Hannon Library guests tour trove of bibliographic treasures
By Bob & Tracy Palermini for Ashland.news
In honor of National Library Week, Friends of the Ashland Public Library were treated on Friday to a tour of Southern Oregon University’s Hannon Library by SOU University Librarian Dr. Carrie Forbes.
The current library building is a combination of a 1967 building and the 2005 addition that increased the total square footage to 122,830. It contains about 340,000 print volumes and 115,000 e-books, 296,000 government publications, and 1,689 periodical, serial, and newspaper subscriptions.
The library is open to the public Sunday through Friday (1 to 9 p.m. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays). The community is welcome to visit the art exhibits and explore the books, magazines, newspapers, and other materials.
The library also houses a number of special services, including a U.S. Passport Acceptance Facility which is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Housed in the Special Collections are books, maps and manuscripts, including materials related to Southern Oregon history, culture and environment. Margery Bailey, a former Stanford professor and Oregon Shakespeare Festival actor who worked with Angus Bowmer, donated an extensive collection of Shakespeare materials, much of which is available to be checked out by library patrons.
The highlight of the tour was the opportunity to view several pieces from the special collection that are normally kept in the library’s climate-controlled vault.
Bob & Tracy Palermini are residents of Ashland, where he is staff photographer for Ashland.news, as well a board member. Email Bob at bobpal@gmail.com.
