Edmon Low Library 70th Anniversary
Employee Special Issue
Reunion of Past & Present Library Employees to Coincide with Homecoming 2022
Every October, "America's Greatest Homecoming" brings Cowboys from around the world back to campus. This year, we're adding a special event to the agenda.

This fall begins the yearlong celebration of the Edmon Low Library's 70th Anniversary, and we are marking the occasion with a reunion of past and present OSU Library employees. If you ever worked at the Library as a student assistant, intern, GRA, staffer or faculty, you're invited!

We hope you will join us the evening of Walk Around as we gather for a casual tailgate-themed reception in the Peggy V. Helmerich Browsing Room on the second floor of the Edmon Low Library. We hope you'll make time to share a bite and catch up with old friends.
70 of today's most popular library services
The Library and our services are constantly evolving. To kick-off our 70th anniversary, we're celebrating 70 of our most popular services. Here are a few of today's most in-demand offerings.
Textbook Checkout
Textbook prices are soaring. One way we help today's students deal with this challenge is our textbook checkout program. Each fall and spring, the Library purchases a copy of every required textbook that costs over $90. These are available for two-hour checkouts.
25 Study Rooms
How many study rooms did the Library have when you were a student? Students are always asking for more of these spaces, and we've been hard at work making that happen. Today, the Edmon Low Library has 25 group study rooms that students can reserve for free!
Virtual Reality Suite
The James & Elizabeth Wise Virtual Reality Suite is one of the innovative spaces you'll find in the Edmon Low Creative Studios. The suite offers two room-scale VR experiences as well as a flight simulator room to practice both aircraft and drone piloting.
More Than 400 Power Outlets
Between cell phones and laptops, our students are always looking for a place to charge devices. That can be difficult in a building designed in the earlier '50s. We've spent years adding electrical outlets to every floor of the building along with modern furniture with easy-to-access plugs in chairs and tabletops.
24/5 Hours of Operation
Whether you're an early bird or a night owl, the Edmon Low Library is the perfect study spot. Our hours of operation extend from Sunday morning until 10 p.m. on Friday with additional hours on Saturday.
The Friends of the OSU Library:
Supporting student services for over 30 years
It’s hard to raise money for a library. At least, that’s what everyone thought years ago. Thirty-three years, thousands of donors, and millions of dollars in gifts later, the Friends of the OSU Library have proven that notion wrong.

Anyone who makes a gift to the OSU Libraries is considered a member of the Friends organization. Hundreds of donors make gifts to the Friends of the OSU Library, and these gifts of any size combine to have huge impact. This continued private support allows the Library to quickly respond to requests from students and launch new resource offerings.

“Every one of our Friends has a passion for OSU and for serving our students,” Dean Sheila Johnson said. “When you bring together a group like that, amazing things are accomplished.”

The Friends focus on serving students. The fund has kick started some of the Library's most popular services like 24-hour access, laptop checkout, finals week snacks give aways, special events and more.

“The services and resources made possible through the generosity of our many donors and the time and creativity of our Board are too extensive to list,” Johnson said. “Their contributions impact the academic experience of every student at OSU. As we continue to adapt to the changing needs of our students, gifts from our Friends are more important than ever.” 
70th Celebration Highlight
An Evening with Lisa Wingate
According to Booklist, “Lisa Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller.” The noted author and OSU alumna will share her own story with guests of the H. Louise & H.E. “Ed” Cobb Speaker Series on Nov. 4. The keynote dinner and book signing will be held at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center on the Stillwater campus.
 
Wingate is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over 30 novels, including the instant NYT bestseller â€śThe Book of Lost Friends” and â€śBefore We Were Yours,” which remained on the NYT list for over two years and has sold over three million copies. She is a Goodreads Choice award winner for historical fiction and a Southern Book Prize winner. 
 
“The Cobb Series is an annual highlight,” Dean of Libraries, Sheila Johnson said. “It’s wonderful we’ll be honoring one of our outstanding alumni this year.”
 
The event is made possible through an endowment created and supported by the Cobb family. Wingate’s appearance marks the 30th event in the Cobb Series. The annual fundraiser has been on hiatus for the last two years due to COVID-19 concerns.
 
“We originally booked Lisa Wingate for our 2020 event,” Johnson explained. “We’ve been waiting a while to host her, and this year is extra special because it also serves as the official kick off of the Edmon Low Library’s 70th anniversary celebration.”
 
To purchase tickets, visit library.okstate.edu/friends/cobb or call 405-744-6322. Individual tickets are $125 each, and half the cost is a tax-deductible gift to the Friends of the OSU Library. Tables and sponsorships are also available.