Pasadena City College to Celebrate 30th Anniversary of the Shatford Library

Pasadena City College (PCC) is gearing up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Shatford Library, which plays a significant role on the PCC campus providing a variety of services and resources for the college’s diverse community.

The celebration is scheduled for Tuesday, November 7th, and will take place in the Library Rotunda from noon to 1 p.m.

The Shatford Library is named after Walter T. Shatford II, an attorney and community leader who served on the PCC Board of Trustees for more than 20 years. Prior to his tenure at PCC, Shatford served eight years on the Board of Education for the Pasadena Unified School District. Throughout his years of service, he demonstrated a deep affection for the Library.

In 1957, Shatford was elected to the Pasadena Board of Education, which then supervised elementary through college-level education. When what was then Pasadena Junior College split off in 1966, he left to serve on its board and stayed until 1997. 

According to a profile on Shatford on the college website, keeping college affordable and cultivating a diverse campus population were two of Shatford’s major themes. 

John Martin, a Board member since 1979, recalls Shatford’s bottom-line advice on the importance of having a majority vote on a seven-member board.

“He had just incredible wit,” said Martin. “The first thing he said to me was, ’There’s a lot of things you gotta know, but the most important thing on a seven-member board is that you gotta know how to count to four.’ “

Shatford’s legal and fundraising expertise was credited with helping to keep the Pasadena branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People afloat during turbulent times. He served on its board for 43 years and in 1993 received its top award for service.

The $16.5-million Shatford Library, which opened its doors on September 7, 1993, holds a variety of resources, including books, periodicals, audio cassettes, CDs, software, and special services collections. The library also has a rich collection of archival materials, such as photographs of campus personnel, the grounds, buildings, and events dating as far back as 1907.

 Additionally, the library has a digital history website with over 30,000 digital representations of both textual and still image materials.

The Tuesday event will feature a display of PCC archival images. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy light refreshments and take library tours, which will likely provide insight into the library’s resources, policies, and the various services it offers to students, faculty, and staff.

The event encourages attendees to dress in “geek chic” attire, although this is optional. This will some fun to the celebration, encouraging attendees to express their “nerdy” side. The event is being promoted on social media with the hashtags #PCCYouThere and #PCCLibraryNerdy30.