y did President Tappan make the Library one of his first
interests, but the Regents came to realize the desirability of regular
support. This inaugurated a period of ever-increasing growth, which has
placed the Library well to the front among American college libraries.
Progress at first was rather slow, only about 800 volumes were added
each year up to 1877, when the Librarian reported that there were almost
24,000 volumes in the collection. Not very large even then; but the rate
increased from that time, rapidly, and at the present time the Library
numbers some 430,000 volumes including the departmental collections.

In 1877 the Legislature was brought to see the imperative need of an
adequate library and made a special appropriation of $5,000, which was
renewed every two years, and even gradually increased, until in 1891 the
amount appropriated was $15,000, with a grand total over a period of
fifteen years of $79,000. These biennial appropriations ended in 1893
with the increase of the mill-tax from one-twentieth to one-sixth of a
mill. This enabled the Regents to double the income of the Library,
making it $15,000 annually. The income increased gradually until the
library budget of 1920 was over $150,000, of which $50,000 represents
the approximate cost of books; the balance being spent for the salaries
of the large staff which is necessitated by a library of this size.

[Illustration: THE NEW LIBRARY]

Upon the completion of the first Law Building in 1863 the Library was
given new and better quarters where it remained until the old Library
was completed in 1883. This was at the time considered the last word in
a college library and was dedicated with special exercises at which an
address was given by Dr. Justin Winsor, Librarian of Harvard University.
For thirty-five years this building, situated at the center of the
Campus, with its picturesque twin towers rising above the ivy-covered
apse, served the University well. Here was not only the center of
academic life, but from one of the towers the Campus clock chimed the
hours and quarters for the convenience of the students. In the end,
however, the old building proved inadequate and unsafe for the valuable
collections it housed, in spite of an increase in stack capacity in
1899. The building was therefore finally removed to make way for the new
Library, completed in 1919, which, through its perfect adaptation to the
purposes for which it is designed, is considered