Ribbon Cutting Introduces the Windstead Lending Library, Named after Former ASWSUV President Jacob Windstead

On October 27, a ribbon-cutting event was held to celebrate the official opening of the Winstead Little Library, named after former ASWSUV president Jacob Winstead.

The Little Library (also referred to as the ‘lending library’) operates on a “take a book, leave a book” basis, and was first proposed by Winstead during his time in office, and he’d planned on completing the project with the help of Dr. Sandra Haynes, the Executive Vice President for WSU Statewide campuses.

When he took his idea to Haynes, she had suggested they work with Discovery High School’s wood-shop program. However, Winstead said, they were unable to complete the project before he graduated because of the “glass aspect of it.” 

Additionally, Haynes had to work out the details of the library’s dimensions and size, color, and weather proofing, lining up with the wood shop’s class curriculum, which further slowed the project.

In the speech Winstead delivered at the event, he noted it was not his idea to name the library after him, but rather, Haynes.’ 

“When I learned on the day of my graduation that my name would be etched into the glass of this little library, I was genuinely at a loss of words,“ Windstead said. “Not tears, though. There were certainly plenty of those. It’s an honor that I never anticipated and one that I always feel humbled to receive.” 

Haynes also delivered a speech, in which she expressed her gratitude at getting the chance to work with Winstead, and emphasized how important it was to her that the Lending Library be named after the former ASWSUV president. 

“I could not resist the idea of bringing the Winstead Lending Library, to this campus. It was truly my pleasure to do that and to honor your legacy in that way” Haynes said.

In an interview with Winstead, when asked about what kind of legacy he hopes to leave with the project, he said that, beside contributing to a shared sense of community and connection, he hopes the project will inspire future student leaders to strive for the things they want to achieve, knowing they could get recognized for their work.