Remarks from the Library Storage Annex Groundbreaking

May 29, 2025

Steve Smith, Dean of Libraries:

Welcome, everyone. We’ve been looking forward to this day!

Today we OFFICIALLY break ground on a new Library Storage Annex. Although, as you can see, construction of the foundation is already underway.

I’m excited because for the first time we’re building a storage facility that is equal to the quality of the magnificent collections we hold.

The modern facility that will stand on this site will house those library materials that require long-term preservation — our special collections; the University of Tennessee Archives; the Modern Political Archives.

Our collections won’t survive unless they’re properly stored. By providing a storage environment with better climate control and security, we will ensure that precious library materials are available for future generations of students, scholars, and citizens.

I’d like to share a story with you. This may seem a little far afield of the occasion at hand. But trust me… I’ll tie it in at the end. 

Walter Gentry graduated from Central High in 1939, on the eve of World War II.  

He was the only child of Samuel and Lois Gentry, both of whom worked as educators and school administrators here in the Knoxville area. 

He attended the University of Tennessee to study engineering, and after two years transferred to the University of Michigan. At both schools he distinguished himself as an ROTC cadet. 

In 1943 he withdrew from school to enlist in the Army. In September of 1944, his unit received orders for Europe, heading to France in support of General George Patton’s Seventh Army.  

On February 2nd, 1945, Walter’s platoon was dug in on a front line near the French Alps. Early that evening orders came from headquarters for small patrols to probe the German lines. 

Soon after setting out, Walter’s patrol came under gunfire. Walter, who was leading the platoon from the front, was killed, instantaneously. He was the only casualty of the action.  

Walter’s death hit his company hard. He was respected by fellow officers, highly valued by his superiors, and loved by his men. 

Communication in World War II was much slower than today, and families often did not hear bad news about their loved ones for days or weeks. 

On February 17, Walter’s parents were informed by Western Union Telegram that their son had been missing in action since February 2nd.  

On February 27th, 10 days later, another Telegram came with the sad news that he was not missing and had in fact been killed in action on February 2nd.  

Walter was buried in a US military cemetery in France, but later was disinterred and transferred to a family plot in Greenwood Cemetery, about eight miles from where we are gathered today. 

Why am I sharing this with you today, and what does it have to do with this occasion? It is as a reminder of the importance of this building we’re breaking ground for today. 

You see, I know Walter’s story because his family papers, including Walter’s correspondence with his family during his wartime service, letters written by his men and fellow officers to his parents after his death, and those two Western Union telegrams, are part of the Walter Welch Gentry Papers, preserved in the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections. 

And someday, these papers, and countless other historical documents on all kinds of topics and subjects, will be preserved here with them… in this very building which today looks like a mud flat. It will look more impressive very soon.   

In one sense we’re here today to break ground on nothing more than a warehouse with exceptional security and great climate control. 

But in another sense, and the most important sense, what we’re building here is an expression of trust, the fulfillment of a commitment to those who have gone before us, and to those who come after us, that we will not forget. 

What else is a library for? What is a university for? 

That is what this building is for. There are a number of more imposing buildings under construction on campus this year. However, this small but mighty project is of utmost importance to the university.

This is truly a day for celebration. And I want to thank Chancellor Donde Plowman, Provost John Zomchick, Senior Vice Chancellor Paul Byrnes, Associate Vice Chancellor Mike Brady, Steve Starnes with UT Capital Projects, and Haniska Prinston of Facilities Services for supporting this project. Thanks also to Sparkman and Associates Architects for designing a state-of-the-art facility to protect our most treasured holdings and to Blaine Construction for their careful and diligent work.

I would like to invite Paul Byrnes, Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, to say a few words.
 

Paul Byrnes, Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration:

Good afternoon. I, too, am delighted to see this project underway. 

The library remains a favorite place on campus for many … It’s a place of discovery … and — thanks to the collections that will be preserved here — a place to engage deeply with our shared history.

As a land-grant university, the University of Tennessee has an obligation to current and future generations to preserve the history and culture of our state. Many of the collections that will be housed here embody that history and culture. The University Archives contains the official historical records of the University of Tennessee. The Modern Political Archives documents the careers of Tennesseans who have influenced national policy and international affairs over the past century.

The unique and irreplaceable materials that comprise the university’s special collections demonstrate our commitment to research. Preserving and sharing those primary sources with scholars from around the world advances the stature of our institution.

I would like to call on Abi Johnson, a student worker at the library, to offer her perspective.

Abi Johnson, Student Library Assistant in the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives:

Thank you, Vice Chancellor Byrnes.

I work as a Student Library Assistant in the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives. 

It’s truly exciting to actually handle a piece of history from our special collections. A growing number of undergraduate classes are using primary sources as part of their assignments. Many classes visit the Special Collections Reading Room to engage with primary sources from our collections. Frequently requested items include the memoirs of soldiers who served in World Wars I and II or in Vietnam and the personal papers of Civil Rights leaders from the early 20th century. 

As the Library of Congress says on their website: “Interacting with primary sources engages students in asking questions, evaluating information, making inferences, and developing reasoned explanations and interpretations of events and issues.”

I find it amazing that anyone — whether a member of the public researching something of personal interest, an undergraduate student working on a term paper, or a world-renowned scholar — can make an appointment to visit the Reading Room to look at these rare archival materials. This Storage Annex will play an important role in preserving that wonderful privilege for future generations.

Associate Dean of Libraries Holly Mercer will tell us more about the Storage Annex.

Holly Mercer, Associate Dean of Libraries:

We have been planning for this Storage Annex for almost a decade. This structure will boast 16,000 square feet of storage for our most cherished treasures. And we will need every inch of it! 

The shelves in the Annex will be high-bay and high-density, which means the shelving structures will be 32 feet tall, with space on each shelf to accommodate a wide variety of item sizes. 

To optimize space, books will be arranged according to size, rather than by traditional call number order. They will be inventoried and accessed by barcode. Items will be retrieved from the shelves by a library staff member operating a movable lift. Items requested from the Library Storage Annex will be delivered to campus, usually within one day.

Anticipating the Annex gave us an opportunity to evaluate our collections. About two years ago, we began a comprehensive review of our holdings. That time-intensive process involved staff from many library departments. That review helped us identify some previously unrecognized rare items in the general collection that will be transferred to this facility.

Almost all of our rare items and collections of historical importance will be stored here — including manuscript collections, the University Archives, the Modern Political Archives, and documents that we receive in our role as a Federal Depository Library. The Annex will also house some lower-use items from our general collections such as maps, microforms, books, and bound serials.

Some of those books and serials are the subjects of retention agreements with library consortia around the country that obligate us to preserve certain titles in perpetuity. These collaborative retention agreements ensure the long-term preservation of library resources and provide access to those titles by other libraries through interlibrary loans. We are responsible for retaining these materials in a usable condition — so we are grateful for the clean environment and consistent temperature and humidity controls of the new Storage Annex.

Due to the presence of dust and mold in the old Hoskins Library where we stored our rare collections for many years, we are having to clean each item before it is sized and placed in the Storage Annex. So, there is a long and arduous process ahead of us even after the Storage Annex has been completed. But we are grateful that we have begun that journey.

Steve, do you have some concluding remarks?

Steve Smith, Dean of Libraries:

Thank you, Holly. We anticipate that the Storage Annex will be completed and ready for occupancy in about a year.

I wanted to say that, not only will this Storage Annex protect our most treasured holdings, it will also free up space at our three libraries for study, research, and for additional informal learning spaces, such as the Medbery Makerspace, that emphasize experiential learning and immersive technologies.

I was so excited about finally breaking ground on this project that I was tempted to rent a backhoe and just start excavating! But I think we’ll stick to the ceremonial spadeful.

I want to invite Paul Byrnes, Steve Starnes, Holly Mercer, Tyler Schlandt, and Abi Johnson to grab a shovel and join me.  After we capture this moment on film, I invite everyone to return to Hodges Library for some refreshments and camaraderie in the first-floor galleria. The bus will leave for campus in about 20 minutes.