Architectural Rendering
Color rendering of proposed new library, Illinois Wesleyan University, by architects Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbot.
Cross Section Rendering
Cross section view of proposed new library, Illinois Wesleyan University, by architects Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson & Abbot.
Student Musicians play at the Ground Breaking Ceremony
Members of the IWU Brass Quintet play as guests arrive at the Ames Library Ground Breaking Ceremony.
President Minor Myers and guests at library Ground Breaking.
President Minor Myers speaking with guests prior to the Ground Breaking Ceremony.
Sue Stroyan speaking at Ground Breaking Ceremony
Sheean Library Director Sue Stroyan speaking at the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the new library.
Harold Gauthier II, '00, speaking at Ground Breaking Ceremony
Student Senate President Harold Gauthier II (00) speaking at the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the new Ames Library.
President Minor Myers, Jr. speaking at Ground Breaking Ceremony
Illinois Wesleyan University President Minor Myers Jr. speaking at the Ground Breaking Ceremony.
B. Charles Ames and Joyce Eichhorn Ames speak at Ground Breaking.
B. Charles Ames '50 and Joyce Eichhorn Ames '49 speaking at the Ames Library Ground Breaking Ceremony.
Mayor Judy Markowitz speaking at Ground Breaking.
Bloomington Mayor Judy Markowitz speaking at the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the the new Ames Library.
Joyce Eichhorn Ames Breaking Ground for New Library
Joyce Eichhorn Ames, '49, breaks ground on the new library while B. Charles Ames, '50 looks on.
The Ames Family
Charles Ames and Joyce Eichhorn Ames pictured with children, Richard (far left) and Paula (far right) and grandchildren.
Guests inspect model of new library at reception.
Library Director Sue Stroyan (center) discusses aspects of the new building using a scale model on display at the Ground Breaking Ceremony reception.
B. Charles Ames at Ground Breaking Ceremony reception.
B. Charles Ames and son Richard S. Ames (center) speak with a guest at the Ground Breaking Ceremony reception.
President Minor Myers speaking at Ground Breaking Ceremony reception.
Pictured from left to right Board of Trustee member Craig Hart, B. Charles Ames, President Myers, and Joyce Eichhorn Ames . On display is a scale model of the new Ames Library.
Former University President Lloyd M. Bertholf (1958-1968) breaking ground for the new library.
New pillars erected on south campus entrance.
Pillars erected on new library grounds to mark the south entrance to campus.
Land cleared on site of new library.
View from east side of Ames Library construction site.
Updated Rendering of Ames Library
Color drawing depicting the campus entrance to the new Ames Library, by architects Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbot.
Framing the entry and lower levels, view from behind.
Frame work on the entry and lower levels of the Ames Library.
Model for John Wesley Powell statue.
Model for the John Wesley Powell sculpture to be placed in the new library rotunda, created by artist Rick Harney.
Model of John Wesley Powell statue, side view.
Model created by artist Rick Harney for the bronze sculpture of John Wesley Powell to be placed in Ames Library rotunda. More information on the statue and artist can be found here.
View from the top.
Construction crews begin work on the upper levels of the new library building.
Construction progresses on the back of building.
A view from Emerson Street in Bloomington, which borders Ames Library on the south.
John Wesley Powell awaiting installation.
The finished bronze sculpture by artist Rick Harney waits in storage for the completion of the entry level rotunda, where it will be installed. More information on the Powell sculpture can be found here.
Trim installation in project room.
Crews work on installing trim in one of the 16 project rooms located in the new library.
President Myers visits Touch of Glass.
Terry Garbe from A Touch of Glass explains the process for restoring the Pembroke Windows to President Myers. More information on the Pembrokes Windows and A Touch of Glass can be found here.
Construciton nears completetion on back of building.
Work on the outer south side of the new building nears completion. Work on the grounds around the new library are underway.
President Myers speaking at the Dedication Cermony.
Illinois Wesleyan University President Minor Myers opens the Dedication Ceremony for the Ames Library. Pictured on the left is university Provost Janet McNew and on the right Joyce Eichhorn Ames, '49. The Dedication was held over Homecoming weekend, October 6, 2001. You can view a PDF of the ceremony program
Provost and Dean of Faculty Janet McNew.
University Provost and Dean of Faculty Janet McNew (1993-2006) speaking at the Dedication Ceremony for The Ames Library.
View of The Ames Library entrance during the Dedication Ceremony.
Pictured from left University Chaplain Dennis Groh, '61, Provost McNew, President Minor Myers, Joyce Eichhorn Ames, '49, B. Charles Ames, '50, and Board of Trustees President Craig C. Hart.
Stained Glass A presented to the Ames'.
A stained glass panel with the letter A is presented to B. Charles and Joyce Eichhorn Ames at the Dedication Ceremony for the Ames Library.
Glass panel is presented to Ames' grandchildren at Dedication.
President Myers and Provost McNew present the stained glass A to the Ames' grandchildren present at the dedication. The panel was created as a special gift to the Ames family. The panel depicts the A used in The Ames Library logo.
Joyce Eichhorn Ames, '49, poses with members of Kappa Kappa Gamma.
Joyce Eicchorn Ames, '49, a member of the Illinois Wesleyan chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Society, is greeted by 2001 society members.
Joyce Eichhorn Ames with Powell statue creator Rick Harney
Joyce Eichhorn Ames greets sculpture artist Rick Harney during the building tour after the dedication ceremony. Rick Harney created the bronze John Wesley Powell statue which was installed in the new library entry level rotunda. Associate Vice President for Advancement Benjamin J. Rhodes, '69, is pictured center.
Speical guests gather in the rotunda after the dedication ceremony to await the building tour.
Photographed from the second level, special guests at the dedication ceremony gather in the entry level rotunda. The John Wesley Powell stature was stationed here temporarily to be on view for the building tours.
Benjamin J. Rhodes, '69, (far right) leads the tour of the entry level.
Benjamin J. Rhodes, '69, Associate Vice President for Advancement, leads the building tour of the entry level after the Dedication Ceremony for The Ames Library.
First look at the Beckman Auditorium.
University Librarian Sue Stroyan gives tour guests a first look at Beckman Auditorium. When completed the new auditorium will seat 70 people and have equipment to accommodate a variety of multimedia needs and classroom instruction.
Building tour guests view second floor of the new library.
Guests of the Dedication Ceremony for The Ames Library gather in the second floor rotunda while Sue Stroyan, University Librarian, points out architectural details of the new building.
Dedication Ceremony tour visits the third floor of the new library.
Sue Stroyan, University Librarian, shows tour visitors the third floor of the new building.
Dedication tour guests view the fourth floor.
The tour group views the fourth floor outside of the new Bates & Merwin Reading Room, named in honor of friends and longtime trustees, Rex James Bates and Davis U. Merwin. Two of the restored Pembroke stained glass panels are on display, installed for the building tour. More information on
Mr. and Mrs. Ames view the new library patio.
B. Charles Ames and Joyce Eichhorn Ames in front of windows that look out on the entry level patio. The patio, located on the back of the building, sits above Beckman Auditorium.
Arial photograph of the Ames Library.
The back of the library is photographed from one of the elevated platforms used in construction.
Installation of current periodicals shelving.
Shelving for current periodicals is installed on the east side of the entry level.
Installing the patio doors.
A crew member works on framing around the patio doors, located at the rear of the entry level.
Window work.
Workers add final touches to outside windows on the side and back of the new building.
Landscapping added.
Crew members inspect plans as landscaping begins around the new building.
Stenciling the second floor ceiling.
A painter works on the design around the ceiling on the second floor.
Library staff pack in preparation for move.
Offices in Sheean Library are packed up as the move to Ames begins.
Movers organize boxes of books.
Boxes of materials are organized for transition to new library.
Decals are added to the John Wesley Powell Rotunda.
Located on the first floor, the John Wesley Powell Rotunda features the life-size bronze sculpture of John Wesley Powell, created by local artist Rick Harney. The quote from the Founder’s Gate which appears in the rotunda frieze can be found here.
Journals are removed from shelves in Sheean Library.
A library student worker packs up journals in preparation for the move from Sheean Library.
Setting up the new computer lab.
Library technical support installs computers in the new lab in Ames.
Opening Day.
Library Director Sue Stroyan and Circulation Manager Bruce Chamberlain roll out the red carpet on Opening Day of The Ames Library. Please see A New Star on the Horizon for more information on the library opening.
First day visitors.
Visitors to the new library make use of tables that look out on the patio.
Sue Stroyan with Opening Day guest.
Library Director Sue Stroyan, far right, speaks with a visitor in the new reference section.
President Myers greets Opening Day visitors.
President Minor Myers, Jr. and guests on the third floor of The Ames Library. The final stages of construction are underway in the rotunda.
The new Circulation desk.
Now open for business, a Circulation student assistant helps a patron check out material on the first day.
Visitors gather in the new John Wesley Powell Rotunda.
Illinois Wesleyan University faculty Wes Chapman (far right) and Carole Myscofski (center right) meet with Opening Day guests in front of the John Wesley Powell sculpture created by artist Rick Harney.
Students take advantage of the new computer carrels.
Students make use of new computer carrels in the Information Commons area of The Ames Library.
Comfortable seating areas are put to good use.
On Opening Day a student makes use of one of the many living areas in the new building. Comfortable seating areas throughout create more inviting study spaces for students.
Terry Garbe and staff inspect one of the Pembroke Windows.
A Touch of Glass in Normal, Illinois, conducted the restoration of the Pembroke Stained Glass Windows. The windows were a gift from Clayton Dubilier & Rice of New York City in honor of the 75th birthday of their partner, B. Charles Ames, ’50. Additional support of the restoration was provided
Dirt is cleaned from one of the Pembroke Panels.
Years of dirt and grime are delicatley cleaned from the glass windows as part of the restoration process.
A Touch of Glass restoration artist removes damaged pieces from one of the Pembroke Windows.
New glass tiles (foreground) created to replace pieces of the Pembroke Windows damaged beyond repair.
Glass tiles were carefully replicated to replace those too damaged to restore. For more on the restoration process and A Touch of Glass see Special Attractions.
The clean up begins after water damage to the new library.
On January 26, 2002 a sprinkler system malfunction on the fourth floor of Ames Library caused an estimated 9,000 gallons of water to flood the third and fourth floors. 21,000 pieces of material were water damaged, and many of these were packaged and shipped off to be freeze dryed.
Damaged ceiling tiles on the third floor are removed and packing the water soaked material continues.
Construction moves ahead to complete the Tate Archives and Special Collections.
The Tate Archives and Special Collections is located on the fourth floor of The Ames Library.
One of the Pembroke Windows is lifted into position.
The Pembroke Windows are suspended from the ceiling outside of the Bates & Merwin Reading Room, on the fourth floor of the library.
Library Director Sue Stroyan leads a tour of the entry level.
A tour of the building is given to special guests prior to the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.
The John Wesley Powell Rotunda is set for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, February 12, 2002.
Guests visit the newly completed Tate Archives and Special Collections prior to Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.
The new Information Commons and Reference Desk.
Guests at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony pick up information about the new library at the Reference Desk.
Richard Ames and family.
Richard Ames and family, son of Joyce Eichhorn Ames '49 and B. Charles Ames, '50, look over material on display in the Tate Archives and Special Collections.
Terry Garbe, from A Touch of Glass, and tour guests.
Terry Garbe, second from left, describes the processed used to restore the Pembroke Windows. Joyce Eichhorn Ames is pictured on the far left.
New pottery cases are installed in John Wesley Powell Rotunda.
Cases are installed in the John Wesley Powell Rotunda on the entry level. The cases will eventually house the John Wesley Powell Pottery Collection.
A new home for the John Wesley Powell pottery.
Archivists Meg Miner (left) and Anke Voss-Hubbard (right) carefully unpack pieces of the collection. Use this link to learn more about the history of the pottery and view the collection.
Archivists inspect the pottery.
Archivists Meg Miner (left) and Anke Voss-Hubbard (right) look over pieces of the John Wesley Powell collection before placement in display cases.
The John Wesley Powell Rotunda.
The John Wesley Powell Rotunda is photographed from the second floor.
University Librarian Karen Schmidt speaking at the Ames Library 10th Anniversary Reception.
The first event to commemorate The Ames Library 10th Anniversary was a reception held on April 18, 2012 in the Bates and Merwin Reading Room on the fourth floor of the library.
Madeline Tyner reads her poem At Ames Library: A Ghazal.
As part of the anniversary celebration, a poetry contest was held and students were asked to submit original work that focused on the library. The winning poem by Madeline Tyner was read by the author at the 10th Anniversary Reception. You can find the full text of the poem here.
Article Article
The Meld: The Marriage of Art and Technology, The Ames Library, Colin A.D. Borck, '04
The Ames Library 10th Anniversary Poster, Stephanie Davis Kahl and Suzanne Wilson
Special Attractions, Randy Gleason and Marc Featherly
A Labor of Love, Patricia Healy Locke, '76
The Grand Tour, Illinois Wesleyan Magazine and Marc Featherly
Dedication Ceremony for The Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University
Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Ames Library, Illinois Wesleyan University
A Home for Major Powell, Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine
A New Star on the Horizon, Tim Obermiller
The Ames Library 10th Anniversary Reception Invitation, Karen Schmidt
Minor Myers, Jr. Honors Collection, Sue Stroyan
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, The Ames Library, The Ames Library
The School of Music Convocation and Celebratory Competition, The Ames Library
At Ames Library: A Ghazal, Madeline Tyner