The Trustees of Indiana University have approved the naming of the Main Library on IU's Bloomington campus for Herman B Wells, the university's visionary chancellor who died five years ago.

The university reserved the naming opportunity shortly after Wells' death in 2000. With characteristic modesty, Wells had refused to allow any buildings to be named for him during his lifetime or until five years after his death. The library's naming was recommended today (March 31) by the Facilities Committee and is expected to come up for a vote at the trustees' business meeting on Friday. Trustees are meeting on the IU South Bend campus.

The university will celebrate the naming of the Herman B Wells Library with a ceremony on June 17.

"We are indebted to Herman Wells for his vision and tireless efforts that transformed Indiana University into a world-class research university," said IU President Adam W. Herbert. "In recognition of President Wells' distinguished institutional leadership, it is particularly fitting that the university's central repository of knowledge -- our main library -- be named after him."

Wells was president of IU from 1938 to 1962 and was university chancellor from 1962 to 2000. He led the university through its post-World War II expansion and is credited with transforming IU into an internationally recognized center of research and scholarship and one of America's great public universities. As university chancellor, he was active up until his death at age 97 on the campus where he resided and was much beloved.

For more information:  Herman B Wells Library