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Carolyn Blanchard, technical services librarian for the Beulah Williams Library at Northern State University, shifts volumes around on the shelves at the new Cramer Center for Design and Innovation. Aberdeen Insider photo by Elisa Sand
Hundreds of books on the topic of architecture and design are now available to browse and read at the Beulah Williams Library on the Northern State University campus.
The collection is a donation from 1969 Northern graduate Jim Cramer, who spent many of his formative years reading at the library. As a student, he even met his future wife in the Northern library, so it’s fitting that there’s now a collection of his books within the same walls.
“I think the world of Northern,” Cramer said in a phone interview.
Dedication will include speakers, presentations, other events
The bulk of the collection now sits in the Cramer Center for Design and Innovation. A public dedication of the space will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 in the library. It includes opening remarks from Library Director Robert Russell and Cramer, followed by two presentations. A ribbon-cutting is set for 4 p.m. Additional invitation-only events will follow.
At 2:15 p.m., Dan Noble, CEO of the architecture firm HKS, will give a presentation called “The Power of Design for Aberdeen and Small Towns Everywhere.” It will be followed by a panel discussion.
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At 3 p.m., R. Nicholas Loope will present a talk titled “Learning About Small Firm Success from Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School.” Again, a panel discussion will follow.
Cramer’s collection includes several books about Wright, who designed more than 1,000 structures over a 70-year period. One book is even signed by Wright.
Cramer graduated from NSU with a degree in secondary education. He is the former CEO of the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C., and previously held the position of publisher for Architecture Magazine and Architectural Technology.
He’s the author of seven books and dozens of magazine articles about small and geographically remote firms prospering worldwide.
Cramer is faculty lecturer at Georgia Tech
Cramer is currently a faculty lecturer at Georgia Tech, where he teaches entrepreneurship in professional practice.
The goal of the Cramer Center for Design and Innovation is to encourage innovation.
“I’m really excited about enterprise development. Taking a dream and putting together a plan and getting close to achieving the dream. We can do that with the right people and the right resources,” he said.
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Russell said he first started talking to Cramer during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. That’s when he got a message from the Northern State University Foundation that Cramer was interested in donating some books.
Russell said he and Cramer started visiting about Aberdeen Smittys and Northern State baseball before eventually talking about the book collection.
As Northern doesn’t have an architecture program, Russell said his first concern was making sure the collection ended up in the right place. Cramer was adamant that he wanted it at NSU.
So, a space was identified and converted into two offices and a reading room. Lights and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit were updated to accommodate the needs of the rare books.
Some books in Cramer’s collection date back to early 1700s
Cramer said some volumes are signed and others date back to the early 1700s.
Russell said one of the books featuring structures in London was the subject of a special request from King Charles, who asked Cramer if it could be placed on display in London.
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Though many volumes already line the shelves in the new reading room, Russell said a few rare books have yet to be placed. Those, he said, are arriving with Cramer this week.
The books cover a wide range of topics including art, architecture, design, landscape design, urban development and water use.
Robert Russell
Russell said he eventually plans to create a larger space for the Cramer Center that would include an art gallery, but that’ll take time. For now, he said, the university is working on setting up guest speakers.
Erin Fouberg, associate provost at Northern, said donations to the center will be used for faculty stipends to create assignments that will access the collection.
The Cramer Center ties into activity already happening on campus, including the Innovation and Startup Center, and programming that’s in the works. Fouberg said that includes a planned master’s program in strategic innovation and leadership, which is going through the approval process, but could be available in fall 2024.
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“The Cramer Center is a piece of the larger push on campus to push forward innovation,” Fouberg said. “Jim’s a testament that you can carve your own path.”
She said the book collection is significant because of Aberdeen’s foundation of entrepreneurship.
“The Cramer Center is a reminder that this community does a great job of raising people to be innovative,” she said.
Fouberg
A 25-person advisory board has been assembled to oversee activity at the Cramer Center. Fouberg and Russell are on the board, but Fouberg said many others are notable members of the architecture community.
Both Cramer and Russell mentioned plans to annually recognize a book of significance on architecture. Cramer also talked about his desire to have events for both students and the community.
“He has some very big ideas and has really big thinkers on the board,” Russell said.