Milton S. Eisenhower Library

Building Description

The Milton S. Eisenhower Library is referred to as MSE by students. The library has six stories, two of which are above ground, and 4 of which are below. However, each level has windows and natural light. Interestingly, the reason that only 2 floors are above ground is because of a traditional campus rule that says that no building can stand taller than Gilman Hall, the oldest academic building. The library has 2.6 million volumes and over 20,000 journal subscriptions. The building is patterned after the Georgian structures that surround it.

History

The building opened in 1964, and was named for Johns Hopkins’ eight president, Milton S. Eisenhower. In 1975, the MSE library preservation program began. At first, the focus of the preservation was the more than 300,000 items published prior to 1850 hat were in daily use. By the mid-1990’s, post-1850 books began to receive the major treatment focus. This program is ongoing.