UTA Libraries One Millionth Volume Celebration

The purpose of The Compass Rose is to raise awareness of Special Collections' resources and to foster the use of these resources. The blog series also reports significant new programs, initiatives, and acquisitions of Special Collections.

Almost 25 years ago, the UTA Libraries announced in a press release that it "will be celebrating the addition of their one millionth volume on April 19, 1996, with a series of special programs." And the programs were remarkable indeed: two noted library scholars came to Arlington to speak on the occasion, while the president of the university, the director of the UTA Libraries, and the president of the Friends of the UTA Libraries all spoke at a formal dinner and fundraiser that culminated with longtime library supporters Jenkins and Virginia Garrett gifting the one millionth volume to the UTA Libraries. UTA Libraries director Tom Wilding heralded the acquisition of the one millionth volume as "one of the benchmarks for library greatness. Excellence in the modern library is measured by its collection, but also by its services and its ability to connect its users to information."

The One Millionth Volume Celebration began during the afternoon of April 19, 1996, with a lecture by Syracuse University School of Information Studies professor Charles R. McClure, an expert in U.S. government information management and policies, informative resources management, library and information center management, and the planning and evaluation of information services. His lecture, titled "Libraries in the Global, National, and Local Networked Information Infrastructure," was presented at the Rosebud Theater in the E. H. Hereford University Center. Free and open to the public, McClure helped publicize his lecture by stating that networked information infrastructures will "provide libraries with a new set of challenges, issues, and opportunities" that they would need to adapt to, noting that it would be both challenging and essential for them to do so. He continued: "Creating our future in this new environment and redefining the library will be critical, not only for the success of libraries, but for society as well." In his review of the lecture, UTA history professor Gerald Saxon wrote: "An effective and entertaining speaker, McClure challenged the 150 people in the audience to embrace and adjust to the rapidly developing automated networked information infrastructure." The lecture concluded with a question-and-answer session and a reception honoring McClure.

That evening, the One Millionth Volume Celebration culminated with a formal dinner and fundraiser co-sponsored by the UTA Libraries and the Friends of the UTA Libraries. The event was "black tie optional, tickets required," according to UTA Libraries promotional materials. Tickets cost $100 per person for the general public, although members of the Friends were able to purchase tickets for a discounted $75. The events of that night began with welcomes given by UTA Libraries director Tom Wilding, Friends of the UTA Libraries president Pam Bagby, and UTA president Robert Witt. The celebration even featured musical entertainment courtesy of the UTA Music Department. The menu was also fit for the occasion: stuffed tenderloin with brandy cream sauce was served as the main entree, asparagus with lemon crumbs was served as a side, and Italian rum torte was served for dessert. The highlights of the evening were the actual presentation of the one millionth volume by Jenkins and Virginia Garrett and a speech by former Librarian of Congress and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel J. Boorstin titled "Paths to Lifelong Learning." In his review, Saxon observed that Boorstin's presentation "made a distinction between information and knowledge and argued that libraries were where both could be obtained." The evening concluded with the awarding of the Friends Faculty Award to UTA history professors George Green and Dennis Reinhartz.

The one millionth volume itself that was presented by the Garretts during the dinner is a political broadside titled ¡Libertad, Constitución y Federación! It was written in Spanish and adopted by the citizens of San Felipe de Austin, then in the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas, on June 22, 1835. Addressed to Domingo de Ugartechea, the commander of the Mexican armed forces in Coahuila y Tejas, it lists grievances against General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his centralization of power and argues for a return to a federal national government in Mexico. It also includes a call to arms and for all Coahuilans to rise up against Santa Anna. In translation, the broadside reads (in part): "Revive and raise again over your land the flag of liberty, again profess to maintain with your blood and treasure the republican federal system. Rise up republicans and your country will be saved!" At the time the Garretts gifted a copy of this broadside to the UTA Libraries, there were only three other copies of it known to exist. Saxon described the broadside as "exceedingly rare" and noted that it "affirms the Texans' belief in a Mexican national government based on federal principles and appeals to Mexicans to rise up against President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna because he was threatening those principles."

The celebration resulted in substantial donations from both individuals and corporations that ultimately raised $25,000 for the UTA Libraries' endowment. Among the corporations to donate were EBSCO Subscription Services, International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and multiple UTA departments: the President's Office, the Provost's Office, the Finance and Administration Office, and the Student Affairs Office. The formal dinner portion of the celebration was also published in a printed format by the UTA Press in 1996. Edited by Saxon, the print volume was titled Marking a Milestone: The UTA Libraries' One Millionth Volume Celebration. It includes the text of Bagby's and Wilding's welcoming remarks, McClure's lecture "Libraries in the Global, National, and Local Networked Information Infrastructure," Jenkins Garrett's remarks on the one millionth volume, an English translation of the document itself (¡Libertad, Constitución y Federación!) by Malcolm McLean, Boorstin's speech "Paths to Lifelong Learning," and a list of the participants, sponsors, and faculty awards that were part of the formal dinner.