Dedication: A memorial window in honor of founding UC Irvine librarian John E. Smith has been dedicated in the main library on campus. The 6-foot-tall window, which features the term for word in 60 languages, was etched by Laguna Beach artist Eddie Joe Martin.
Smith, who died in 1986, directed the development of the library from 1963 until his retirement in January, 1979. While at UCI, Smith was instrumental in building the library collection from 75,000 volumes to more than 800,000, in addition to 12,400 periodical subscriptions. He also started the UCI Friends of the Library in 1964.
The cost of the window was co-sponsored by the UCI Friends of the Library, UCI Library and UCI Retirees and Emeriti Assn.
New Collection: A major collection of works by and about German author Thomas Mann has been acquired by the UCI Library. The 9,700-item Hans Waldmueller Collection, which includes first editions of all of Mann's published books, has been one of the most extensive in private hands until it was bought by UCI for about $100,000. Winner of the 1929 Nobel Prize for literature, Mann was a seminal figure in Germany's literary life.