Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/420

 366 A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO It will be recalled that one of the five general Divisions of the University was that of the Libraries, Laboratories, and Museums. The Division was not at first organized under a single head. At the outset there were no laboratories and no museums. There was, however, a library and, indeed, a large one. It was made up of the Berlin Collection, then estimated to contain one hundred and seventy-five thousand volumes, the library of the Theological Seminary, forty thousand volumes, and that of the Old Uni- versity, given to the new one by John A. Reichelt, ten thousand volumes. It is certain that these estimates were excessive. In addition to the above a small collection had been given before the opening by Rev. Robert Cotton. Books, moreover, began to be purchased, particularly for the departmental libra- ries, several months before the University opened, and it is safe to say that it began its work with more than two hundred thousand books. During the first ten years there were added by gift, purchase, and exchange, in round numbers, one hundred and ten thousand volumes. Mrs. Zella A. Dixson was in charge of the libraries from 1891 to 1910, first as assistant and later as associate Librarian. As fast as laboratories were provided the leading professor in each was made Director. The unity of the Division was secured by the appointment of the Administrative Board of Libraries, Laboratories, and Museums. Following the erection of Walker and Haskell Museums, collections of museum material began to accumulate. Moreover the University theory of educa- tion demanded, not only departmental libraries, but also depart- mental museums, and in the early years museum collections began to be formed. In 1904 eight departmental museums had been formally recognized, although in some of them little or no progress had been made. As the University grew, as new laboratories were erected, and new museum collections accumulated, the effort to maintain the unity of the Division was abandoned and in 1903-4 the single administrative board became two; which, after some tentative combinations, became the Board of Libraries, the Board of Laboratories, and the Board of Museums. Professor Ernest D. Burton was appointed Director of Libraries in 1910. For several years Mr. Burton had devoted much atten-