Tracing the history of South Dakota State University's Hilton M. Briggs Library over the past 102 years, this occasional paper describes the development of what is now the largest library (over 1.1 million total pieces) in the South Dakota Library Network from its inception as part of a small land grant college. Administrative eras are reviewed, most notably those of William Powers (1905-36), H. Dean Stallings (1937-48), Alfred Trump (1948-72), and Leon Raney (1972 to present), in light of the impact of changes and growth in such areas as staffing, salaries, library organization, library services, library technical processes, collection development, funding, architecture, and the advent of the electronics revolution. A prediction for record growth in 1988 in the areas of collections and user services at Briggs Library is made in the closing remarks. (CGD)