A Library Christmas Carol

In the spirit of the holidays and drawing inspiration from Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol, we’ve been digging in the University Archives to come up with the ghosts of Lupton Library.

Ghost of Library Past

Did you know that the library was previously housed in Fletcher Hall?

Student researching the old school way: with a card catalog. Photo courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, UTC Library, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. — Student researching the old school way: with a card catalog!

Fletcher Hall still bears the unmistakable signs of having been home to the university's library in days past. Photo courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, UTC Library, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. — Fletcher Hall still bears the unmistakable signs of having been the library.

Students hard at work in the library in Fletcher Hall. Photo courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, UTC Library, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. — Students hard at work in the library in Fletcher Hall.

Ghost of Library Present

Lupton Library opened it’s doors to students in 1974. The 1974 Moccasin even featured an ode to the growing campus:

U.T.C.’s expanding campus continues to grow,
we watched the library, energy facility,
student center and student housing rise
all in the midst of tons of mud and dirt
…pedestrian detours
…whistling construction workers
…and the never ending search for a parking space.

Sound familiar?

Lupton Library under construction. Photo courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, UTC Library, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. — Lupton Library under construction.

The library's catalog goes online! Photo courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, UTC Library, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. — The library’s catalog goes online!

Student researchers make the transition from pen and paper to computers. Photo courtesy of Special Collections & University Archives, UTC Library, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. — Student researchers make the transition from pen and paper to computers.

Since 1974 UTC has increased enrollment by over two-thirds, growing from a count of approximately 4,574 to 9,553 students in 2007, making Fall 2014 the perfect time to move in to a new space.

Ghost of Library Yet to Come

Unlike Scrooge, we’ve got nothing to fear! Read up on the New Library.

Sources

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga photographs. Special Collections & University Archives, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Moccasin. Chattanooga, Tenn: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 1900.