This early photograph of the reading room in the Carnegie Library was taken shortly after the construction of the building in 1905. In 1915, the interior was essentially the same. The walkway connecting the two sides of the gallary ( in the center of the photograph ) was in the center of the building. Directly below it on the first floor on both sides of the reading room were hallways leading to the Seventh Street and college quadrangle entrances to the building.

In 1915, there was no full-time librarian. William E. Martin, who was Professor of Logic and Sociology, served as librarian, but he also had teaching responsibilities. The library contained more than 30,000 volumes and thousands of pamphlets.