University Archives News

Silent Movie Show: Deering Library Dedication, 1932

Settle in for a documentary that takes you back over 75 years, to December 29, 1932, when the new Deering Library was dedicated (it officially opened on January 3, 1933). The original 1932 film from the University Archives has been reformatted by the Library's Digital Collections department so that you can re-live the events of that day with the click of a mouse.

With an all-star cast including University President Walter Dill Scott and numerous members of the Deering, McCormick, and Danielson families, the film dramatically depicts the cutting of the ribbon to open the grand Reading Room, the unveiling of portraits, and the shelving of the first books. It’s as if you had received your own personal
invitation to the event.

The movie is now available as streaming video with RealPlayer, but will be coming soon to YouTube.

The reformatting of this film is just one of several ways the Archives is helping the University Library celebrate Deering Library's 75th birthday. After all, the Archives has lived in Deering since 1935!

For more on Deering's 75th, see the new book, "Deering Library: An Illustrated History," and the exhibit in the lobby of the Music Library on the second floor of Deering.