Blagg-Huey Library, Denton, TX
The Library Land Project’s focus has always been on public libraries. But today, we will shine the spotlight on an academic one. Despite the bustling activity happening outside its doors (it was graduation day after all), the Blagg-Huey Library at the Texas Woman’s University was peaceful and quiet. When you first walk in, visitors are greeted by an impressive atrium and the circulation and reference desks. Looking up into the open air, one can see the ceiling decorated with stunning stained-glass work. The lobby says this is a place where one can pursue higher learning. When our awe subsided, we continued our exploration of the library.
It was interesting seeing a children’s collection on the first floor. There were several stacks of compact shelving, and a play/story time area was also evident. We stored this information in the corner of our minds and decided to ask about this with at least the librarian at the circulation desk as we were leaving. The rest of this floor had additional shelving, lots of workspaces for individual and group work, and technology services available. After attempting to decipher a previous group’s medical assignment notes left behind on a whiteboard, we moved on to the next floor.
The second floor housed the library’s archives and special collections. Two librarians (apologies for forgetting your wonderful names!) were kind enough to provide more information about the library and a tour of the collections currently on display. They told us that if you were a resident of the area, you could have a community card, which allowed access to the library. Which explained why there was a children’s section on the main floor. In fact, there are plans to put a Montessori school on campus to continue supporting the community.
The collections on display had ties to Texas and the surrounding states. For example, gowns were worn by the first ladies (governors, presidents, other politicians) and a Hall of Fame of Southern and Southwestern women who made their mark on American history. The WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) archive boasts of having over one million original documents. This floor alone was well worth the visit to the library!
The librarians also gave us a quick rundown of what to expect from the other floors of the library. There was a garden floor in the basement, which was for quiet study only. In fact, when we did make our way down there, there were signs that said the floor required absolute silence. The top floor had additional shelving where one could browse through and had additional areas for quiet study. This top floor was where we could really admire the stained glass we first saw when we first came into the library. In total, we got to browse and explore through all four floors.
We made our way to the circulation desk as we were leaving. We had wanted to speak to someone at the desk about the possibility of acquiring a community card. And we were! It had a fun, old school element to it. A visitor writes their name in the box, and it's laminated so it's protected for future use. We pocketed our treasure and finally noticed the Starbucks near the entrance as we were leaving. That Starbucks must have seen many a student grabbing fuel for late-night study sessions.
The Blagg-Huey Library is a stunning monument to education. The decor is beautiful, and the displays on each floor were aesthetically pleasing while also being informative. Our favorite part was the staff. Everyone was so friendly! When we first entered the building, a librarian greeted us and congratulated Rachael on graduating (she was still wearing her robes). The librarians made their southern hospitality evident to these visiting Yankees.