In addition to a reception, the community rededication will include historic displays, library tours and featured speakers including Executive Vice President and Provost Kathy Krendl and Trustee Professor of English Sam Crowl. Former Ohio University president Vernon Alden, for whom the library is named, also will be in attendance.  The ceremony will take place from 4 to 7 p.m.

After three years of construction, Alden Library opened in May 1969 to replace the campus' then-overflowing library, the building known today as Chubb Hall. That year the library held 550,000 volumes, which were moved by staff, students and community members across College Green.

The library that can be seen today was not completed until 1972 when the east and west wings were added to create floors four through seven. Original architectural drawings and archival images of the building can been seen online at www.flickr.com/photos/ohiouniversitylibraries/.

Serving the Ohio University campuses and the local community, Alden Library holds nearly 3 million volumes, 46,000 maps and more than 36,000 films, videos and DVDs. Its Web site has about 7.5 million global visitors annually and is recognized as one of the top research libraries in the country. 

To learn more about the celebration and the history of the Ohio University Libraries, visit  www.ohioalumni.org/alden40.