A Look at the Campus Libraries Over Time

George Peabody, Harry Estill, and Newton Gresham never sat down for dinner together but their names are memorialized in the three library buildings that all still stand on the SHSU campus.  In conjunction with National Library Week, the Houstonian looks back at these three buildings:

This week is National Library Week and the Newton Gresham Library, located near the Sam Houston statue on campus, was first occupied in 1969, and it is the third library the institution has established.

The first library at SHSU was the building now known as a social gathering place, the Peabody building. It was originally the George Peabody Memorial Library. The Peabody Library was built in 1902, and it remained the library until 1928, when student population outgrew the space.

The second library established on campus was the Harry F. Estill Library. The Estill Library was used until student population outgrew the space once more in 1969. Now this building is referred to as the Estill building and is used for various University offices while the Newton Gresham Library is accommodating the student population for library purposes.

The library is estimated to possess 1.4 million books. The library also provides access to computers with the computer lab containing 72 computers, 20 computers stationed in front of the reference desk and more throughout the building’s four floors.