The Stauffer Memorial Library: Something more than merely this
Early issues of the Ceer, the Chapman yearbook, show that students had a sincere appreciation for the library and its staff. A page from the 1929 Ceer describes the Stauffer Library as "something more than merely" a place to study and a repository of books. The description of the library as a "thing of beauty" reveals that these early students, who attended what was then known as California Christian College, or "Cal Christian," recognized the value of the library.
Pages from the 1937 and 1938 issues of the Ceer show a sense of humor about the library, referring to librarians as "auctioneers," and as "Those great custodians of the Silence, those keepers of the Information." Although these captions poke gentle fun at librarian stereotypes, they do so in a light way that shows just how much the students valued what the library provided them.
Two Ceer pages from later years, two decades apart, in 1939 and 1959, show just how much Chapman students appreciated the library, as these issues of the Ceer were dedicated to librarians - Jeanne Sumner and Fanny Carlton, respectively.
According to the date on this photo, it shows Chapman students using the Chapman College Library on its very last day as the university library, February 15, 1967. The small library that had provided Chapman students a beautiful, supportive place to study, rich with resources, was ready to move into its own building.