John M. Pfau Library
academic library building on the California State University, San Bernardino campus
The John M. Pfau Library is the library on the campus of California State University, San Bernardino in San Bernardino, California, United States. It is named after the founding president of the university, Dr. John Martin Pfau. It has two sections totaling 294,000 square feet.
The first library director, Arthur E. Nelson, was appointed by Dr. Pfau in 1963. Nelson began accumulating materials in a local warehouse and by 1965 had 50,000 books to move into Sierra Hall, one of the first (multipurpose) buildings on the campus. In 1968, construction began on the current library building which was occupied in 1971. Later on, a new wing was added which was completed in 1994.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “John M. Pfau Library” as academic library building on the California State University, San Bernardino campus. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as academic library building on the California State University, San Bernardino campus. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6245914. Authority coordinates are 34.183, -117.324. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1963, 1965, 1968 and 1971.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “John M. Pfau Library”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow John M. Pfau Library primary sources, John M. Pfau Library archive and John research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “John M. Pfau Library”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “John M. Pfau Library” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.