Robert H. Goddard Library

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Robert H. Goddard Library
Robert H. Goddard Library, Clark University, Worcester Massachusetts.jpg
Goddard Library in 2020
Robert H. Goddard Library
42°15′6″N71°49′23″W / 42.25167°N 71.82306°W / 42.25167; -71.82306
Location Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Established1969
Access and use
Population served Clark University
Other information
Website Goddard Library at Clark University

The Robert H. Goddard Library is the primary library of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. The library was named after rocketeer Robert H. Goddard, who earned a M.A. and Ph.D. at Clark in the 1910s. The building was built in 1969 [1] and remodeled in 2009. The brick and concrete building was designed by architect John M. Johansen in the Brutalist style. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The planning and building of the library dates as far back as the early 1960s. In 1962, the Board of Trustees was given the task of planning and constructing the library.

Two months before the opening of the library, Willard Rockwell's Rockwell Foundation gave 75,000 dollars towards the establishment of a periodical room in the library. [4] On May 19, 1969, the Goddard Library was dedicated in ceremony attended by the likes of U.S Senator Ted Kennedy, and Esther Goddard, the widow of Robert H. Goddard who was responsible for cutting the ribbon. Also in attendance at the dedication were John Leland Atwood, president of the North American Rockwell Corp; library architect John M. Johansen; Clark trustee Alice C. Higgins; Student Council President Michael Feldman; and astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Aldrin was honored with an honorary degree at the dedication ceremony.

Fifty years later, on March 13, 2019, Clark University commemorated the anniversary of the building's opening, and paid tribute to namesake Robert H. Goddard, with an evening of lectures by Clark administrators and distinguished guests. [2]

Academic Commons at Goddard Library

The Academic Commons at Goddard Library is a study space opened in January 2009 as part of the building's renovations. It includes Clark's primary computer lab, a cafe and study space. [5]

The library also houses the ITS Help Desk, which aids the student body, as well as faculty and staff, on the first floor in the Academic Commons. [6]

Collections and features

The Dr. Robert H. Goddard Collection and the Robert Goddard Exhibition Room are housed in the Archives and Special Collections area of the library. Outside the library lies a structure depicting the flight path of Goddard's first liquid fuel rocket. In 2008, the library digitized Goddard's collection through a 40,000 dollar grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. [7]

References

  1. ↑ Library honors rocket science pioneer March 27, 2002, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  2. 1 2 Gibson, Anne (March 4, 2019). "Clark community to celebrate 50 years of Goddard Library". Clark University. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ Bluffton.edu
  4. ↑ Rockwell gives 75,000 March 29, 1969, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  5. ↑ "Revamped library welcomes Clark University students back from break" (Press release). Clark University. January 12, 2009. Archived from the original on September 2, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Get Help | Information Technology Services | Clark University". www.clarku.edu. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
  7. ↑ Goddard materials now online November 26, 2008, Worcester Telegram and Gazette
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