The Marshall Brooks Library supports and enhances the mission of Principia College by creating an atmosphere conducive to learning and reflection. The library promotes information literacy, the preservation of culture, and the creation of knowledge by providing access to quality collections, instruction, services, and spaces.
- Open six days a week during the term, the library offers:
- 174,000+ tangible items
- 25+ private study carrels,
- 7 reservable rooms for group meetings (5 rooms have presentation capability)
- Idea Lab/Maker space with 2 computers (with CAD, SolidWorks, AutoDesk/Fusion 360, and FreeCAD), 2 Prusa 3D printers, a RAISE3D printer, prototyping benches, and a hot wire foam cutter.
- Digital Projects Room for audio recording and video conferencing.
- 2 public kiosk computers, 3 circulating laptops, and 15 desktop computers
- 1 multi-functional device for scanning, printing, and copying
- 1 high-speed scanner
- 59,000+ journals online
- 490,000+ ebooks
- The library participates in the I-Share system with 93 other Illinois libraries, providing students access to over 15 million unique titles via our daily weekday courier service. Additionally, items may be requested outside of the I-Share system through our interlibrary loan service.
- The resources go beyond those of a traditional library to include the Principia Archives and Special Collections of artifacts, fine art, rare books, and manuscripts supporting scholarly research.
- Library faculty partner with classroom faculty to provide tailored library instruction sessions across the curriculum. During the day, the library is staffed by professional researchers who are available in person, online, or by phone to assist with research. In the evening, the library is staffed with peer tutors who can assist with writing and research.
- The library is named in memory of Marshall Brooks by his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Percival W. Brooks of Pasadena, California, to meet the need for a larger library space than at the one at Lillian Brewer Buck House. The library was completed in 1956.
- Marshall Brooks attended the Principia from Lower School through Upper School at the St. Louis Page & Belt campus and the College at the Elsah campus. He graduated in 1940 with a B.S. degree in geology. After his graduation, he taught geology at the College. Marshall Brooks then served in the U.S. Navy in World War II in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters and received a special citation from Admiral Hewitt. After the war, he attended Stanford University and completed a master's degree in economics. Marshall Brooks died in February 1951 when he crashed while piloting his own plane in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. (September 1952 Principia Purpose article about the donation.)
