Microcomputers were introduced to the University Libraries (now the Hesburgh Libraries) in 1983. The first PCs were used by staff (rather than patrons) for word processing, spreadsheets and file management. Later in the 1980s, the Libraries provided patrons access to PCs with bibliographic databases on CD-ROMs. Toward the end of the 1980s, University officers acknowledged that there was a deficiency in computer facilities on campus and undertook a major funding effort to rectify the situation. In October 1988, computer labs opened in O'Shaughnessy Hall and LaFortune. In partnership with the Office of University Computing (now known as the Office of Information Technology) a third computer lab would soon open in Hesburgh Library.
During the fall of 1988, the space was cleared outside the Reserve Book Room on the second floor. Christmas break saw the beginning of construction. By January, the new lab space was be ready for equipment. According to an Observer article from February 1989, the recently completed LaFortune lab would begin a 24-hour schedule in April, replacing the 24-hour lab in the Computing Center-Mathematics Building (CCMB), and the microcomputers from the CCMB lab would be moved to the new lab in Hesburgh Library.
The Hesburgh computer lab had about 40 Macintosh computers and about 30 DOS-based PCs, running general productivity applications such as word processors and spreadsheet software. Apple LaserWriters were available for printing. The 50th anniversary of the Hesburgh Library also marks the 25th anniversary of the Library’s first computer lab.
Although the computers had been replaced and upgraded several times, students' needs continued to evolve and the Hesburgh Lab began to show its age. In 2006 the Libraries and the OIT collaborated to plan for a new lab area on the first floor. The physical area was about the same as the old space, but the technology and study spaces were more varied. The lab featured an open design, new furniture emphasized group use of computing equipment, and comfortable chairs with fold-out desks invited students to use their laptops. For those students who didn't want to carry their own laptops to the Library, a number of laptops would be available at the circulation desk for short-term loan.
Over the years, the computer expanded into more of a technology commons and still occupies much of the first floor of Hesburgh Library. As new equipment and technologies rapidly emerge in this digital landscape, the resources, services and expertise of the Libraries will continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of faculty and students in the 21st century.
Experience 50 Milestones through the life of the Hesburgh Library!
Like Hesburgh Libraries on Facebook and follow @NDLibraries on Twitter.
