Lydia Olson, herself, lifted the first shovel of dirt for excavation of the building and the library was completed in October 1951. It consisted of two full floors which were used for housing the library proper and a half-floor at ground level for the Audio-Visual Center. A foyer served as the entrance to the new building and it also connected it to the remodeled Peter White Hall. This entrance included carved portals on the outside with the etched words, "Demonstrate", "Instruct", "Study", "Practice", and "Illustrate" visible. Along with Kaye and Peter White Halls, the twenty-one year old Lydia M. Olson Library building was torn down in 1972.