Evans Library celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, marking four decades as a vital center of research and innovation at Florida Tech. Since its opening in 1984, Evans Library has evolved with the times and technology to meet the diverse needs of students, faculty, and the campus community.
In its current form, the Library looks dramatically different from how it appeared in 1984. To help illustrate the 40-year transformation, “Then & Now” photos were displayed throughout the Library with a QR Code link to what the space used to look like to depict the physical changes over time. These visual comparisons, displayed in prominent areas, reflect not only the evolution of the Library’s physical spaces but also the broader shift in libraries and society as everything has increasingly moved online.
The Florida Tech Board of Trustees kicked off the celebration in October 2024 with a tour of the Library after the Board’s quarterly meeting. Travis Proctor, then Board Chair, had not been in the Library since his undergrad days in the 1990s. He was surprised to find that Evans Library is no longer your mother's library.
University Historian Gordon Patterson treated the Board to an overview of “The History of Florida Tech Libraries.” which also included a lively recounting of the two previous library buildings on campus. His talk was recreated in the DSL video and podcast studios and is now available to view in the Library’s Scholarship Repository, along with other artifacts of the 40th anniversary, such as the “History of the Library in Photos.”
A slew of events followed throughout the year. The Library co-hosted the Community Foundation of Brevard’s Florida Humanities Florida Lore storytelling presentation in November and the Breaking Barriers Reception in January. For that event, the community was invited to meet Dean Jason Martin, Ed.D., and celebrate the legacy of Julius Montgomery in the library’s Breaking Barriers Lounge prior to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. annual commemoration in Gleason.
February brought the 10th annual African American Read-in to the Library, one of the biggest Black History events on the Space Coast, according to Florida Today. With a focus on the Harlem Renaissance and Black influence, the event welcomed more than 150 attendees, who watched Florida Tech alumni, faculty, students and community members speak about Black luminaries, read poems, sing and perform.
The 40th anniversary webpage received anniversary shout-outs from Florida Tech emerita, alumni, staff, a former Dean of Libraries and even Pete the Panther. Current School of Arts and Communication professor, Dr. Natalie Dorfeld wrote,
“Happy anniversary, Evans Library. Thank you for your friendly staff. (Good morning, Nancy, Chelsea, and Bill.) Thank you for fun events. (Who doesn't love puppies/kittens during the week of finals?). Thank you for creating wellness. (Campus needs more plants, yoga, funky art, and hammocks.)”
Rounding out our celebration was a ceremony to award the winners of “Event Horizon: The Next 40 years of Space and Beyond,” a student contest sponsored by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation. President John Nicklow and retired Astronaut Bob Cabana were in attendance to honor business students Robert Gadomski as the winner for SpaceCast and honorable mention winners Kozmo Colina and Eseroghene Oguma.
The ribbon cutting for the 1984 Library actually took place in January 1985, marking the beginning of a new chapter in our campus history. Just as we honor this milestone this year, the Library’s birthday will continue to be celebrated each year. It’s a tradition that connects our past to our present, reminding us that libraries are not just buildings, but living spaces that grow, evolve, and bring people together.
