Named after the Illinois Institute of Technology alumnus who gave a gift of $1 Million to develop and endow the library, the Louis W. Biegler Library opened with the construction of the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Campus in January of 1991. Envisioned as an electronic library, the Biegler Library has become an integral part of the IIT Libraries' commitment of service to its students.

Louis W. Biegler

Louis W. Biegler was a 1935 graduate of the Armour Institute of Technology (now the Illinois Institute of Technology). A member of Tau Beta Pi, he completed his B.S. in Fire Protection and Safety Engineering. He began his career as a fire protection engineer, and while working for Geo F. Brown and Sons, Inc. from 1948-1970, Mr. Biegler worked his way up to become Executive Vice-President.

Later, Mr. Biegler established the insurance companies L. W. Biegler Inc. and International Surplus Lines, both subsidiaries of Crum and Foster, New York. During his time with Crum and Foster, Mr. Biegler had the distinction of having the highest office in the world - the 100th floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago. He was President of Corporate Advisors (a consulting business), and was on a number of corporate boards including the nearby Bank of Wheaton. He officially retired in 1985 although he remained active within his profession.

In 1984, Mr. Biegler was the recipient of IIT's Professional Achievement Award. In 1987, IIT's Alumni Association presented Mr. Biegler with its Alumni Medal. 1990 saw Mr. Biegler receiving the Fourteenth Alumnus-of-the-Year Award from Phi Kappa Sigma. Previous winners of the Alumnus award include Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. and Derek Bok, onetime President of Harvard University.

Louis W. Biegler
1914-1995

Mission statement of the Louis W. Biegler Library

The Louis W. Biegler Library supports the information needs of patrons of the Rice Campus in Wheaton by providing access to materials, print or electronic, reference service and interlibrary loan service. Furthermore, the library:

1. Depends on the Paul V. Galvin Library for support, services and materials,

2. Supports the institutional goals of the greater IIT community,

3. Recognizes the needs of the students as its top priority.