Campolindo Library Through the Ages
The second, and permanent, Campolindo Library was designed and built in 1970, over 50 years ago. The first library was housed in one of the original classrooms. San Francisco based architects, Rockwell & Banwell, designed and oversaw the building of this library and finished the project in 1971. Irene Earl, Carol Merlone, and Grace Rubsamen were the original library staff.
Pictured below are various pictures of staff members from the 1971 yearbook. You can see that the library was still under construction. Have fun scrolling through a timeline of the Campolindo library and taking a step back into the past. Enjoy!
Pictured below are various pictures of staff members from the 1971 yearbook. You can see that the library was still under construction. Have fun scrolling through a timeline of the Campolindo library and taking a step back into the past. Enjoy!
Pictured here is someone who played a very crucial role in our library’s history: Mrs. Irene Earl. Irene Earl was the very first librarian of the Campo library and she was there when our library was first used! Therefore, our library is named the “Irene Earl Library”, after the woman who took care of it when it first opened. |

Pictured here is Mrs. Carol Merlone, who was the first Library Clerk of our fabulous library! Mrs. Merlone took such great care of our library in its first years of life and she continues to do so through her legacy and scholarships for Campolindo seniors every year. Her son and grandchildren donate money to Campo’s Senior Scholarship every year, so thank you Mrs. Merlone and the Merlone family for all that you have done to help our students!

This photo features Mrs. Jean Dalton (Teacher’s Aide), Mrs. Irene Earl (Librarian), Mrs. Grace Rubsamen (Textbook Clerk), and Mrs. Carol Merlone (Library Clerk). These women are standing in front of the circulation desk, giving you a view of the library as it was being constructed. As you can see, the furniture has yet to be installed in the library, which is why there is so much empty space behind these prominent women.
If you look carefully, you can also see that the lights hanging from the ceiling are different from the ones that are hanging from the library’s ceiling today. Not to mention there are more windows along the walls of the library today, allowing more natural light to illuminate the construction materials located all around the inside of the library. This photo truly is a flashback to the past because it helps you see how different the library was 50 years ago!

Standing at the back of our library while it was still being constructed is Mr. Edward Hewitson (German and Literature), Mrs. Lorraine Lyon (Learning Skills), Mrs. Irene Threlkel (Shorthand and Typing), and Mr. Gene ALa (Science). You can see that there is no furniture behind them and that the library is almost completely empty, save for the construction materials in the background. Not to mention, the lights are different from the ones the library currently has, which makes this a great Before and After photo! If you look closely, you can also see the front door at the front of the library in the picture, with plants and a few benches visible outside. Overall, this is a great photo that allows us to see what our fantastic library looked like before it had furniture installed and was later modernized.

Pictured here is Mr. Bill Reavis (Math), Mr. Robert Worthington (Art), Mrs. Elaine Branch (Foreign Languages), Miss Lola Danielli (Spanish), Mr. Fred Gandel (Music), Mr. Howard Svendson (P.E.), Mr. Gary Cook (P.E. and Math), Mrs. Helen Harrell (English and Literature), and Mr. John Blake (Literature). They are standing next to our circulation desk in the library while it was under construction in 1971, with construction materials peeking out from behind them. Located in front of them are the study carrels, which are still well-used by Campolindo students today.
The entire Campo library—not just what you see here—has been loved by Campo’s many students for the past 50 years.