History of the Olin Library Call Board
When the John M. Olin Library opened in 1961, only faculty, graduate students and library staff were allowed to retrieve their own books from the stacks. Barred from the stacks, undergraduate students had to fill out a request form for the books they wanted. The forms were given to a librarian in exchange for an order number. The request then traveled through a series of pneumatic tubes to the relevant library floor, where staff would locate the items and send them down to the main floor via a dumbwaiter. The electric number board located above the circulation desk notified students when they could collect their books. When their request number lit up, their books were ready.
When the stacks became open to all students in the 1990s, usage of the call board decreased. Although still used for special requests, the board became more of a decorative, rather than functional, feature. The board experienced renewed purpose during the COVID-19, as social distancing mandates limited access to the stacks again.