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History of the Library

In 1904 the famed philanthropist Andrew Carnegie provided $20,000 in monetary funds to General Oliver Otis Howard for a library building that was finished two years later.  At this time in the history of Lincoln Memorial University, Dr. William L. Stooksbury (1904-1910) was the President of this independent four-year college nestled among the Cumberland Mountains adjacent to historic Cumberland Gap.  

The library expansion program was first demonstrated in the dedication of the Bert Vincent Memorial Library addition in 1974.  Bert Vincent, a much-loved and quoted journalist (1896-1969) in the vein of Ernie Pyle, was a newsman for 50 years and a columnist for the Knoxville News-Sentinel nearly forty of those years.  Vincent often wrote heartfelt and glowing reviews of the campus he had grown to love and admire through the years.  The Carnegie-Vincent Library was re-dedicated May 7, 1988 during the tenure of President Gary J. Burchett. 

Today, this renovated building shows expansion of the facilities to the Harold M. Finley Learning Resources Center.  Named in honor of distinguished trustee Harold M. Finley, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (1981-1999), it was dedicated May 13, 1989 during the administration of Dr. Gary J. Burchett.  This expanded facility features the TAGGE Center for Academic Excellence, with additional space for the periodicals and reference collection, as well as professional reference services.    

References:

1. Suppiger, Joseph E.  The Phoenix of the Mountains.  3^rd ed.  Harrogate, Tenn.: Lincoln Memorial University Press, 2001.

2. http://excellent.com.utk.edu/~journal/Vincent.html

3. Press release: http://www.lmunet.edu/news/finley.htm