Library—Open Stacks

In 1927 the stacks in Carnegie Library were closed to all except faculty and graduate students. Others wishing to use materials requested them in the catalog area, and the books were paged (brought) from the stacks. The policy continued with the move to the Hoskins Library.

The library began issuing “stack cards” to faculty and students who needed access to the stacks in 1949. The cards were used to check out books, as well as for stack entrance. The cards were valid for a year, and all expired in September of the following year and had to be reissued. Two carrels on each stack floor were unassigned and could be used by any stack cardholder. The remaining carrels were assigned to faculty and graduate students by the library’s head of circulation. A “carrel card” was required to be filled out for each volume checked out to a carrel, and the volume could not be taken out of the building without recharging it at the circulation desk.

The stacks (then located in Hoskins Library) were opened to all on June 7, 1971, as an experiment during the summer session. The experiment was successful, and the stacks remained open.

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The following information is provided for citations.

  • Title Library—Open Stacks
  • Author
  • Keywords Library—Open Stacks
  • Website Name Volopedia
  • Publisher University of Tennessee Libraries
  • URL
  • Access Date July 8, 2025
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update October 9, 2018