College and Research Libraries Critiques of Three Completed Library Buildings TH E F O L L O W I N G PAPERS by D r . M c G a w , M r . A d a m s , and D r . T a t e w e r e presented at the meeting of the A C R L Buildings Committee, J a n u a r y 3 1 , 1 9 5 2 . D r . M u l l e r has written an introduction to these papers. B y R O B E R T H . M U L L E R Introduction Dr. Muller is director of libraries, South- ern Illinois University. IN P L A N N I N G A N E W l i b r a r y building, much can be learned f r o m the experiences of those occupying other l i b r a r y buildings. If librarians are satisfied with certain f e a t u r e s in a building, they are under professional obligation to communicate their s a t i s f a c t i o n s ; if they are dissatisfied, they are under even g r e a t e r obligation to w a r n their colleagues and architects not to make the same mistakes. W i t h o u t such communication, library build- ing design w i l l show little progress over the years. L i b r a r i a n s and architects must try to resist the tendency to copy traditional patterns as w e l l as patterns that depart f r o m tradition until they have had an opportunity to determine as objectively as possible w h e t h e r the p a r t i c u l a r pattern selected has met w i t h satisfaction in the crucible of day- to-day operations and long-range require- ments. T h e greatest obstacle to f r a n k communica- tion concerning l i b r a r y building design is the v e r y human tendency to hide one's mistakes. L i b r a r i a n s and architects can hardly be blamed f o r their reluctance to publicize short- comings in planning since their professional reputation might be affected. I t is, t h e r e f o r e , p r e f e r a b l e to have l i b r a r y buildings e v a l u - ated by those w h o did not have a m a j o r share in the planning of the building under r e v i e w . T h e three l i b r a r y buildings of institutions of higher education reviewed on the f o l l o w i n g pages meet this requirement to a considera- ble extent. A l t h o u g h the critiques w e r e w r i t t e n by the librarians now occupying the respective buildings, the authors did not p a r - ticipate in .all the stages of planning. A t M . I . T . , the " p r o g r a m " had already been d r a f t e d when the present D i r e c t o r , V e r n o n D . T a t e , w a s brought into the p i c t u r e ; at the W o m a n ' s C o l l e g e L i b r a r y of the U n i v e r s i t y of N o r t h C a r o l i n a , L i b r a r i a n C h a r l e s M . A d a m s w a s consulted a f t e r the design of the e x t e r i o r had been settled; at the U n i v e r s i t y of Houston, L i b r a r i a n H o w a r d F . M c G a w w a s not appointed until the l i b r a r y building w a s practically finished. T o be sure, a completely objective evaluation w o u l d require a team of disinterested observers brought in f r o m the outside f o r a sufficient length of time, w h o w o u l d not be a f r a i d to step on anyone's toes and w o u l d not feel under any obligation w h a t - soever to protect personal or institutional reputations. Despite their personal and institutional in- volvements, the authors have achieved a re- m a r k a b l e degree of objectivity and f r a n k n e s s and have f o r m u l a t e d their recommendations in clear-cut fashion f o r the benefit of other institutions of higher education. T w o of the buildings w e r e completed in 1 9 5 0 and one (the U n i v e r s i t y of H o u s t o n L i - b r a r y ) in 1 9 5 1 . T h e cost of construction plus equipment ranged f r o m about $ 1 , 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 to about $3,500,00 per building. T w o build- ings are of modular design, providing a high measure of horizontal flexibility. Contempo- r a r y e x t e r i o r s and modern air-conditioning characterize M . I . T . and the U n i v e r s i t y of Houston, w h e r e a s the N o r t h C a r o l i n a W o m a n ' s C o l l e g e followed the G e o r g i a n style of architecture and did not provide f o r cool- ing and dehumidifying of air. T h e institutions selected f o r review repre- sent a v a r i e t y of institutional patterns. T h e U n i v e r s i t y of H o u s t o n is a young munici- pally controlled university of l a r g e enroll- APRIL, 1953 12 7 ment, including many graduate students; its present book stock is relatively small, and the library system is highly centralized. M . I. T . is a privately controlled institution f o r edu- cation in the sciences and engineering, with a very high proportion of graduate students; the library system is decentralized, and the new building is largely devoted to the humani- ties and a part of the social sciences, as well as facilities for research and library adminis- tration. T h e North Carolina Woman's Col- lege is a state-supported college, largely f o r undergraduate education of women. Each institution planned a library for its particular needs, which would indicate that no one li- brary building pattern fits all institutions equally well. T h e degree to which new library buildings have proved satisfactory in practice has oc- casionally been reported on in the past. Such reports were made, for instance, f o r the library buildings of the University of Colorado, 1 St. Bonaventure College,2 Columbia University,3 H a r v a r d ' s Lamont Library, 4 Princeton Uni- versity,5 and f o r a group of 35 college library buildings built between 1937 and 1947.6 T h e 1 Ellsworth, Ralph E . "Colorado University's Di- visional Reading Room P l a n : Description and Evalua- tion," College and Research Libraries 2 : 1 0 3 - 1 0 9 , March, 1 9 4 1 . 2 Herscher, Irenaeus. " F r i e d s a m Memorial L i b r a r y , " Library Journal 70:22-23, J a n . 1 , 1945. 3 Cooperative Committee on Library Building Plans. The Second Princeton Conference, J u n e 1 2 - 1 4 , 1946, p. 68-72. 4 Cooperative Committee on Library Building Plans. The Michigan Conference, December 2 & 3, 1949, p. 4 4 - 4 7 - 3 Ibid., p. 9 - 1 1 . 6 Muller, Robert H. "College Library Buildings Self- Appraised," College and Research Libraries, 9 : 2 2 1 - 2 2 6 , J u l y 1948. Buildings Committee of the Association of College and Reference Libraries sponsored a meeting on J u l y 19, 1950 at the Cleveland Conference of the American L i b r a r y A s - sociation, at which the library buildings of Illinois State N o r m a l University, Eastern Illinois State Teachers College, Denison Uni- versity, and Southeast Missouri State C o l - lege were critically discussed, but the proceedings were not published; one of the speakers at that meeting, who shall remain anonymous, expressed the following v i e w : " I do not know how others who participated in the panel feel about having a printed re- port of the minutes. It seems to me that in such discussions we are likely to share with fellow-librarians details of construction or operating faults that it would be unwise to publicize in print, and it might be better to have no publication of the report of the meeting." A t the 1 9 5 1 Midwinter Meeting of the American L i b r a r y Association, the A C R L Buildings Committee sponsored an open dis- cussion on the library buildings of the North Dakota Agricultural College and Bradley University, the proceedings of which were also not published, largely because publishing facilities were not available. It was fortunate that the three speakers at the open meeting of the A C R L Buildings Committee during the 1952 A L A M i d w i n t e r Conference in Chicago permitted publication of their critiques. T h e i r generosity and co- operation has made this publication possible. I t is hoped that other librarians will profit from their frankness. B y H O W A R D F . M c G A W The M . D. Anderson Memorial Library Dr. McGaw is director of libraries, Uni- versity of Houston. No M A T T E R W H A T T H E COST of a library building, no matter how many hours have gone into its planning, no matter how thorough and conscientious the building com- mittee and the architects, the chances are that the completed structure will have f a u l t s — most of them minor, but some of them seri- ous. N o exception to the above statement can be made in the case of our new library at the University of Houston. 1 W e moved into this building during the Christmas holidays of 1950, and were so relieved at abandoning the old quarters—which were less than a fourth the size of the new ones (to say nothing of their lack of efficiency and attractiveness) — 1 See pages 134-5 for type of building, statistical data, etc., and floor plans. 130 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES that we were certainly in no mood to be critical. But just as in the case of the proud new homeowner who, a f t e r having lived in the dream house for a year or so, discovers that this and that should have been done differently, so our staff, as the glamour months passed by, gradually came face to face with certain shortcomings.2 L e s t there be any misunderstanding, we want everyone to know what a splendid build- ing we have, and how proud we are of it, but we believe that an obligation to the library profession, and to architects of library build- ings, compels us to be perfectly frank and to point out what we would do should the fanci- f u l opportunity be afforded us of redesigning our facilities. Y o u will not accuse us, then, of being unappreciative of the generosity of our donors and of our administration, but rather you will be grateful, we trust, that in planning your own new building you will be able to profit from our experience. Special Facilities 1. On the left side of the main entrance- way there is a ramp for the use of wheelchair borrowers. A waist-high wall hides the ramp from view and gives a balanced effect to the front of the building. With as many crippled G . I . ' s as are likely to be on uni- versity campuses f o r some time to come, other institutions would do well to consider the incorporation of such a facility in their new buildings. T w o mistakes that others can avoid, but which were somehow made in our case, are, first, designing some of the doors of such width that they will not accommodate the larger wheelchairs; and, second, failing to provide a ramp at the loading dock—not for wheelchair patrons but f o r the use of the audio-visual staff, who need to cart their various pieces of equipment to different parts of the campus and back again. 2. Book-return chutes for use when the li- brary is closed were not provided f o r in our building. W e really should have two of them: one at the front entrance and the other at the side of the building near the library parking lot. In the latter case the student, if he is in his car, and if he needs only to return 2 Fortunately for me, my connection with the Univer- sity of Houston dates only from September of 1950, by which time the library building was practically finished; therefore I was unable to contribute my share of the mistakes. his books, can drive into a special area of the parking lot and, without getting out of his car, deposit his books in the chute. It would now be too expensive f o r us to arrange for a book-return chute in the front of the building since this was not planned f o r from the be- ginning, but one near our loading dock can be built at relatively little cost—a gravity-type chute which could be made to enter the build- ing simply by the removal of a pane of glass from a window on the ground floor, and which would terminate not f a r from the elec- tric elevator and thus connect with the loan desk on the main floor. 3. W e would also recommend a driveway approach to one of the entrances to the build- ing so that in rainy weather library users could be dropped off or picked up beneath the shelter of an overhanging roof. T h e lack, in our building, of a public passageway from the loading dock into the library is a definite drawback. 4. Within a few steps of the loan desk we have an elevator and a dumb-waiter. O u r experience (in an open-stack library) shows that the dumb-waiter is never used except for only a f e w books (a half dozen or less) at a time, the elevator being able to accommodate our needs for all other purposes. If a dumb- waiter is to be used, we would recommend one of a size large enough to hold a book truck. ( O u r 250-pound capacity book l i f t is sufficiently spacious f o r this purpose but since the shaft openings are at waist level rather than at floor level, book trucks cannot be used.) If this type cannot be afforded, we would recommend spending only as much money as might be required f o r the installa- tion of a 25-pound capacity book lift (if such can be found on the market). 5. Of the 1 1 9 carrels in the library, twenty-four are of the enclosed type. A much larger proportion would have been desirable. T h e waiting list is long and the turnover of holders is low. On the other hand, the number of the open-type carrels is more than sufficient to supply the demand. 6. One of the accommodations of our new building which is very popular with students is a room on the main floor which has been equipped with six typewriters. Any student may use one of these machines simply by signing up for it at the loan desk. It would be more desirable, however, if one or two small rooms were available for this purpose APRIL, 1953 12 7 on each floor. T h e l i b r a r y w o u l d not neces- sarily have to f u r n i s h the t y p e w r i t e r s , and the rooms need not be soundproof. 7. J u s t off the student lounge on the ground floor w e have five public telephone booths; but f o r a month or t w o a f t e r w e moved into the building there w e r e no such facilities on the other floors. T h e n w e in- stalled a portable booth on the third floor— a location which provides much more con- venient service to students on the top t w o floors. Air-Conditioning System and Lighting 8. A s long as the l i b r a r y ' s air-conditioning system is w o r k i n g s a t i s f a c t o r i l y , the G e n e r a l R e f e r e n c e R o o m and the A u d i t o r i u m are c o m f o r t a b l e enough. B u t when the system gets out of adjustment, the people w h o h a v e to use these rooms wish that all the w i n d o w s w e r e not of the permanently closed type. O u r recommendation, then, is that unless you can be given a g u a r a n t e e of complete satis- faction w i t h the air-conditioning system in your new building, specify the type of w i n - dows that can be opened. 9. T h e best air-conditioning system cannot operate v e r y effectively if too many handicaps must be overcome. U n t i l a f e w months ago there w e r e t w o 5 0 0 - w a t t incandescent light bulbs in the ceiling f i x t u r e s of my office, and at times the room w o u l d get so w a r m that I w o u l d not only have to shed my coat but turn on an electric f a n . T h e situation w a s rem- edied by replacing the 1000 w a t t s of incan- descent lighting w i t h 3 2 0 w a t t s of fluorescent lighting. T h e portable f a n is no longer needed, and the illumination is quite sufficient. M o s t of the building is equipped w i t h in- candescent lighting, the exceptions being the G e n e r a l R e f e r e n c e R o o m , the f o y e r s , the B i b l i o g r a p h y R o o m , and the L o a n D e s k a r e a . F r o m the point of v i e w of both c o m f o r t and economy, w e w o u l d f a v o r 1 0 0 per cent fluores- cent lighting. Relationships 10. W h e n the auditorium and the A u d i o - V i s u a l C e n t e r w e r e being planned, one thing w a s overlooked, or its importance w a s min- imized, and the proper relationship between the t w o facilities seems to have been reversed. In the f i r s t instance, I r e f e r to the lack of a dressing room, which is badly needed when the auditorium is used f o r d r a m a t i c p e r f o r m - ances, etc. ( O n e of the A u d i o - V i s u a l C e n t e r rooms is used f o r this purpose—an a r r a n g e - ment which is quite u n s a t i s f a c t o r y f r o m the point of v i e w of inventory control.) In the second place, the auditorium should have been turned around, so as to place the projection room, and not the stage, in juxtaposition to the A u d i o - V i s u a l C e n t e r . 1 1 . T h e l i b r a r y ' s G e n e r a l R e f e r e n c e R o o m has one l a r g e set of doors, and these doors open into the lobby, at the other end of which are the doors of the auditorium. T h i s a r - rangement, f r o m the aesthetic point of v i e w , provides an attractive, balanced effect. B u t f r o m the functional point of v i e w it w o u l d have been more desirable had the exit f r o m the G e n e r a l R e f e r e n c e R o o m been placed op- posite the loan desk. T h e n , at times when the reference l i b r a r i a n is a w a y f r o m her desk, the exit could be supervised by the C i r c u l a - tion D e p a r t m e n t . 1 2 . O u r Bibliography R o o m , which houses the public card catalog, periodical indexes, etc., is j u s t behind the loan desk—the t w o areas being w a l l e d off and separated by a door. W h e n w e first moved into the building it w a s necessary f o r us to keep the door open at all t i m e s ; otherwise students in the Bibliography R o o m could not, w i t h o u t taking a number of e x t r a steps, get assistance f r o m staff members in the C i r c u l a t i o n D e p a r t m e n t . B y cutting the door in half and mounting a shelf atop the bottom h a l f , thus f o r m i n g a D u t c h door, w e w e r e able to keep students out of the staff area, but still provide conven- ient bibliographical service. ( I n c i d e n t a l l y , the top half of the door, since it w o u l d have served no purpose in our case, w a s not re- h u n g ; the bottom half is all w e need.) 1 3 . O n the r o o f , j u s t outside t w o of our f o u r t h - f l o o r seminar rooms, there are ex- haust vents f r o m the air-conditioning system which are so noisy that an instructor and his students cannot c a r r y on a discussion if the w i n d o w s are opened. T h e location of these facilities in respect to each other should be taken into account. Space 1 4 . T h e f a c t that our T e c h n i c a l Services Division is already beginning to feel crowded points to the necessity f o r providing the mem- bers of this division w i t h v e r y generous space assignments. F o r t u n a t e l y , in o u r case, the 132 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES modular-type construction of the building w i l l permit the T e c h n i c a l Services Division to ex- pand into the present q u a r t e r s of the B u s i - ness Administration L i b r a r y , at no more ex- pense than cutting through a couple of inches of plaster in order to f o r m one or t w o pas- s a g e w a y s . T h i s , of course, w i l l involve s h i f t - ing the Business Administration books to an- other p a r t of the l i b r a r y , but such is the flexibility of the building's arrangement that no serious problem is presented. 1 5 . In v i e w of the f a c t that instructional departments w i l l be expected to make g r e a t e r and g r e a t e r use of audio-visual facilities, w e would urge that estimates of space require- ments f o r the university's audio-visual pro- g r a m be figured with this trend in mind. A shortcoming of our own new building is that the A u d i o - V i s u a l C e n t e r is inadequately pro- vided f o r . 16. W h e n w e moved into our new q u a r t e r s , w e spread out all over the building. T h a t w e should do so w a s the intention f r o m the be- ginning, but " h i n d s i g h t " has suggested that w e might have taken over the f i r s t three floors only, reserving the top floor f o r f u t u r e expansion. T h i s kind of arrangement w o u l d entail considerable shifting of books during the expansion process, but such inconvenience would be offset by the f a c t that perhaps f o r several y e a r s no supervision or maintenance w o u l d need to be provided f o r on the top floor, and both staff members and l i b r a r y users w o u l d be spared a countless number of e x t r a steps. Safety 1 7 . In order to comply w i t h fire regulations, three of the doors at the r e a r of the l i b r a r y building must be kept unlocked f r o m the in- side. On each of these doors w e a r r a n g e d f o r the stenciling of a conspicuous sign, reading " F O R E M E R G E N C Y U S E O N L Y . " D e - spite the sign, h o w e v e r , w e w e r e bothered quite o f t e n by students w h o l e f t the building through these doors. A f t e r putting up with this f o r a f e w weeks w e stenciled beneath the first sign a still more conspicuous one, which r e a d s : " W A R N I N G ! T H I S D O O R I S C O N N E C T E D W I T H A L A R M S Y S - T E M " (the opening of any one of the three doors sets off a b u z z e r near the loan d e s k ; and a light flashes on to indicate which of the three doors has been opened). B u t w e find that even this a r r a n g e m e n t does not stop some students. W e are planning, t h e r e f o r e , to install on each door a lock-releasing mech- anism inside a little box the f r o n t panel of which (made of g l a s s ) must be broken b e f o r e the mechanism can be reached. 18. Inspections by fire marshals doubtless v a r y in strictness f r o m city to city and state to state, but in our case w e w e r e told that the draperies in the auditorium (which is classed as a public assembly hall since out- siders frequently use it) had to be fire- p r o o f e d . W e recommend, t h e r e f o r e , that this situation be investigated b e f o r e you p u r - chase y o u r draperies. 19. Since stepping off a loading-dock could possibly result in a broken leg, or even a broken neck, and since it is not inconceivable that sometime, should proper precautions not be taken, somebody might have this experi- ence, w e ordered a gate made. H a v i n g to open and close it is a nuisance, of course, f o r the j a n i t o r and the delivery men, but better have the nuisance than run the risk of j u s t one serious accident. Miscellaneous 20. I n the stone border around the top of the building there are carved the surnames of sixty f a m o u s m e n - o f - l e t t e r s — n a m e s that are representative of all literary periods and all nationalities. Since the names do not appear in alphabetical order, and since to check on the possible omission of a f a v o r i t e author w o u l d necessitate a trip around three sides of the building, it is highly unlikely that any- one w i l l ever take the trouble to compare this group of names with a selection of his own choosing. B u t one day w e w e r e inspired to copy the names f r o m the border and to alphabetize them, with the idea of having the list published in the campus w e e k l y . I t w a s then that w e noticed that such eminent w r i t - ers as E m e r s o n , B a l z a c , M i l t o n , D o s t o e v s k i , and T o l s t o i had somehow been overlooked. I n v i e w of the inclusion of characters as little known as A n a c r e o n and Camoens, and as un- deserving of pre-eminent rank (by compari- son with E m e r s o n , M i l t o n , etc.) as L o n g - f e l l o w and W i l s o n , 1 the omissions are evi- dence that more care needs to be exercised in compiling such a list. 2 1 . Some of our staff members have indi- cated that the asphalt tile in the service 1 The Scottish author, best known by his pseudonym, "Christopher North." APRIL, 1953 12 7 areas offers too little resiliency f o r comfort. Considerable strain would have been avoided f o r these people, who must be on their feet so much of the time, had cork, rubber tile, or some other covering been used. Rubber tile is used in the lobby, Bibliography Room, G e n e r a l Reference Room, and on the pa- trons' side of the loan desk, but not on the staff side of the desk, nor in the Technical Services Division, etc. 22. Even the choice of equipment in the restrooms is a matter on which the librarian should be consulted. F o r one thing, he should lefinitely specify f o r the toilets a nickel-plated or similar-type tissue dispenser. A dispenser on which it is possible to d r a w or scratch will inevitably invite pornographic decoration. Only a f e w of the men students on each campus are responsible f o r this type of " a r t , " but if their creativeness can be curbed by the presence in the restrooms of booths and hard- w a r e with only non-markable surfaces, the library staff and the institution's administra- tion will be spared needless embarrassment, and the maintenance department needless trouble. W e are happy to report that our own facilities must have been selected by a person or committee who had the above con- siderations in mind. T w o other articles of equipment in the restroom may be considered here: the faucets and the soap dispensers. O u r experience, in other buildings, with the spring-release, push- type faucet has not been satisfactory. Either the w a t e r is released in such a trickle as to yield an altogether insufficient amount; or it gushes out all over one's sleeves. W e are fortunate in having the good old-fashioned conventional type here. L a s t l y , the soap dispenser. O u r p r e f e r - ence, a f t e r experimenting with other styles, is f o r the type which w a s installed here: liquid soap in a glass bowl, releasable by a plunger. T h e obvious advantage is that the source of supply is visible. If one container is seen to be empty, a person can easily step to the next one. Contrast this with the situation where the container is within view but is opaque, or where the container is behind a w a l l . P r e f - erence f o r the liquid-type rather than the lather-type soap is based on our experience of almost invariably obtaining a sufficient amount of the f o r m e r with the expenditure of less effort than is required to obtain an insufficient amount of the latter. T h e decisions made here are rather incon- sequential when compared with those called f o r by the hundreds of weighty and complex problems confronting a building committee, but it is the attention given to just such de- tails that can often make the difference be- tween a library which students like to use, and one which they tend to avoid. A g a i n let us emphasize the point that our building has all of the fine features and the special accommodations one would expect to find in a modern library. S T A T I S T I C A L D A T A A N D G E N E R A L I N F O R M A T I O N Four-story T-shaped building. M o d u l a r construction.1 Air-conditioned throughout. G i f t of the M . D . Anderson Foundation. Construction begun, 1 9 4 9 ; completed, 1 9 5 1 . Cost of building (including equipment) : $1,500,000. Square footage (excluding a r e a w a y s and utilities tunnel) : 92,700 sq. ft. Dimensions: O v e r a l l : 2 1 3 feet wide by 1 9 1 feet deep; C e n t r a l section: 1 1 3 feet wide by 176 feet deep; N o r t h wing ( A u d i t o r i u m ) : 52 feet wide by 77 feet deep; South wing ( G e n e r a l Reference and Reading R o o m ) : 52 feet wide by n o feet deep. Present book capacity (estimating 100 volumes f o r every running foot of double-faced range) : approximately 150,000 volumes.2 1 The modular unit is 4' 5 " square (approximately 1 9 ^ sq. f t . ) ; the typical bay contains 20 units, the entire area measuring 1 7 ' 8 " by 2 2 ' 1 " from column centers. Ceiling heights, except in the auditorium, general reading room, and foyer, are 8'. 2 This low figure is accounted for by the fact that the University of Houston was founded only eighteen years ago. B y 1967, when the enrolment is expected to reach 30,000, we will doubtless have outgrown our present quarters. • 134 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES Present audio-visual-aids capacity: 1,008 motion-picture films; 720 filmstrips; 18,720 slides ; 4,620 phonograph records. Present seating capacity (excluding staff areas, offices, and law-school classrooms) : 1,540. Construction materials: E x t e r i o r : Cordova shell limestone and Tennessee marble; Interior: Oak, walnut, leather, fabric, Missouri marble, and plaster; rubber- and asphalt-tile floors. Special facilities: Coat room; first-aid room; student lounge; staff lounge and kitchenette; typing room; sound-proof preview room; two sound-proof listening rooms for recordings; eight microfilm booths; eleven seminar rooms; 1 1 9 carrels (including twenty-four of the enclosed type) ; acoustically-treated auditorium for lectures, films, etc., equipped with 225 upholstered chairs with collapsible tablet arms. A 20-page, illustrated brochure, prepared at the time of the formal dedication of the building, is available through interlibrary loan arrangements. B y C H A R L E S M . A D A M S The Woman's College Library The University of North Carolina Mr. Adams is librarian, Woman's College, University of North Carolina, Greensboro. TH E N E W LIBRARY B U I L D I N G a t t h e Woman's College of the University of North Carolina was completed in the sum- mer of 1950. T h e following comments are a composite commentary of opinions and re- actions of faculty, particularly present and former Faculty L i b r a r y Committee members, and of members of the L i b r a r y Staff on the new library building based on a little over a year and a half of use. T h e acceptance of a Georgian style of architecture compatible with one of the oldest dormitories which is adjacent, was early es- tablished and agreed on by the architect and the T r u s t e e ' s Committee. T h e librarian came into the picture with respect to matters relating to organization of space within the building f o r working purposes. T h e align- ment of trustees and administration advising on the exterior materials and design with the architect and the librarian with the interior working spaces does not appear to be uncom- mon. W a l t e r Gropius, a father of con- temporary architecture and Chairman of the School of Architecture at H a r v a r d , was in- vited by a group of the faculty to visit the campus before the final drawings were com- pleted and deliver a lecture on architecture. He warned us against the acceptance of this type of alignment in our planning, saying the exterior and interior must be developed to- gether and be integrated. But he also pointed out that no architect can advance too rapidly in changes of architectural form beyond the acceptance of the majority in a community. One top administrator of the University on his first trip through the completed building (before any furniture was installed) com- mented that he never would have approved of the building if he had realized it w a s to have been so "modern" on the interior. T h e circular columned entrance of the li- brary in white Georgia marble, the heavy brass doors, the imported Italian marble on the walls of the vestibule with brass trimming and stair- APRIL, 1953 12 7 rails, and the oak paneling of the lobby are much admired, and attracts many visitors. Behind this f r o n t the architect and the library staff w e r e permitted an almost f r e e hand to plan as functional an interior as possible (with the one important exception of air conditioning to be mentioned l a t e r ) . T h e need f o r reading room and w o r k spaces w a s moie important than book stor- age. T h e idea that this space should be as flexible as possible to take care of changing demands in library service w a s also a prime consideration, and experience had taught us that w e should have a building which should be easily expandable. T h e s e considerations led us to study very carefully the possibilities of modular design. In addition, bringing the ceiling heights down, three floors could be ob- tained in the same cubic space that would have allowed only two in the more traditional type of construction although the building would not be so efficient f o r book storage as f o r w o r k and reading. T h e T r u s t e e s Building Committee, the A d - ministration and especially the architect would not listen to the introduction of air conditioning into the building. U p to that time no State building in N o r t h Carolina had air conditioning and it w a s still looked on as a f a d and unnecessary luxury. Backed by the advice I received at various library build- ing conferences, I did convince our building committee and the architect (although ap- parently not too w e l l ) that fresh air at least by some means other than by windows w a s a necessity f o r reading areas with low ceilings. L a s t summer, one of the hottest on record, w e tested the building f o r summer heat. D e - spite good roof insulation, and the use of Koolshade screening on the western exposure, the building w a s disagreeably hot and stuffy. T h e fresh air or forced-air system installed did not cool the building at all in the eve- nings, and it usually cools down in the C a r o - lina Piedmont every evening. T u r n i n g on the system at six in the morning when it w a s cool and fresh outside, had little effect on the building by opening time. T h e r e are, more- over, complaints during these winter months of d r a f t s . T h e r e is fresh air f o r the reading rooms, but the vestibule and lobbies are very poorly ventilated, and the listening rooms are particularly uncomfortable in summer. T h e forced air ventilating system has definitely not proved successful f o r us. On the inside curve of the front entrance, in the space that would traditionally have niches with statues, two outside display cases have been built in which have proved very effective. W e also had cases built in the Vestibule and the Lobby. T h e cases are rather f o r m a l and require considerable in- genuity to adapt to the type of material in the library. I have found little in library literature on exhibition equipment to help the librarian or the architect in planning these areas or facilities f o r a college library. T h e old museum type of case f o r exhibition of rare books is about all that is readily available. T h e problem of display and exhibition facili- ties f o r college libraries should receive more study. I t would pay off not only in increased interest in the library and its collection but would also be a real saving in hours of time of some staff member struggling to display effectively books in cases designed to guard trophies. A n exhibition w o r k room w a s provided which is much appreciated by the staff. T h e r e is storage space there f o r paper, the " M i t t e n " letters we use, and other miscellaneous ma- terials helpful in exhibition w o r k . T h e r e is a drawing board f o r lettering, running w a t e r f o r various purposes, and a long counter f o r spreading out materials. T h e staff room has proved a little small. T h e adjacent seminar room is available f o r parties but during inter- session periods and during the summer months, when the college cafeteria is not open, most of the staff members bring their own lunches and it gets a bit crowded. T h e secondary office and w o r k room f o r the li- brarian, which came somewhat by accident into the plans, is a real convenience and a blessing when one wishes to escape f r o m con- stant interruptions which a place so near the main lobby affords. I much prefer this f r o n t location. F a c u l t y feel much f r e e r in dropping in to see me than when I w a s guarded in the back of the old building by a couple of other offices. T h e hard t e r r a z z o floors have not proved so noisy as expected nor so slippery. T h e staff has found them somewhat tiring, but most of us have changed our f o o t w e a r to conform to the condition. A rubber mat has 136 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES been rolled out behind the L o a n Desk where the staff members on duty are continuously on their feet. N o faculty or students have com- plained of the floors. T h e terrazzo floors are attractive and very easy to maintain although we would have preferred the less expensive rubber tile. R a t h e r than the usual complaints on the lighting w e have received many compliments. Except f o r an occasional flickering of tubes just before they go out, the fluorescent lights are liked. T h e Building and Grounds D e - partment weeps that the added light bill f o r the library is nearly breaking them, but they seem to forget w e have a building three to f o u r times as large as the old one to light. T h e seminar rooms are much liked by the faculty and w e have been criticized only f o r not having more. O u r teachers enjoy hold- ing classes in the library, informally around a table where smoking is permitted and r e f e r - ences to books can be made quickly or brought to class. In spite of the poor ventilation the listening rooms are very popular f o r music recordings, even though extensive facilities are available in our M u s i c School. W e have found the listening machines with earphones f o r language and other diction recordings in the Reserve Reading Room and in the G e n - eral Reading Room are really disturbing to nearby readers. If this type of service grows, a separate area f o r listening with earphones w i l l be needed. T h e large lecture hall located in the base- ment has been successful. I t has attracted to the library a type of community interest, meeting the concept of recognition as a cen- ter of intellectual activity aimed at by the Faculty L i b r a r y Committee. T h e hall has been found useful f o r speech classes, depart- mental movies, visiting lecturers too academic to attract sufficient audience to fill the C o l - lege Auditorium seating 3,000 or so. T h e lecture hall seats 372, and it could have been j u s t a bit larger. I did not get around to checking with the architect on light switches nor did he give me a chance until a f t e r the bids w e r e let and construction commenced. A f e w changes w e r e allowed, which helped some, but many small inconveniences could have been avoided with only a f e w hours of c a r e f u l checking before the detailed blueprints of the electric wiring w e r e completed. Neither I myself nor the architect knew enough about the installation of pneumatic tubes. I have found little literature on the subject to help nor did the salesmen who were available in our area give really satis- factory advice. I t w a s only by a series of f o r - tunate circumstances and willing workmen (plus a little extra money) that w e did not have installed a rather unsightly and incon- venient piece of equipment. O u r system is effectively concealed now, is working, and does save much running. I have seen many libraries with pneumatic tubes and other ex- pensive and similar equipment standing out like sore thumbs around L o a n D e s k s and often no longer even in use. I t would be helpful if some librarian, who is mechanically minded and aesthetically sensitive, would make a study of the technical problems of pneumatic tubes, book conveyors and such equipment in libraries and their efficiency. T h e s e and other details which did not get into the original plans, I feel result, in part, from a lack of coordination at the blueprint stage between plans f o r the physical building and the furnishings, equipment and plans f o r service. O u r architect convinced the admin- istration that the State would save itself five per cent in architect fees by just allowing the librarian to lay out and write up specifications f o r the f u r n i t u r e and equipment. Some li- brary architects realize the importance of co- ordinating the interior furnishings and equip- ment with the original plans, but even then they have often called in outside decorators who have had little or no experience in f u r - nishing libraries. T h e problems of furnish- ing a library, I feel, require as elaborate pro- fessional services as are needed to design a building, and the two professional groups need to w o r k closely with the librarian in the early stages of planning. Although there is abundant literature f o r librarians and architects on the planning and building of li- braries, there seems to be little to guide one in layouts of furniture and on interiors. T h e area back of the building w a s planned f o r expansion. I t is now used f o r parking. T h e r e is, however, a constant criticism, chiefly f r o m faculty, of the necessity of having to w a l k around to the f r o n t of the building to enter. W e purposely made only one public APRIL, 1953 12 7 entrance, and, from an administrative view, we still hold to the single entrance. When the landscaping is completed and the new Stu- dent Union finished, the side entrance by the lecture hall, leading up through the ground floor to the main entrance, will be of some help. Some people have missed the easy approach of driving up to the front of the library and dropping off a book or picking up a new one. Some sort of a drive-in service such as large banks and others have adopted might be a feature to be considered in another building or in the addition which is to extend to the rear almost to the street. T h e Receiving Room and the Loading P l a t - form were placed on the north side of the building because of the slope of the land in that direction. These areas would have been better located under the Order Department where the land w a s higher, and a f t e r seeing the big bulldozers move most of the earth behind the library f o r the parking lot, I think the needed excavation and leveling could easily have been done to place these rooms in that more favorable location. T h e janitors' rooms can also be a bit too noisy (we have had to forbid a radio in these quarters al- ready) and w e rather wish they had been placed in such a way as not to be too close to stack areas now used extensively f o r studying. T r u c k s arriving, unpacking, etc. are noisy even with the door closed. T h e Loan Desk was planned with the idea that professional staff should be present at all times, if possible. I t w a s also hoped that some logical division of w o r k could be organ- ized, so that the professional staff member on duty would not be burdened with routines but free to advise and help students with their problems. A regular low desk was placed in the center of the Loan Desk counter with space l e f t on one side so that the librarian could easily leave f o r the Public Catalog, Reference Department, or take a student back into the stacks to help her. T h e open space in the counter is very useful. T h e low desk, however, is not so much used as planned al- though it does break the formality of a long counter. T h e arrangement of charging files behind the Loan Desk on rolling units has not solved the problem of efficient division of labor. M o s t of the time the staff members follow through all routines as usual. T h e library is controllable, when complete- ly open, at two desks—the Loan Desk on the first floor and the Reserve Desk in the lobby on the second. During summer session, when we have comparatively f e w students or during August, the second floor front entrance may be locked and access can be made when neces- sary through the main lobby and by the in- side stairway. T h i s arrangement makes it possible f o r us to maintain only one control desk during periods when the library is in little use. A test on the flexibility of the building is to come within the next f e w years. T h e faculty has approved the study of the cur- riculum changes needed to begin a General Education program. A l l the General E d u - cation experts who have been visiting the campus this past year have indicated that the services and uses of the library under such programs have more than doubled at their in- stitutions. I think the present building could be reorganized along lines of Divisional Reading Rooms, open stacks could be easily arranged, or other changes made that such programs imply. S T A T I S T I C A L D A T A A N D G E N E R A L I N F O R M A T I O N The IVomans College Library Three-and-a-half story building. M o d u l a r construction ( 1 8 ' x 1 8 ' ) . Forced air ventilation. Modified Georgian exterior, faced with brick and trimmed with marble. Fluorescent lighting. Construction begun, 1 9 4 8 ; completed, 1950. Costs: General construction: $ 1 , 0 9 9 , 1 1 6 . 6 3 Stacks 37,360.00 Equipment 95,641.00 T o t a l : $ 1 , 2 3 2 , 1 1 8 . 1 8 138 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES Ceiling heights: Ground floor F i r s t floor Second floor T h i r d floor 8'7" 9'6" 8 V , Dimensions: Overall 2 1 8 ' x 1 2 8 ' " Gross A r e a : 99,330 sq. f t . ; net area 85,939 sq. f t . T o t a l V o l u m e : 1,107,993 cu. f t . Present seating: Reading rooms, stacks and studies Seminars Lecture H a l l 7 9 8 106 472 T o t a l 1,276 (excluding offices and staff room) Stack areas: app. 200,000 volume capacity (with space f o r added stacks) Reading Rooms: 30,000 volumes on open shelves Special facilities: Lecture H a l l ; sound proof audio-visual seminar and two listening rooms; exhibition work room; 2 seminars; 6 faculty studies; pneumatic tube system; outside covered receiving platform; staff room and kitchenette; outside exhibition cases in portico. References: Library Journal, Dec. 15, 1948, p. 1 7 7 2 - 4 ; The Pioneer, Sept.-Oct., 1950, illus. B y V E R N O N D . T A T E Charles Hayden Memorial Library Dr. Tate is director of libraries, Massa- chusetts Institute of Technology. TH E P A T H from blueprint to building is thorny, rocky and not without pitfalls; yet it can be not precisely like but akin to the fabled primrose path, a pleasant introduction to an entirely new world of experience. I have sometimes said in the past that a man could lead a long and wicked life, die, and be sentenced to build a library. M y predecessor as Director of Libraries, Dean Burchard, drafted a " P r o g r a m f o r a N e w L i b r a r y Building at Massachusetts In- stitute of Technology" which could well serve, indeed has served, as a model f o r many kindred studies. T h e excellent services of the Cooperative Committee on L i b r a r y Build- ing plans were fully utilized and greatly ap- preciated. T h e result was a set of plans f o r a new building. In an age of standardization, large li- braries remain strongly individualistic. Each is tailored to the needs of a particular group of users. M . I . T . , is primarily an engineering, technical and scientific school with well recog- nized obligations in the humanities. Its in- terests as a private educational corporation are in undergraduate and graduate instruc- tion and in research. T h e library tradition has evolved through the years to include a central library which combines the functions of budget, personnel, book purchase and proc- essing, central reference and circulation and the main book collection and a series of branch libraries. In planning the new library the branch li- brary system was reaffirmed, and in order to provide suitable and badly needed facilities f o r the humanities, the building w a s designed to house the Central, the Economics and In- dustrial Relations, and the English and H i s - tory Libraries. In addition certain special facilities were provided, such as a gallery f o r exhibitions, a music lounge, six small listen- ing rooms seating from four to six and a large seminar room seating 20, housing f o r the D a r d Hunter Museum of handmade paper and early printing, a small projection room seating 50, a laboratory f o r work in APRIL, 1953 12 7 microfilming and documentation, a room f o r rare books, and a library lounge complete with kitchen where groups of up to 1 5 0 peo- ple can meet in pleasant surroundings. T h e s e together with all of the other factors always present in the construction of a large building formed the basic ingredients with which the architect and the building contrac- tors on the one hand and the library and In- stitute on the other began to w o r k . T h e result w a s a separate building con- nected by a glass corridor with the main In- stitute group built in the f o r m of a hollow square, that is to say around a central court- yard, with the main stack at basement level passing entirely beneath the courtyard. T h i s single basement stack is deceivingly large and is the f u l l equivalent of a regular f o u r story stack spread out on a single floor. A t its south end, the stack rises f o u r levels to serve two floors and two mezzanines. A t ground level and above, the library may be considered as f o u r buildings connected at the corners. T h e west wing, a single high story, contains the main entrance and the g a l l e r y ; the north wing which is library only on the ground floor carries three additional floors of offices f o r the Humanities Faculty. T h e English and History L i b r a r y (undergraduate) with some recreational reading collections occupies the north wing. T h e east wing at the ground floor houses the music lounge, with the processing area on the second floor, and next above on the third the library lounge and three semi- nar rooms. T h e south wing with magnificent windows and an unequalled view of the Bos- ton skyline across the Charles houses, on the ground floor, the Economics and Industrial Relations L i b r a r y , 1 a map room, studies and w o r k spaces. T h e second floor south wing is the real heart of the library with the Cen- tral circulation, catalog, reference, process- ing and other facilities f o r research and ad- vanced study. T h e library administration is housed here and on the floor and mezzanine open and closed stack areas house important reference tools, collections, and facilities. A row of 1 5 individual short term study rooms f o r visiting professors, and faculty, are lo- cated on the second floor mezzanine. T h i s 1 The Dewey Library of Industrial Management has been moved to the newly acquired Sloan building and the space it formerly occupied now houses the Science Library. rapid fire survey cannot do even a tithe of justice to a building that truly must be seen •to be appreciated. A f t e r about two years of experience, certain definite advantages, not all of which w e r e f u l l y foreseen, have emerged. 1 . T h e building w e a r s well. Despite some small matters of leaks here and there, now f u l l y corrected, the building has developed no m a j o r structural faults or deficiencies. 2. T h e concept of large open spaces with freedom of view and of movement comprise an advantage that can only be appreciated with use. T h e r e is no hampering or constric- tion of movement, no hemming in of person, no jostle and without a single glaring sign, S I L E N C E , no noise. I like to believe that this helps users of the library to think, to concentrate and to achieve . . . perhaps it does. 3. T h e harmonious combination of build- ing, furniture, color schemes extending even to materials and textiles have resulted in an indefinable but real and distinctive atmos- phere which we highly prize. 4. In this vein is the large use of glass throughout the building. G r e a t panes of glass . . . the largest available in stock sizes, generated qualms about the effects of sun- light in and through large areas and even about the difficulties of cleaning an acre or two of glass. A l l of these qualms have been banished. 5. A i r conditioning even in a N e w E n g - land winter is a real blessing; in summer it is a magnet f o r the whole campus. F r e e - dom f r o m dust (insured by precipitrons and the air conditioning jointly) means cleaner books. Smoking can be permitted throughout the building except in the stacks (and it could be permitted even there if it w e r e not f o r the bother of ash trays) and is one of the un-library-like customs which seems to please the users . . . we did plan to provide spaces f o r allergic non-smokers, and have such areas but to date not one person has asked to use them. 6. T h e flexibility of large areas which per- mit alternative arrangements of f u r n i t u r e and other facilities has worked out well. F l e x i - bility of the new building, however, w i l l shortly encounter its sternest test. 140 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 7. T h e use of open stacks and the l a r g e amount of m a t e r i a l that can be made a v a i l - able in this w a y to users is a decided advan- tage. I t is true that w e do lose some books . . . probably w e w o u l d lose some a n y w a y but thus f a r the loss figures are low enough not to be bothersome in H a y d e n . 8. T h e a r r a n g e m e n t and juxtaposition of the processing, reference, and circulation de- partments and the main catalog have proved to be extremely u s e f u l not only to the l i b r a r y staff but of even g r e a t e r importance to the users of the l i b r a r y . 9. T h e special areas have already more than repaid the time and energy, not to say the expense, devoted to their preparation. T h e y illustrate the f a c t that w e actually did more than build a new l i b r a r y building and move our collections inside—we recast and expanded the entire library system. T o be objective about a new l i b r a r y as about a n e w l y born infant is to place a heavy burden on honesty and perception. T h e r e are some things about the building that could be better or have not yet realized their f u l l purpose. In my opinion there w e r e only t w o mistakes made of any magnitude in the building. O n e of these w a s a course of action adopted in the f u l l knowledge that it had never w o r k e d in the past, and w i t h f a i n t hope that something w o u l d cause it to oper- ate more s a t i s f a c t o r i l y in the new l i b r a r y . I t w a s to complete a long relatively n a r r o w li- b r a r y along an axis of m a j o r traffic with a door at each end. T w o - e n d e d libraries do not w o r k , and if the f a c t is not sufficiently evident w e can reaffirm it. N o finite w o r k - able solution has yet been evolved f o r this vexing nuisance; yet the curious f a c t remains that most of the w o r r y i n g is done by the li- b r a r y s t a f f , not the users, f o r f e w protests have been received. E i t h e r our students are so w e l l conditioned to study in noisy environ- ments or are f a r meeker than I had ever imagined. T h e second m a j o r deficiency w a s to f a i l to provide an outside egress at ground level at the f o o t of one of the t w o l a r g e s t a i r w a y s in the south wing. T h e egress w a s in the plans but w a s eliminated on the ground of "econ- o m y " over the protests of the architect and the l i b r a r y . I n all probability the deficiency w i l l have to be remedied sooner or l a t e r at a cost greatly exceeding the " s a v i n g " effected in the first instance. T h e same mistaken " e c o n o m y " cost us one plumbing stack which is not nearly so critical but w o u l d have made a better building. W e need another e l e v a t o r ; the s h a f t is in place but the machinery is not, but its utility might be debated. T h e advisability of placing an in- cinerator in a l i b r a r y as w e have done is open to argument. B e f o r e the building w a s occupied, a minor fire caused smoke damage in a c o r r i d o r ; but there has been no trouble since, and I cannot see how it could h a r m the l i b r a r y proper. W e w a s t e d some space in stair w e l l s , and w a s t e d some money in putting some electric panels behind f u l l size doors when others w e r e neatly f a i r e d into room w a l l s but these are minor matters. O u r plain linoleum is handsome but it is expen- sive to maintain. O u r door locks drove us nearly f r a n t i c in the installing but the f a u l t lay with the m a n u f a c t u r e r and has been rec- tified. O u r outside doors are handsome but the system of securing them does not seem to be practical, and one other l a r g e pair of doors is in process of replacement. W h e n the building is finally occupied myriad details during the "settling d o w n " period almost drive the new occupant to dis- traction. I t is impossible to w a l k about the building w i t h o u t seeing and noting defi- ciencies, things that have not arrived, are held up, or have not been completed, minor changes that must be made and the like. O n e cannot see the whole only the r a w newness of recently assembled parts. S l o w l y these begin to add up and one day suddenly comes f u l l realization. T h e m a n i f e s t satisfaction of the users of the l i b r a r y , the speed and gusto ac- companying their t r a n s f e r to a style of living to which they w i l l gladly remain accustomed, is payment in f u l l f o r a w o r l d of t r a v a i l . Bibliography T h e C h a r l e s H a y d e n M e m o r i a l L i b r a r y — A B r i e f P r e v i e w , by J o h n E . B u r c h a r d and V e r n o n D . T a t e , The Technology Review, V o l u m e 52, M a y 1 9 5 0 P r o g r a m — C o m m e m o r a t i n g the Opening of the C h a r l e s H a y d e n M e m o r i a l L i b r a r y , F r i e n d s of the M I T L i b r a r y , M a s s a c h u - setts Institute of T e c h n o l o g y M . I . T . L i b r a r y A n n u a l 1949, P a r t O n e — A APRIL, 1953 12 7 Chronology of L i b r a r y Planning at M . I . T . 1 9 1 6 - 1 9 5 0 , T h e Charles Hayden Memorial L i b r a r y , Annual Report of the Director of Libraries for the Y e a r 1948-49. Dedicating the Charles Hayden M e m o r i a l L i b r a r y — M . I . T . L i b r a r y Annual 1950 Books in L i b r a r i e s — T h e Librarian and the Building of a L i b r a r y , by Vernon D . T a t e (and) T h e Architect, and the University L i b r a r y , by Ralph W a l k e r Statistical Data: Cost Dimensions Lighting Seating Ceiling Capacity Exterior M a t e r i a l 3.5 Million 2 1 8 ' x 189' Silvray 500 I S ' 400,000 Volumes Shot-sawn Indiana Limestone Michigan Scholarships and Fellowships L i b r a r y Service Scholarships and Fellowships offered by the University of Michigan provide an opportunity f o r well qualified students enrolled in the Department of L i b r a r y Science to acquire experience in one or more departments of the General L i b r a r y . A w a r d s a^e made to applicants who present evidence of superior academic ability and who can q u a l i f y for library assignments. 1 Scholarships, which carry a stipend of $ 1 7 5 0 , will be awarded to successful candidates who have had little or no library training or experience. Fellowships, worth $2250, are granted to students who have already had formal training or considerable library experience. Payment of the stipend is made in ten monthly installments from September 30 to mid-June. Each appointment is f o r one academic year and may be once renewed. Scholars and Fellows may elect not more than half the number of course hours expected of full-time students in the Department, and must pay the regular University fees f o r these elections (six hours or less). T h e y will be scheduled f o r thirty-six hours of service weekly in the General L i b r a r y . Scholars and Fellows are allowed the Christmas and spring vacations scheduled in the University calendar, f̂ Applications f o r both Scholarships and Fellowships should be made not later than M a y 1. Announcement of the awards will be made about J u n e 1 . f Inquiries and requests for application blanks should be directed to Samuel W . McAllister, associate director, General L i b r a r y , University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Evaluation of the Modular Plan (Continued from page 128) Can the interiors of modular libraries be attractive? T h e danger is monotony. T h i s can be avoided through imaginative use of color, design of f u r n i t u r e , and ar- rangement of equipment. O n e can find good and bad solutions to the problem in the various m o d u l a r buildings. What effect does a modular library have on the behavior of its users? T h e testimony of librarians administering these libraries is u n i f o r m l y f a v o r a b l e . T h e atmosphere is f r i e n d l y and pleasant and readers respond accordingly. T h i s tendency is encouraged by the f a c t that these buildings are all at- tractively furnished and all use a very in- f o r m a l arrangement of f u r n i t u r e . Is the modular idea applicable to all li- braries? T h e danger is that librarians w i l l assume that it is. I n libraries w h e r e there is no need f o r flexibility, w h e r e codes do not permit, or w h e r e the predominant style of architecture clashes, and w h e r e there is no need f o r economy, other methods are more suitable. A r t i f i c i a l circulation and treatment of air is essential in most climates in a modular building and this costs money. F u r t h e r m o r e , there can be no universally best w a y to plan a l i b r a r y . 142 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES