The Jacob A. and Bertha Goldfarb Library celebrated its 60th anniversary on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Librarians, faculty and students gathered in the Brandeis National Committee Tribute Room of the library to celebrate the anniversary.
Those present spoke of the library’s history and those who had made it possible, and afterwards shared a cake in honor of the occasion, after singing “Happy Birthday” to the building. After the event University Librarian Matthew Sheehy and Senior Facilities Coordinator Martha Barry spoke to The Brandeis Hoot about the library’s history and future.
According to Barry, the library, first built in 1959, was funded by the Goldfarbs, prominent philanthropists who made their money from Jacob Goldfarb’s company, Fruit of the Loom. Fruit of the Loom is a clothing manufacturer, with emphasis on underwear and sports equipment.
The library was built to replace the old library Brandeis University inherited from Middlesex University, the school which previously occupied Brandeis’ present location. Sheehy and Barry also spoke about the role of the Brandeis National Women’s Committee, now the Brandeis National Committee, in assembling the library’s collection of books.
Sheehy also spoke about the library’s evolution. The library has changed significantly in both function and purpose over the six decades it has existed, said Sheehy. In addition to the main building, Goldfarb Library has been added onto with the Rapaporte Treasure Hall, the Robert D. Farber Archives and the construction of the adjacent Farber Library. Sheehy also spoke about the transition from a card catalog to a digital system, the addition of computers, and recently the addition of 3D printers.
Sheehy then described the changing nature of the library’s function for students. Due to the ease of finding information on the internet, the library no longer needs to serve as a repository of information, and librarians need not be the gatekeepers of said information, said Sheehy. Instead, he said, the library can serve as a place for students to work, study and learn, while librarians can help students with research and accessing the unique archives possessed by the library.
In addition to its academic functions, Sheehy highlighted the library’s collection of books for recreational reading. Sheehy described the collection as “eclectic,” as a result of the library’s policy of buying a wide variety of books, not just best sellers.
In addition to the library’s collection, which exceeds one million books, Sheehy mentioned the library’s recent collaboration with several other networks of local libraries, allowing students access to several millions more books.
When asked about the future of the library, both Sheehy and Barry stated that it would certainly continue to evolve, though neither provided any specific information about planned changes. Both Sheehy and Barry encourage students to go by the library, introduce themselves to the librarians and check out books.
