A lot has changed at Penn State Brandywine’s Vairo Library since it opened in 1979 in a room the size of a classroom, writes Haleigh Swansen for Penn State News.

The construction project for the library was originally proposed by Penn State Brandywine’s first campus executive, John D. Vairo, when the campus moved from Chester to Media in 1970. At that time, the library was housed in a room in Brandywine’s Main Building for several years before it could finally move into its own space.

“The Main Building was the first building when the campus moved from Chester, but John Vairo really considered the library the heart of the campus,” said Susan Ware, a Penn State librarian since 1977.

The array of services now offered by the library reflects its contemporary shift toward interactive study. This is an approach to learning that has been championed for years by Penn State Brandywine’s librarians.

“The library provides a safe space — a safe space to be comfortable, to interact, to discuss ideas. That’s what it’s all about,” said Ware.

Read more about the iconic library at Penn State News by clicking here.