The Baker-Berry Library is the main
library
A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
in
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. The
fresco
Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
, ''
The Epic of American Civilization'', was painted by
José Clemente Orozco in the lower level of the library, and is a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
.
Baker's tower, designed after
Independence Hall
Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, stands 200 feet above campus and is often used as an iconic representation of the college.
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
Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by the Founding Fathers of ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, and funded by a gift to
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
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
Robert Charles Venturi Jr. (June 25, 1925 – September 18, 2018) was an American architect, founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.
Together with his wife and partner, Denise Scott Brown, he helped shape the way that ...
, adjoining the Baker Library. The new complex, the Baker-Berry Library, opened in 2000 and was completed in 2002.
About Baker-Berry Library
/ref> The Dartmouth College libraries presently hold over 2 million volumes in their collections.
Image:Orozco - Dartmouth c.JPG, Section, Dartmouth mural (1932–1934) by José Clemente Orozco
Image:Orozco - Dartmouth a.JPG, Departure of Quetzalcoatl, Dartmouth mural by José Clemente Orozco
Image:Orozco - Dartmouth b.JPG, Gods of the Modern World, Dartmouth mural by José Clemente Orozco
References
Further reading
*
External links
History of the Dartmouth College Library
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University and college academic libraries in the United States
Dartmouth College facilities
Libraries in Grafton County, New Hampshire
Clock towers in New Hampshire
Library buildings completed in 1928
Federal depository libraries
1928 establishments in New Hampshire