Little developed a vigorous department of Civil Engineer-
ing, one of whose early products was Dean Stout, now head
of the college. History, the first of the social sciences to
be organized, got its start in 204, the northeast comer room
on the second floor; while in 205, the adjacent room, the
oflSce and the collections of the State Historical Society
were sheltered for six years, 1885-1891. In that same tiny,
ill-lighted cubicle, in 1889-1891, Dr. Amos G. Warner, Pro-
fessor Howard W. Caldwell, and the writer organized a
joint seminar of history and economics ; the first graduate
seminar to be founded in the University of Nebraska. The
genesis of the department of philosophy took place in room
112 on the first floor ; and this same room, for many years



26 UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

the Chancellor's office— for a long time the only "office" —
was the embryo of Administration Hall. The beginnings
of the University library were sufficiently humble. Its
germ-cell was room 202 on the second floor. For fifteen
years that cramped space served as stack-room and read-
ing-room combined. The annual expenditure for books was
not lavish. According to the report of the librarian for the
year ending June 8, 1881, seventy-two bound volumes had
been added during the period ; while the entire library then
consisted of 2,781 bound volumes and 700 pamphlets : about
two-thirds the size of the present "Howard Reference
Library*' for the department of Political Science and
Sociology.
