People often say you can’t know your future without knowing your past. And the same can be said for the future of an academic institution continuing to shape future generations. But, as students, faculty, staff and alumni of the University of Toledo, how well do we know its history? This series, entitled #RocketBlastFromThePast, was started by Juice House as a social media series to discover our shared legacy as Toledo Rockets by diving into the digital archives of the Canaday Center and sharing interesting tidbits and fun facts of UToledo’s rich history that encourages a sense of pride in our institution. Now brought to you as a collection, it’s more than a trip down memory lane; it’s an exploration and transportation from the past to the present, with a vision and inspiration guiding us into a bright future and beyond.
This week’s #rocketblastfromthepast 🚀 takes us to the future site — at the time — of the Carlson Library, where it currently sits today. Although a new library building had been opened not long before in 1953 at Gillham Hall, demand for a new library building was high by the late 1960s as the student population and the library’s collection both grew.
Groundbreaking of the new library occurred in December 1970 and cost $7 million dollars, the most expensive project the University of Toledo had funded up to that point. It officially opened in April 1973 and was named after William S. Carlson, the president who initiated the idea for the new building and who was one of the longest serving presidents in the University’s history. At the time of its construction, it was one of the largest libraries among state schools. Today, the Carlson Library features over half a million physical books, electronic book collections, academic support services, study environments and more across its six floors.
This series is continuing to grow! To stay up to date with new posts in this social media series, follow Juice House at @juicehousetoledo.