Bizzell Memorial Library

Bizzell Memorial Library. . This library honors William Bennett Bizzell (1876-1944), the University's fifth president. Born in Texas, Bizzell received a total of seven degrees from Baylor University, The Illinois College of Law, the University of Chicago, and Columbia University. He came to the University of Oklahoma from his eleven-year presidency of Texas A&M on July 1, 1925. His sixteen years as president were vibrant and innovative. Under his leadership, the University granted more than three times as many degrees (including the University's first Ph.D.) as under all his predecessors combined. A visionary educator, he reorganized or began many of the University's most important programs. The renowned international literary journal Books Abroad (now World Literature Today) and the University of Oklahoma Press were founded while he was president, as was the alumni publication, the Sooner Magazine. His proudest achievement, however, was the new library. , A lifelong bibliophile and author of scholarly books, Bizzell had been shocked by the University's tiny library, and he resolved to correct the situation. He successfully lobbied the state legislature for an unprecedented $560,000 to build the first phase of the new library, which was completed in 1929. Renamed Bizzell Memorial Library in 1949, the building was expanded in 1958 and again in 1982 with the addition of the Doris W. Neustadt wing. As of 1995 the library system contained over 2.3 million volumes, making it the largest in the state. The building houses the world renowned History of Science Collections, which contain books printed as early as 1467 and documents bearing the handwriting of Galileo and other great scientists. The library also includes major collections in Western History, the history of business, and President Bizzell's personal collection of 550 rare Bibles, theological works, and prayer books. , Bizzell's statue still watches over his creation from its vantage point on Van Vleet oval. Having transformed the University, Bizzell resigned as president in 1941, serving as head of the sociology department until his death. As President Emeritus George L. Cross so appropriately wrote, “President Bizzell was quiet, kindly, sensitive, and scholarly, with a deep concern for the dignity of others. He was a man of unimpeachable integrity …”