On June 23, 1970 the residents of South Oklahoma City approved a 2 mill levy to finance the planning and construction of a two year college.  In the spring of 1971 the school land commission granted a permanent easement of 143 acres on S.W. 74th.  Construction began in January, 1972.  In September, 1972, with 25 faculty and 1,043 students, South Oklahoma City Junior College opened its doors with its unique open concept design.

The Library, then the LRC or Learning Resource Center, with Charlotte French as director, was a small space surrounded by carpeted panels in the middle of the then one-building college.  Over the years the carpeted panels started to disappear, being replaced with walls and ceilings.  In 1989 Barbara King became Director of the Learning Resource Center.  In the early 1990’s the LRC’s name was changed to Library and the director became the Director of Library Services.

In 1994 students began paying a Library Resource Fee to help expand the print collection.  As the collection grew, shelving was added and study space dwindled.  Noise from the classrooms and hallways surrounding the open space library escalated.  The librarians, along with the College administration and architects, planned for a separate library building.  In May of 1996 the Library moved into the tallest building in South Oklahoma City.  The Library is located on the first two floors of the building and shares space with the Information Technology division and student computer lab on the third floor, which is an advantage for students. Economic and Community Development is on the fourth floor.

Senator Keith Leftwich was instrumental in acquiring funds to build the four story building.  On September 19, 2003, Senator Leftwich passed away after a valiant battle with cancer.  In his memory the Library was dedicated to Senator Leftwich in 2004 and became the Keith Leftwich Memorial Library.  In the spring of 2006, Randy Thurman, financial planner, OCCC alumnus and past part-time instructor, and family donated $50,000.00 to the College foundation earmarked for the Library.  This allowed the Library to replace 41 out-dated public computers and install a curbside book drop.

OCCC is now the fifth largest higher education institution in the state and is one of the fastest growing community colleges in the nation.  The Library now houses over 100,000 items.  The Library has expanded from 13 computers and CD-ROM indexes in 1996 and to over 60 computers for Internet browsing, an online catalog and numerous online, full text resources.

Top