Decorah-posten og ved arnen., 1921-10-28
KOREN LIBRARY.
Address at its Dedication at Luther
College Oct. IA, 1919
(By ]. c. M. Hansen.)

(By ]. c. M. Hansen.)
Little did / think, when an under
graduate at this institution over 40
years ago, that ! was destined to
speak at the dedication of its first
library building. AS for my class
mates and fellow-students at that
time, had such a thing been suggested,
they would no doubt have thrown up
their hands in holy horror and pro-
~nounced the idea preposterous. They
would have said that of the even
dozen who graduated in 1882, / was
the most unlikely ever to be called on
for such a task. The explanation,
however, how the seemingly i'm
possible has come to pass, is simple
enough. OF all the graduates from
the College since its foundation, only
three have entered the library pro-
fession: K. o. Jacobsen, the present
librarian, Mr.. T. Jahr, now connected
with the Library of Congress, Wash
ington, and the present speaker. The
Committee on Program has evidently,
in making its selection, followed the
old rule Of anciennete, and chosen the
one of the three the Oldest in years
as we'll as service. Had merit
governed, their choice would have
been different.
Being, then, the only professional
librarian on the program, / may be
pardoned if my remarks deal more
directly with the library, its past his
tory, present problems, and possible
future developments, than do those of
other speakers.
There come to institutions, as well
as to individuals, times when it may
be we'll to retrospect, to review the
past. So today, when we are as
sembled, faculty, graduates, present
students, and friends of the College,
to assist in the dedication of its first
library building, a building fttingly
named "The Koren Library" in honor
and memory of that great and noble
man who over 60 years ago selected
the site for the college, then it may
not be inappropriate if ar attempt be
made, first to sketch briefly the his
tory of library movements at the
college, and then possibly add a word
as to present and future problems, the
probable policy and function of the
Library in the college and community.
Luther College has had a library as
far back as my recollection goes, and
that is to 1874. There was, however,
no library building and no librarian.
In my undergraduate days, the
Library was open only one day in the
week, and then only for One hour
Immediately after luncheon, when
most Of the. students were busy, either
with outdoor games and sports, with
compulsory, but useful occupations,
such as chopping wood, securing
knives, or possibly visiting the nearby
town on more or less urgent business.
The result was that the books rested
peacefully and safely on their shelves,
and the library did not occupy any
very important or prominent place in
the minds or consciousness of the
students. Occasionally, Professor
Larsen, the first president, would in
the course of his history recitations
give reference to books in the library,
but only a few of the students seemed
to avail themselves of the opportunity
to enrich their minds through col
!. lateral reading thus pointed out to
them, especially as such reading was
not made a compulsory requirement.
In my own personal experience, |
recall just one book thus referred to-,
which ] drew from the library. Its
title was "Drei jahre aus Dreizigen,"
a large historical novel which gave a
most vivid picture of the first three
years of the Thirty Years War, the
reading of which did much to awaken
in me an interest in history which
has survived to the present day.
There was, however, even then
evidence that the students required
more library facilities and more books
than were actually offered, and they
took it upon themselves to furnish the
remedy. A private library was or
ganized, properly named Miner" for
that character in Morse mythology
which sat at the foot Of the oak
Ygdrasil and drank wisdom from the
fountain which there gushed forth,
and &c whom even Odin had to turn
when in mental perplexity.
Miner was a lending library, sup
ported by the dues of its members.
Books purchased concisted chiefly of
the better class of fiction, history,
biography, and description, - books
in the Scandinavian languages pre-
dominating. This last fact leads me to
observe that it is quite obvious to
anyone who recalls the College in the
middle 70's and draws a comparison
with the present, that the Americana
zation of students and college has
advanced with phenomenal rapidity
during the intervening years. Those
: of you who have read the old Norman
. Chronicles will recall that in Nor
mandy, $50 years after the landing of
, Rollo, Morse of that time was still
!, taught at Bayeux and elsewhere, in
its pure and unadulterated form.
When we recall the part played in
the subsequent history of Europe by
the very men who proited by this
%bilinguial instruction and their de-
scendants we are happy to note that
the language of the North and it's
literature still holds a prominent place
y Sra flere Solo er hi blet osforbret til
at offentliaaiere oenne gibliotefar
SanienS Yale peo Snopielien al Gols
le9ets nbe Notwithstanding. 90