SEMO-VINCENTIANS LIBRARY AGREEMENT NEAR

Southeast Missouri State University soon could lease a 46-year-old Catholic library in Perryville for use as a higher education center.

The lease arrangement could be finalized as early as next week, university and Catholic officials said Thursday.

Southeast wants to lease the library at St. Mary's of the Barrens and offer college classes in the building. It would replace the smaller education center at Sereno. The Sereno center, housed in a former grade school, is situated five miles east of Perryville on Highway 51.

The St. Mary's library, a short distance from Interstate 55, is in a better location, Southeast officials have said. The library could serve some 400 students, double the number served by the Sereno facility.

Congregation of the Mission owns St. Mary's of the Barrens, a complex of buildings that once served as a seminary. Southeast officials have been negotiating with the Catholic organization based in a St. Louis suburb.

The university also wants the Vincentians to donate or loan a collection of rare books, paperweights and art pieces to Southeast's River Campus museum. The River Campus arts school and museum is planned for former St. Vincent's Seminary in Cape Girardeau. The Vincentians formerly owned the Cape Girardeau property.

The rare books and art objects are housed in St. Mary's library in Perryville. Among the rare books are 150 Bibles, including part of a 15th century Gutenberg Bible. The library also has hundreds of first editions, including books by Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman.

But Vincentian spokesman Paul Zemitzsch said the Catholic order is still considering that request. A decision could be months away, he said. "We are quite a ways off."

If necessary, the rare books and art items could be moved temporarily to other quarters so the university could proceed with development of a higher education center, Zemitzsch said.

The Vincentians already are planning to move church documents in the St. Mary's archives to DePaul University in Chicago at least on a temporary basis.

An advisory council for the Congregation of the Mission last week approved a proposed lease agreement. Dr. Ken Dobbins, Southeast's president, said university attorney Joseph Russell is reviewing the document. Zemitzsch said he doesn't foresee any problems with the terms of the lease.

Dobbins said Southeast plans to make some interior renovations and construct parking for the higher education center. Southeast hopes to open the new education center by this fall.

Dobbins said the university plans to seek local funding to help finance the project in Perryville.

Zemitzsch said development of the Catholic library into a higher education center would benefit the region.

University and Vincentian officials have had numerous discussions on the issue. "It has been a long time in the making," he said.