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About Lamson Library

History

In 1808, Plymouth Holmes Academy, named for Revolutionary War Colonel Samuel Holmes, was established across from the old courthouse on Court Street. In 1837, it became the first New Hampshire training school for teachers, and in 1871, was turned over to the state to become Plymouth Normal School. At the time, students used a one-room library, measuring only 12 by 14 feet.

In 1891, the library moved into Livermore Hall and an adjoining classroom on the second floor of the newly constructed Rounds Hall. Around 1919, the library moved to the first floor of Rounds doubling its previous space.

In 1932, Plymouth Normal School built its first planned library facility on the ground floor of Samuel Read Hall dormitory. A few years later, it was formally dedicated to a well-loved and honored teacher, Dr. Herbert H. Lamson, M.D., who taught sciences at the Normal School from 1903 to 1938, and thus became the Herbert H. Lamson Library.

The Normal School was renamed Plymouth Teachers College in 1939, and the post-war boom brought a huge influx of students. After becoming Plymouth State College in 1963, the need for a larger more modern library facility was finally addressed when the current building on Highland Street, still called Herbert H. Lamson Library, was opened in 1964, and a large addition built in 1972. In 1998 a major expansion and renovation project was completed which increased the size of the building by more than sixty per cent.

In 2006, the library is again undergoing transition. The introduction of the Lamson Learning Commons in the fall of 2006 brings more services and technology together with traditional library materials and services. The presence of Information Technology Services means that you can get answers to your toughest tech questions at the Information Desk, create multimedia presentations, check out laptops, or use your own without wires. Also located in Lamson: Plymouth Academic Support Services (PASS), the Writing and Reading Center, and the Commons Cafe.

The Collection

This library contains over 330,000 print volumes. To get an idea of how large (or small) this collection is, consider that the Library of Congress contains over 29,000,000 volumes, University of New Hampshire Library contains over 1,000,000 volumes, the Manchester Public Library contains over 350,000 volumes, and the Pease Public Library in Plymouth contains over 26,000 volumes.

This library subscribes to about 1,000 print periodical titles, but you can access the full text of thousands of additional periodicals through our online databases.

The Library Mission

Lamson Library supports the curricular and social goals of the University mission by providing access to library and electronic resources. Through our collection of resources, our service orientation and our various programs and displays, we strive to provide organized access to the record of human discovery and achievement and to the diversity of human experience and culture.