Celebrating 65 Years of the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library

On Oct. 28, 1959, St. Thomas marked a significant milestone with the dedication of its first stand-alone library, the O’Shaughnessy Library. The occasion was grand, featuring a blessing by Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi, the apostolic delegate to the U.S., a high Mass and a banquet in the school’s Armory. This event symbolized the culmination of a long journey to establish a permanent home for the university’s growing library collection. 

The path to creating the O’Shaughnessy Library was far from straightforward. The first library at St. Thomas dates to shortly after the school’s founding in 1885. In 1886, during a visit to Europe, Archbishop John Ireland acquired “many thousand valuable works” for the institution. The books were initially housed in a room in the old Administration Building. However, when The Saint Paul Seminary was established in 1894, most of them were relocated to the seminary’s library. The remaining 500 volumes were stored in a dimly lit, often locked room beneath the main entrance of the Administration Building, not an ideal space for student use.

The conditions of the library remained unchanged until 1912, when it was relocated to the newly constructed Ireland Hall. In a bright, well-furnished space, St. Thomas students finally had access to a more fitting environment for study and research. But 16 years later, the library’s collections relocated to the old Classroom Building in a shared space with the original law school’s library. In 1932, with the opening of the Liberal Arts Building – now Aquinas Hall – the library moved once again, this time settling into a more spacious area at the building’s western end.

By the mid-1950s, it became evident that the library in Aquinas Hall was no longer sufficient. I.A. O’Shaughnessy, a 1906 alumnus, generously donated $1.6 million to St. Thomas to fund the construction of the O’Shaughnessy Library. O’Shaughnessy believed that “the library is the heart of any campus” and regarded this library as his favorite among all the buildings he helped establish at the university. Upon its opening, students formed relays to transfer 80,000 books into the new facility, which was designed to accommodate up to 200,000 volumes.

In the 1980s, the library’s collection had grown to 280,000 volumes, while university enrollment had surged to nearly 10,000 students. Once again, space became a concern, as many students struggled to find quiet study areas. In response, construction on an addition to the library began in the spring of 1990, and by the fall of 1991, the Frey Memorial Library – named in honor of Mary and Eugene Frey (Class of 1952) – was opened. Renamed the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center, the expanded facility was designed to accommodate a projected collection of 450,000 volumes and nearly doubled the seating capacity for student study and research.

Nearly 25 years later, the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library remains a dynamic hub on campus. While students continue to access library resources and use the building for studying, the library has also evolved into a social space. Whether meeting classmates or connecting with professors, students often gather at the Stacks Café or collaborate in the Think Tank, making the library a true center for both academic and community life.