Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections

1948-1969

Brandeis University National Women’s Committee created (summer 1948)

Graphic art containing a picture of the Castle overlaid on top of a screen printed image of a bookcase filled with books. "A Library is the heart of the college" is in script letters at the top. Below it says "Books for Brandeis."During the summer of 1948 the Brandeis University National Women’s Committee was created to establish and maintain a library for the newly formed University.

First library opens in a former stable (autumn 1948)

By the time the first students arrived in October, the Women’s Committee had filled the shelves of the first library, in what once a stable, with a collection of 10,000 books and periodicals.

The National Women’s Committee began with eight founders; within two years it had grown to 16,000 members in 49 chapters.

Student with a book, studying on a lawn in front of a stone building with trees around.
Two female students sitting on the ground in the doorway of the library entrance with lots of books around them on the floor and in their laps.
Goldfarb Library opens (1959)

View of the library in the snowThe Jacob A. and Bertha Goldfarb Library opened in 1959 with a collection of 156,360 volumes. This was the first completely new facility built for the Libraries.

Rapaporte Treasure Hall opens (1962)

The Samuel, Junior and Rieka Rapaporte Treasure Hall, new home of the library’s special and rare book collections, opened in 1962.

Gerstenzang Science Library opens (1966)

The Leo Z. Gerstenzang Science Library opened in 1966. Brandeis University now had three facilities (the Goldfarb Library, the Rapaporte Treasure Hall and the Gerstenzang Science Library), offering library collections totaling 334,295 volumes.