Low Memorial Library

The Low Memorial Library of Columbia University was built in 1895 by University President Seth Low as the University's central library. Financed with $1 million of Low's own money due to the recalcitrance of university alumni (a recurring problem throughout the university's history), he named it in memory of his father, Abiel Abbot Low. "Neither low nor a library," (as described by a popular quip) however, it has housed the central administrative offices of the university ever since the completion of the Butler Library in 1934, and is the focal point and most prominent building on the university's Morningside Heights campus.

The steps leading to the library's columned facade are a popular meeting place for Columbia students as well as home to Daniel Chester French's sculpture, Alma Mater, a university symbol. Low Library was officially named a New York City landmark in 1967, with the interior being designated in 1981, then a National Historic Landmark twenty years later.

Columbia University

Columbia University (officially Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private, Ivy League, research university in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of George II of Great Britain and is the oldest college in New York State as well as the fifth chartered institution of higher learning in the country, making Columbia one of nine colonial colleges founded before the Declaration of Independence. After the revolutionary war, King's College briefly became a state entity, and was renamed Columbia College in 1784. A 1787 charter placed the institution under a private board of trustees before it was renamed Columbia University in 1896 when the campus was moved from Madison Avenue to its current location in Morningside Heights occupying land of 32 acres (13 ha). Columbia is one of the fourteen founding members of the Association of American Universities, and was the first school in the United States to grant the M.D. degree.

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States and is the United States' 27th-most extensive, fourth-most populous, and seventh-most densely populated state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south and Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont to the east. The state has a maritime border in the Atlantic Ocean with Rhode Island, east of Long Island, as well as an international border with the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the north and Ontario to the west and north. The state of New York, with an estimated 19.8 million residents in 2015, is often referred to as New York State to distinguish it from New York City, the state's most populous city and its economic hub.

With an estimated population of nearly 8.5 million in 2014, New York City is the most populous city in the United States and the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States. The New York City Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. New York City is a global city, exerting a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment, its fast pace defining the term New York minute. The home of the United Nations Headquarters, New York City is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural and financial capital of the world, as well as the world's most economically powerful city. New York City makes up over 40% of the population of New York State. Two-thirds of the state's population lives in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and nearly 40% live on Long Island. Both the state and New York City were named for the 17th century Duke of York, future King James II of England. The next four most populous cities in the state are Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, and Syracuse, while the state capital is Albany.

Edmon Low

Edmon Low (January 4, 1902 - December 2, 1983) was the head librarian of the Oklahoma State University Library from 1940–1967. His service in this position is the longest to date. During his time at Oklahoma State, Low was strongly involved with the construction of the present Edmon Low Library building, the main library of the Oklahoma State University System, named after his contributions to the university. Low was instrumental in having the library staff elevated to faculty status at OSU. One of Low's more notable contributions to the library system was his development of the open stack approach in library service.

Early life

Edmon Low was born in 1902, before Oklahoma had been granted statehood, to Foster Lafayette Low & Katherine Horton Low in Kiowa Indian Territory. He had one brother, Lee, and graduated from high school in 1920 in Tishomingo, OK. Upon graduation from high school, Low worked at a bank for a short time before enrolling at East Central State College in Ada, OK.

Edmon Low Library

The Edmon Low Library (ELL) is the main library of the Oklahoma State University System. It is located on the main campus of the university in Stillwater.

The library holds more than 3 million volumes, and offers Internet access to online users through its expanded website and web-based catalog.

Established in 1953, the Edmon Low Library is named after Edmon Low, a former university librarian who served until his retirement in 1967. Low worked with OSU President Henry G. Bennett to build a new library building, one that would become the center of the Oklahoma State University - Stillwater campus following the completion of Bennett's Twenty-Five Year Plan.

History

Though the Edmon Low Library building has only been on the campus of OSU - Stillwater since 1953, OSU has had a library since the establishment of the school in 1890. For many years the Library collection was housed in various homes and office of the University faculty. In 1894, the Library found its first official home in Old Central. The Library shared a single room with the English department.