Interesting Facts About the Concord Library

Concord University’s Library is anything but boring – it has rooms full of treasures and history, and some services and perks not many people know about; in fact, only some students know how to use it. The Concordian talked to Connie Shumate, the Director of Marsh Library, to collect this set of facts and services you might not have known about.

    The library’s collection is made up of 160,000 items. 

8,000 – 10,000 of these items are old books from the special collection on the third floor. These books are a hundred years old or older and they cannot be checked out from the library, but students, staff, and community members can still access them. “There are some beautiful, absolutely beautiful books,” says Connie Shumate. The oldest book the library has in its collection dates back to the year 1847.

    The Library holds a huge collection of paintings, most of which were done by Concord graduates. 

However, there are some pieces which were gifted to the school. One of the most valuable paintings is “The Egyptian Market” by Joseph Farquharson, which was painted in 1893 and given to President Joseph Marsh Sr. by the Ogelbay Family. Currently the painting is not displayed, but hopefully that will change soon.

    Currently, the library is working on a room exhibition devoted to one of Concord University’s outstanding graduates, Pete Ballard. 

He is an artist, doll maker, and costume repairer. Ballard has seen life and gained a name in his field. He has met a lot of interesting people. He knew Vivien Leigh, actress from the classic movie Gone with the Wind, and he restored one of the dresses featured in the movie. Also, he once restored a dress for the Queen of England, Elizabeth II. In the room which is currently “the project in progress,” there is a picture of the Queen in the dress restored by Ballard, letters sent between Ballard and the Queen (answered for him by a lady in waiting), and a doll reminiscent of a school girl in 1872, the year Concord was founded. “He named her Larry Ann, after Laura A. Sarvay—the dorm is named after her. She taught music here in the 40s and 50s. He said she was a great inspiration to him, so he named her Laura Ann,” says Connie. In 2015, Concord University gave Pete Ballard an honorary Doctorate.

    Concord Library keeps multiple guest books in which Concord guests sign their name for the record. 

In going through the pages, one can find famous names such as President John Kennedy, who visited when he was campaigning for office, Eleanor Roosevelt, poet Carl Sandburg, and Amelia Earhart. In theory, students can look through these precious books, but they would “have to wear gloves, because books are so old and delicate.”

    Wells Goodykoontz’s collection of holographs (samples of writing) is kept at the Concord library and some of the collection items are on display on the bottom floor of the library. 

There are about two hundred pieces of holographs in the collection, and it has examples of handwriting of such famous people as George Washington and Bill and Hillary Clinton.

    The library has a display of original pre-Columbian pottery gifted by a benefactor from Bluefield. 

Some of the pieces date back to 500 A.D.

    Archives at the library hold books, letters, and similar materials which paint a portrait of the history of the university. 

“Because most of it is one of a kind, it is closed, the public is not allowed in,” says Connie Shumate. If a student needs materials for a particular paper, they would be pulled out for them. The student would be asked not to use ink pen but pencil, leave their bags outside, and wear gloves if the paper is delicate. Also, the student would be seated in an area where staff members can see him or her.

    The wooden tables in the library have been there from the time of its opening.

    Student, staff members, and community members can request almost any book in the library that can be either bought or would be registered as an interlibrary loan. 

Shumate usually looks at the requests and decides if the funds allow for the purchase. Disclaimer: required books for classes cannot be requested.

    There is free drop-in tutoring available.

    The library is opened 24 hours a day during finals week.

Fun fact: Some people even sleep there during this time.