In 1926 a new building was built specifically for the library and it was named “Forsyth” after Brevet Brigadier General George Alexander Forsyth. General Forsyth had been stationed at Fort Hays in the 1880s. When the library was dedicated on July 10, 1928, Forsyth Library contained 14,000 volumes. This collection sustained major damage when the flood of May 1951 flooded the first floor of the library with 16 inches of water. When the library moved to its present location the original building was renamed and still stands as McCartney Hall.
The present building was completed in 1967 at a cost of $1,192,321, with one-third of the funds supplied by the Federal Government. It encompassed 105,414 square feet with an unfinished basement, two floors, and a structural capacity for a future third floor. The basement level of the building was finished at a cost of $384,000 in 1974.
In 2017 Forsyth Library housed 506,746 volumes in the physical collection as well as 279,866 electronic books available online.
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Letter from Travis Wm. Miller to Dr. M.C. Cunningham regarding equipment contracts for the new library building for Forsyth Library
Travis Wm. Miller
A letter from Travis Wm. Miller, Assistant Regional Administrator for Metropolitan Development at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to Dr. Morton C. Cunningham, president of Fort Hays Kansas State College, regarding the award of equipment contracts for the new library building for Forsyth Library.
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Invoice: Northwestern Typewriter Company
Northwestern Typewriter Company
An invoice for library equipment from Northwestern Typewriter Company in Hays, Kansas.
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Invoice: Northwestern Typewriter Company
Northwestern Typewriter Company
An invoice for library equipment from Northwestern Typewriter Company in Hays, Kansas.
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Invoice: Northwestern Typewriter Company
Northwestern Typewriter Company
An invoice for library equipment from Northwestern Typewriter Company in Hays, Kansas.
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Change in Purchase Order Voucher: Remington Rand Office Systems
Purchasing Division, State of Kansas Department of Administration
A change in purchase order voucher for library equipment from Remington Rand Office Systems of Kansas City, Missouri.
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Purchase Order: Addressograph-Multigraph
Purchasing Division, State of Kansas Department of Administration
A purchase order for library equipment from Addressograph-Multigraph of Wichita, Kansas.
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Purchase Order: A.J. Nystrom & Company
Purchasing Division, State of Kansas Department of Administration
An invoice for library equipment from A.J. Nystrom & Company of Chicago, Illinois.
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Purchase Order: Bowlus School Supply Company
Purchasing Division, State of Kansas Department of Administration
A purchase order for library equipment from Bowlus School Supply Company in Pittsburg, Kansas.
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Purchase Order: Folding Carrier Corporation
Purchasing Division, State of Kansas Department of Administration
A purchase order for library equipment from Folding Carrier Corporation of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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Purchase Order: Gaylord Brothers, Inc.
Purchasing Division, State of Kansas Department of Administration
A purchase order for electric erasers from Gaylord Brothers, Inc. of Syracuse, New York.