Edmon Low Library

The current Oklahoma State University library was constructed in nineteen fifty three as a part of President Henry G. Bennetts’ twenty five year plan to develop the campus. His plan was to center the campus around a new library and so he acquired the help of library director Edmon Low and they quickly put the project into action. The Edmon Low library was constructed in the center of campus and with its beautiful Georgian style architecture, it quickly became a popular spot to study for many students due to its multiple floors that vary in noise intensity.

Before the construction of Edmon Low, the university had housed the library in various buildings, ranging from homes, office buildings, to Old Central where it was in the same room as the English Department. It was located there for seven years until Williams hall was constructed where it then moved to a room on the first floor. In nineteen twenty one the first building constructed solely for the purpose of housing the library was completed and that is where the library was housed until nineteen fifty three with the completion of Edmon Low library.

Edmon Low was designed with five floors and a basement level that houses over one million volumes of books along with several resource centers for students looking for specific items. Along with that though, there are rooms for studying where students looking for some peace and quiet away from the rest of campus or simply to get out of their dorm can occupy for hours at a time. Within these rooms are white boards, though colored the university’s signature orange, and televisions that students can use at their leisure. Featured outside the library, there is a fountain that is dyed the universities signature orange every year for homecoming as well as a bell tower on the top of the library that plays the Oklahoma State University Alma Mater. At night you can often see it lit up a soft blue color whenever there is no home game, on home game nights though you can often look up to see the bell tower is lit up a bright orange in an effort to show school spirit.

I took the opportunity to request an interview with Holly Reiter, a librarian at Edmon Low and professor with the university, about her time with the university and working in the library. Professor Reiter has been with Oklahoma State for five years since twenty sixteen, having previously worked a librarian’s job in the northwestern state of Washington. “They had a job opening that fit my skills and I did the interview and managed to get the job so I moved here from Washington State.” she explained to me during the interview. We talked about her moving and how coming to Oklahoma State was such a big move and how it was really beneficial to her career in the educational field. We discussed life in Stillwater and if she liked the appeal of working in smaller cities and if the city was to her liking, “When I first came here it actually reminded me a lot of the town I grew up in and I really like smaller areas because I just feel like it’s less hectic than a big city.”

Having discussed her time in Stillwater and how she gets along with the city and how adjusting to living in a new state was, we began discussing more about the library itself. We discussed her time in Edmon Low and whether she enjoyed working there or not as the office space can appear to be a bit cramped. “No, I love it. I mean, I know for some people it can be a little confusing and big and overwhelming. But I went to grad school at a school of 40,000 people that had like 10 different libraries on campus. So yeah, so coming here like it’s not super big to me, but it’s big enough.” she explained. We talked a bit more in depth about the building itself and how the view and architecture truly compliment the buildings around itself. “What would you say is your favorite part of the library to be in?” She thought about it for a moment before responding to me, “I really love being out in the front by the fountain. I think being there is just- I love listening to the water and watching people walk by, and then up on the fourth floor, where they have the big windows towards the front of the building that look out like, over the lawn and you can see like, across the whole campus, it’s very pretty up there.” It was very easy to understand where she was coming from as the Oklahoma sunsets are truly breathtaking and nearly incomparable to anywhere else in the world. She then went on to explain that since the floors have different levels of noise, that the fourth floor is probably the best in terms of relaxing and studying while watching the sunset. “It’s one of the quiet study areas. So sometimes if I need to read something like an article or something for work, I’ll go up there and read and then I have the beautiful scenery and it’s quiet so I can concentrate.”

In summary, the Oklahoma State Library has brought together not only students and faculty, but an entire community in search of learning and furthering their knowledge. Edmon Low has done just this and has provided students with a safe space to study and relax, librarians with jobs, and faculty with resources for education, for over sixty eight years. That is a bit over half a hundred years of serving the people of Oklahoma State, and it’s beautiful facade is tell-tale proof that it is truly the heart of campus. From its brick outlayer, to its carpeted and wood flooring, there is no other place to be than Edmon Low.