Leuven's University Library has a particularly tragic past: creamed off by the French in 1795, burnt down by the Germans in 1914 and again in 1940 and, finally, split between Walloons and Flemings in the division of Leuven University in 1970. The Library reflects not only six centuries of University history, but also many chapters of European history and even world history in the last century. A president of the United States played a leading role, and a Japanese emperor also figures in it. The Library, built with American funds, was conceived as an American memorial to the Great War of 1914-1918. All this means the Library is not merely another university building. The past has imbued it with the higher values that survive human conflict. The University Library has been in full development since 1970. With his historic collection, the Maurits Sabbe Library is a living research centre for matters of religion and theology. The Arenberg Campus Library, a science library housed in a sixteenth-century monastery, combines technology and heritage. The various branch libraries range from law and philosophy to medicine, from ancient colleges in the heart of Leuven to the university hospital on the edge of the town. The book has three reading levels: the main body of the text offers the reader the wider perspective of an overview, texts in boxes explain specific aspects and extensive captions accompany six hundred illustrations. The book has been conveniently structured in eight chapters, each preceded by a picture gallery, as a summary of what is to follow. The book closes with a bibliography and a Corpus inscriptionum with the texts of all the commemorative stones of the so-called American Library of Leuven. Never-before-shown visual material alternating with present-day photos: image and text ensure that the book will be a point of reference for decades to come.

Table of Contents:
Preface I. THE LIBRARIES OF THE OLD UNIVERSITY, 1425-1797 One university, many libraries Monasteries Faculties Colleges A central library in 1636 Charles II of Croy Beyerlinck and Jansenius Valerius Andreas Slow growth The library in a brand-new building A library and wine cellar A grand chamber Baroque theatre Books in trompe-l'oeil Between Enlightenment and Revolution Abbé (de) Nelis Jean Noël Paquot Jan Frans van de Velde A castle in the air Moved to Brussels Plundered by Paris II. THE LIBRARY IN THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION, 1797-1835 The State University of Leuven The Belgian Revolution III. A LIBRARY FOR THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY, 1835-1914 The daughter of Jaïrus An academic museum Book stacks from Germany IV. BELLO DIRUTA. THE FIRST WORLD WAR AND THE RECONSTRUCTION, 1914-1940 The fire of Leuven The franc-tireurs The Oxford of Belgium The Sarajevo of the intellectuals Culture and civilisation The reconstruction The Treaty of Versailles The flood of dollars The architect Whitney Warren An American library The Giralda of Seville A castle in Denmark A war monument Allied fauna and flora A gift from America Liberty Bell Written in the stars A political symbol The atmosphere of Locarno A counterblast from Berlin The balustrade smashed to pieces Transatlantic An ideal library? German money Scholarly libraries Wish lists Collector's items or mass production A reader survey V. BIS DIRUTA. THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND THE RECONSTRUCTION, 1940-1970 The second fire Bis repetita The reconstruction Help from abroad The American College Versailles article 247 A disaster plan Architect Henry Lacoste Belated art deco Beeswax and solid oak The new collection Scholarly libraries Manuscripts and archives Fragmentation VI THE LIBRARY AFTER THE PARTITION, 1970-2000 Split and division Odd and even Drastic action Centralisation? Campusen Faculties New structures, new technology The Central Library Cultural heritage Cranevelt and the other Friends The Tabularium Governments, newspapers and databases Explosion VII. THE LEUVEN LIBRARY LANDSCAPE AFTER 1970 From Arenberg to Gasthuisberg A profession of faith Philosophy The Falcon The garden of Letters Temple of Mercury Behavioural sciences Gasthuisberg Arenberg Courtrai Together with others Network Consultation VIII. RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT COROLLARIA Corpus Inscriptionum Library data Series bibliothecariorum The library year by year Bibliography Index