The Hesburgh Libraries

Dear friends,

More than 60 years ago, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., dreamed of a new library building that would serve, along with the Basilica and the Main Building, as one of the three pillars of the Notre Dame campus. Reflecting on his goals for this building, Fr. Hesburgh said, “When I began to dream of a greater Notre Dame, it seemed to me that there was no greater step forward we could make, as a great Catholic university, than to have the best Catholic university library in the world.”

Notre Dame realized this dream when the Memorial Library building (now known as Hesburgh Library) opened on September 18, 1963, and was dedicated on May 7, 1964. To honor this important University milestone and acknowledge the work that students and scholars do within its spaces, the Hesburgh Libraries is planning a year-long 60th Anniversary Celebration framed by these two significant dates.

The celebration began on September 27 with the campus-wide open house for the Beth and Lou Holtz Family Grand Reading Room in the Hesburgh Library. Please be sure to visit us to see the space the next time you are on campus!

The newly transformed Beth and Lou Holtz Family Grand Reading Room memorializes Lou’s beloved wife. Education and faith were of great importance to Beth Holtz — this space honors her devotion to learning and love of libraries.

The Grand Reading Room was designed to inspire focused and contemplative intellectual work which is as vital to academic success as the renewed collaborative spaces throughout the building. The 20,000 square foot, two-story space is furnished with table seats for individual study and comfortable seating around a large enclosed fireplace. Natural light now floods the space and a 100-pendant light installation hangs in the center of a new atrium, creating a magical ambiance. Walls of windows provide expansive views of west campus, including the Basilica’s spire and the Dome of the Main Building.

ThinkND is proud to share opportunities to learn throughout the 60th anniversary year. Please follow along as we embrace this vision anew, ensuring that the Hesburgh Libraries will inspire intellectual inquiry and remain a symbol of excellence in pursuit of truth and human flourishing for generations to come.

Best wishes from campus,

K. Matthew Dames

Edward H. Arnold Dean for the Hesburgh Libraries and University of Notre Dame Press

University of Notre Dame