2. Library
3. Friends of the Library

Gertrude Kistler Memorial Library

Support Us

We Invite YOU to join the Friends of the Rosemont College Library!

The Friends of the Rosemont College Library was established in 1987, the sixtieth anniversary of the College, to increase the visibility of the Library in the community, to encourage volunteers, and to generate new funds.

The Gertrude Kistler Memorial Library opened in 1926 on the College Green, a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Sedgwick Kistler as a memorial to their daughter. The Library has been expanded twice. In 1935, the Kistlers offered to undertake the cost of an addition to the building. In 1954, funds from the Kistler estate were used to build another wing which included a new reference room and enough space for 120,000 books. 

As the Library continues to grow and expand, a major source of support will be provided by the Friends of the Rosemont College Library. Funds are primarily raised through memberships of the community. Funds are used to purchase books, references materials, computers, furnishings, and archival supplies not provided for in the annual college budget.

Over the years the Friends have attracted members of the community to the campus by sponsoring musical programs, trips, and lectures. Award-winning authors such as Deirdre Bair, Gayle Pemberton, Carolyn Heilbrun, and Marge Peircy have spoken to large crowds at the spring lecture. A new project undertaken and funded by the Friends involves the organization and preservation of materials in the Rosemont Collection which chronicles the history of the College and is housed in the Gertrude Kistler Memorial Library. Memorabilia, photographs, manuscripts, and publications have been gathered, organized, and preserved.

The Rosemont College Library needs the continuing support of Friends, both old and new, to ensure its growth and expansion of information services. We need volunteers to work in the Library and to assist at Friends' functions.