Baker-Berry Library

Library complex in New Hampshire, US

43°42′18″N 72°17′21″W / 43.70500°N 72.28917°W / 43.70500; -72.28917Location25 North Main Street, Hanover, New Hampshire, US, 03755-3564TypeAcademic libraryEstablished1928Other informationAffiliationDartmouth CollegeWebsitewww.dartmouth.edu/~library/bakerberry/

The Baker-Berry Library is the main library at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The fresco, The Epic of American Civilization, was painted by José Clemente Orozco in the lower level of the library, and is a National Historic Landmark.^[1] Baker's tower, designed after Independence Hall in Philadelphia, stands 200 feet above campus and is often used as an iconic representation of the college.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

History

The original, historic library building is the Fisher Ames Baker Memorial Library; it opened in 1928 with a collection of 240,000 volumes. The building was designed by Jens Fredrick Larson, modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and funded by a gift to Dartmouth College by George Fisher Baker in memory of his uncle, Fisher Ames Baker, Dartmouth class of 1859. The facility was expanded in 1941 and 1957–1958 and received its one millionth volume in 1970.

In 1992, John Berry and the Baker family donated US $30 million for the construction of a new facility, the Berry Library designed by architect Robert Venturi, adjoining the Baker Library. The new complex, the Baker-Berry Library, opened in 2000 and was completed in 2002.^[6] The Dartmouth College libraries presently hold over 2 million volumes in their collections.

Section, Dartmouth mural (1932–1934) by José Clemente Orozco
Departure of Quetzalcoatl, Dartmouth mural by José Clemente Orozco
Gods of the Modern World, Dartmouth mural by José Clemente Orozco

References

^ "AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS: Secretary Salazar, Director Jarvis Designate 13 New National Historic Landmarks". US Department of the Interior. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
^ Bruce, John (2007-04-10). "The Dartmouth Conundrum". The Dartmouth Review. Archived from the original on 30 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-24. the Baker Library spire (Baker being the signature Dartmouth building)
^ "Baker Library Bell Tower". Dartmouth College Libraries. Archived from the original on 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
^ Santos, Nicholas J (2004-09-17). "No Bridge Left Unburned: Rage at Dartmouth". The Dartmouth Free Press. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
^ "Dartmouth College's Berry/Baker Library" (PDF). The Observer. New Hampshire Society of Professional Engineers. February 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
^ About Baker-Berry Library