution.
The celebration demonstrated how grateful students and staff at St. Bonaventure are to have the Friedsam Library on campus.
