Hunter Library
Encyclopedia
Hunter Library is the university library at Western Carolina University
and is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina
. The library, which is a medium-sized facility, was built in 1953 on the former football field and was enlarged in 1967 and again in 1983. The building is named after Hiram Tyram Hunter who was President of the University from 1923 to 1947. Hunter Library contains about 700,000 volumes in print, 14,000 media items, and over 1 million items on microform
. The library also provides access to tens of thousands of journals via electronic access. While Hunter Library offers a wide variety of resources, the persistent rumor that Hunter Library is the largest library in North Carolina west of Charlotte
is patently untrue. Hunter Library is also a part of the Western North Carolina Libraries Network (WNCLN) with Appalachian State University
and the University of North Carolina at Asheville
.http://wncln.wncln.org/
Hunter Library has three floors and two mezzanines. The main floor includes reference books, current and bound periodicals, government documents, microform, maps, leisure reading, and audio/visual materials. The Library's primary service points, circulation and reference, are also located on the main floor. The ground floor is where the general stacks of monographs reside, as well as some older reference items. The perimeter of the ground floor also has group study rooms, available on a first-come first-serve basis, and lockable study rooms, available on a limited basis to faculty only. The Technology Commons also occupy part of the ground floor of Hunter Library. The top floor houses Hunter Library’s Special Collections
as well as the administrative offices of the Library. The two mezzanines are occupied by the Curriculum Materials Center (CMC mezzanine), which houses teaching materials and children's books, and Lower Level Mezzanine, which houses older bound periodicals. The building itself is also home to a coffee shop, Western Carolina University’s Writing Center, the Faculty Center, the Faculty Sandbox, and the Testing and Tutoring Center.
Of particular note in the Library is Special Collections. This restricted access section of the Library has papers and photographs related to Horace Kephart
's life in North Carolina, the history of Western Carolina University and surrounding area, and manuscripts related to the Cherokee
Indians, the cultural and natural history of western North Carolina and vicinity, and literary works of native or naturalized North Carolinians who reside in the area. Special Collections also maintains the Cherokee Phoenix
project, which translated and digitized selected articles that appeared in the Cherokee newspaper from 1828-1834.
Hunter Library is involved with a grant-based project entitled "Craft Revival: Shaping Western North Carolina Past and Present" that is funded a Heritage Partners grant from the North Carolina Library Services and Technology Act. According to the project website the purpose of the grant is to "... create a web-based digital history of the historic effort to revive handcraft in the western part of the state. The project draws from a wealth of documents, letters, photographs, oral histories, and objects that tell the story of the Craft Revival during the half century from 1895 to 1945."http://craftrevival.wcu.edu/ The Library, in conjunction with its Heritage Partners (John C. Campbell Folk School
, Mountain Heritage Center, the Penland School of Crafts
, and the Southern Highland Craft Guild
) has created a project website where the story of the craft revival movement in western North Carolina can be read, as well as where information regarding the types of crafts can be found.
The current Dean of Library Services is Dr. Dana Sally.
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
and is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The library, which is a medium-sized facility, was built in 1953 on the former football field and was enlarged in 1967 and again in 1983. The building is named after Hiram Tyram Hunter who was President of the University from 1923 to 1947. Hunter Library contains about 700,000 volumes in print, 14,000 media items, and over 1 million items on microform
Microform
Microforms are any forms, either films or paper, containing microreproductions of documents for transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about one twenty-fifth of the original document size...
. The library also provides access to tens of thousands of journals via electronic access. While Hunter Library offers a wide variety of resources, the persistent rumor that Hunter Library is the largest library in North Carolina west of Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
is patently untrue. Hunter Library is also a part of the Western North Carolina Libraries Network (WNCLN) with Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
and the University of North Carolina at Asheville
University of North Carolina at Asheville
The University of North Carolina at Asheville is a co-educational, four year, public liberal arts university. The university is also known as UNC Asheville. Located in Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina, UNCA is the only designated liberal arts institution in the University of North...
.http://wncln.wncln.org/
Hunter Library has three floors and two mezzanines. The main floor includes reference books, current and bound periodicals, government documents, microform, maps, leisure reading, and audio/visual materials. The Library's primary service points, circulation and reference, are also located on the main floor. The ground floor is where the general stacks of monographs reside, as well as some older reference items. The perimeter of the ground floor also has group study rooms, available on a first-come first-serve basis, and lockable study rooms, available on a limited basis to faculty only. The Technology Commons also occupy part of the ground floor of Hunter Library. The top floor houses Hunter Library’s Special Collections
Special collections
In library science, special collections is the name applied to a specific repository or department, usually within a library, which stores materials of a "special" nature, including rare books, archives, and collected manuscripts...
as well as the administrative offices of the Library. The two mezzanines are occupied by the Curriculum Materials Center (CMC mezzanine), which houses teaching materials and children's books, and Lower Level Mezzanine, which houses older bound periodicals. The building itself is also home to a coffee shop, Western Carolina University’s Writing Center, the Faculty Center, the Faculty Sandbox, and the Testing and Tutoring Center.
Of particular note in the Library is Special Collections. This restricted access section of the Library has papers and photographs related to Horace Kephart
Horace Kephart
Horace Kephart was an American travel writer and librarian, best known as the author of Our Southern Highlanders, about his life in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina.-Biography:...
's life in North Carolina, the history of Western Carolina University and surrounding area, and manuscripts related to the Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Indians, the cultural and natural history of western North Carolina and vicinity, and literary works of native or naturalized North Carolinians who reside in the area. Special Collections also maintains the Cherokee Phoenix
Cherokee Phoenix
The Cherokee Phoenix was the first newspaper published by Native Americans in the United States and the first published in a Native American language. The first issue was published in English and Cherokee on February 21, 1828, in New Echota, capital of the Cherokee Nation . The paper continued...
project, which translated and digitized selected articles that appeared in the Cherokee newspaper from 1828-1834.
Hunter Library is involved with a grant-based project entitled "Craft Revival: Shaping Western North Carolina Past and Present" that is funded a Heritage Partners grant from the North Carolina Library Services and Technology Act. According to the project website the purpose of the grant is to "... create a web-based digital history of the historic effort to revive handcraft in the western part of the state. The project draws from a wealth of documents, letters, photographs, oral histories, and objects that tell the story of the Craft Revival during the half century from 1895 to 1945."http://craftrevival.wcu.edu/ The Library, in conjunction with its Heritage Partners (John C. Campbell Folk School
John C. Campbell Folk School
John C. Campbell Folk School, also referred to as "The Folk School" is located in Brasstown, North Carolina. The School was founded to nurture and preserve the folk arts of the Appalachian Mountains, it is an non-profit adult educational organization based on non-competitive learning...
, Mountain Heritage Center, the Penland School of Crafts
Penland School of Crafts
The Penland School of Crafts is a center for craft education located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, about 50 miles from Asheville....
, and the Southern Highland Craft Guild
Southern Highland Craft Guild
Southern Highland Craft Guild is a guild craft organization that has partnered with the National Park Service for over fifty years. The Guild represents over 1000 craftspeople in 293 counties of 9 southeastern states. It operates five retail craft shops and two annual craft expositions which...
) has created a project website where the story of the craft revival movement in western North Carolina can be read, as well as where information regarding the types of crafts can be found.
The current Dean of Library Services is Dr. Dana Sally.