Goodell Makes Way for the Tower Library
The building of the new 28-story library began in 1969, which marked a distinct shift from the University’s pastoral setting, and was met with some opposition. As builders started their work on the project, students lay in front of the bull-dozers in protest3. When questioned about the demonstration, one protestor said: “This is a symbolic protest against the asphalting of our campus.3” Surprisingly, the operators of the machinery actually agreed with the reasoning behind the students’ protest. One worker said, “We can sympathize with these kids. This will be the ugliest campus in the state. They’re trying to make it look like a factory3.”
Despite the protestors’ best efforts, the new high-rise library was completed in 19731. However, the campus had not yet seen the last of the Goodell Library. In 1979, the tower library was closed after some bricks fell from the façade of the building. The closure necessitated the transfer of 150,000 volumes back to Goodell7. Students were encouraged to use Goodell as the main library, with only graduate students and faculty allowed into the tower library7. Goodell continued as the main library until 1985, when the tower library was finally deemed safe for use1. Goodell Library, now called Goodell Hall, currently serves as the site of Undergraduate Advising, and remains an integral part of the campus and a testament to the ever-changing face of UMass.