The ACES (Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences) Library was once housed in Mumford Hall. It was moved to 226 Mumford hall in 1924, and that was meant to be a temporary housing for the collection. Over the years the ACES library absorbed other collections, making the entire collection much larger than the facilities were meant to hold. Some of the collections that are housed in the ACES library include agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, animal genetics, floriculture, forestry, and many others.
      Though the staff made it a friendly place, the collection was not as accessible as it should be. Then the ACES library absorbed the Home Economics collection in 1995. The ACES library was quickly running out of shelf space, and its collection was then, by necessity, housed in two different buildings. Some materials had to be requested by patrons because much of the ACES collection was still housed in Bevier Hall, in the old Home Economics Library. 226 Mumford Hall was just not enough space for all that ACES had to give. The collection was also not housed in the best of conditions. Mumford Hall is an older building, and temperature and humidity were hard to control. It became increasingly apparent that a new facility would need to be acquired for the collection.
     Even before the ACES Library absorbed the Home Economics library, fund raising activities were set in motion. Some funding was secured to the tune of $10.5 million dollars from the State of Illinois, and that was to be matched by individuals to make the grand total raised $21 million. Many people supported the fund raising for this new facility, which also house the ACES Alumni Center. The Library is named after the generous Issac and Cassandra Funk family. They gave extremely generously to help make the ACES Library what it is today. In the summer of 2001 the collection made the move to the new building, and the ACES library was officially opened in August, 2001. Because of the hard work and generousness of all the donors, the ACES Library is now housed in a modern building. The newest computers were made available, as well as internet hookups at every table and desk. The new building's large study rooms are very popular with students seeking a place to meet with groups and study partners. The instructional lab on the fifth floor provides a valuable service to the campus. Also, temperature and humidty are under fine tuned control, and the collection will last much longer in the new facility.
     Much more information can be found at either the ACES Library or Alumni center. Many of the rooms are dedicated to the generous donors, and lists of donors can be obtained at several locations in the building. If you are interested in the history of the ACES Library, more information can be obtained at the Circulation desk about the various collections of the library.