Dr. Barbra Buckner Higginbotham (1946- ), was born in Texas to Zeak and Mozelle Buckner, was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. She was educated in local schools and then attended Centenary College of Louisiana. Dr. Higginbotham went on to receive both her Master's and Doctorate Degrees in Library Science from Columbia University. In 1985, Dr. Higginbotham became Brooklyn College's Chief Librarian. One of the most important projects undertaken by Dr. Higginbotham during her tenure at Brooklyn College was the expansion and renovation of the college library. By the 1990's, sixty years after its construction, the library was in poor condition. With the help of the college President, that of the Deputy Chancellor of the City University of New York, Brooklyn Borough President and a New York State Assemblyman, the expansion of the college library was approved in 1996. One of the oldest architectural firms in the nation, Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott, was chosen to design the building. In 2002, after three years and seventy-five million dollars, a newly expanded and renovated library opened. The architects had incorporated the old with the new, a modern new sturcture with the old Georgian appeal of the original building . With more square footage, increased seating capacity, greater access for students--from digital connections to new PC stations, group-study rooms and multimedia classrooms, the new building was a success. In Dr. Higginbothams' words, "the library has become more than just a library...a comprehensive and complex information center."
From the description of The Barbra Buckner Higginbotham Collection; 194?-2002 198?-2002. (Brooklyn College). WorldCat record id: 462122612
