Scroll Archive Photo
A student goes through the card catalog in 1977, located on the first floor of the library. This month, BYU-Idaho will host a birthday party in commemoration of having a library on campus for 100 years.

One hundred years is no exception.

One hundred years ago, it was 1906 and Upton Sinclair had just published The Jungle, Theodore Roosevelt was the president of the United States and the first radio broadcast was aired.

1906 holds another important event, one closer to home. One hundred years ago, on Nov. 12, 1906, something monumental happened here in Rexburg. Ricks College could boast its first official library.

Until then, the library had been a shelf in the president’s office, but on Nov. 12, 1906, the Jacob Spori was dedicated, which was originally home to the library. The library was on the second floor, and it stayed in the Spori building for 60 years, until the East Wing of the current David O. McKay library was built in 1963.

In the spring of 2001 the new part of the library was joined with the original library: the East Wing. The McKay library was, as of 2001, the same as we know it today.

It has been a long journey for the library, and to celebrate this monumental event, on Nov. 9 the library is having a 100 birthday party.

The library will be serving cake from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. in the McKay Café, which is located by the main entrance.

A former Ricks College library director, Gale Reeser, has also published a documentary history on the Ricks Library

Come in, get some birthday cake, and help us celebrate our birthday,” said Martin Raish, library director. “But don’t take it out of the designated eating area!”