University Times

The University Library System (ULS) announced that its five millionth volume is “Making the Impossible Possible: One Man’s Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger and Achieve the Extraordinary,” by William Strickland.

Strickland is a Pitt alumnus, trustee and chair of the ULS board of visitors. He also is president and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corp. and its subsidiaries, the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild and Bidwell Training Center.

The book focuses on Strickland’s childhood, and how an art teacher inspired him to become more than just an aimless kid living in a tough Pittsburgh neighborhood. As a result, after he graduated from Pitt, he founded the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild to expose inner city children to the arts.

ULS reached its first million volumes in the early 1960s, its second million in 1975, and its third million in 1991. ULS marked its last milestone in 1999, when it reached four million volumes.