History, 1905-1978

This record group pertains to the St. Catherine University Library and Archives. It includes material related to the Library's various departments and services, including Archives and Special Collections; public services (reference, research and instruction, circulation, interlibrary loan, etc.); and technical services (acquisitions, cataloging, serials, and other behind-the-scenes functions). There is a small amount of material related to the Performing Arts Library, which closed in 2004, and the Minneapolis Campus Library, which closed in March 2020. Likewise, there is limited material about Media Services (known in earlier years as Audio-Visual), which was part of the Library from September 1973 until 2018. The Library's participation in the CLIC consortium, as well as earlier cooperative arrangements, are well-documented. One record series relates specifically to library technology; however, the impact of burgeoning technologies and digital resources is a recurrent theme in almost every series.

Information about the administration of the library is plentiful, and encompasses assessment, planning, budget, fund-raising, grants (including one grant that brought interns from historically black colleges to the Library), committees, personnel (including staff, faculty, and student assistants), and staff meetings.

Also present are records that document the staff's ongoing efforts to evaluate, advocate for, and improve the library's space and furnishings. Additional records about the library building are housed in the Buildings and Grounds records. Photographs of the Library building are housed in the Photograph Collection.