College and Research Libraries


The Charles B. Phillips Library-
An Adventure in Planning 

Bv ETHEL W. TAPPER 

A NEW LIBRARY is, first of all, an adven-
ture in planning. For any library, plan-
ning is necessary to achieve both func-
tional efficiency and esthetic unity. This 
is especially true for a small college since 
funds are so limited that such a college 
is seldom able to correct rna jor mistakes 
if planning has been neglected. 

An adventure in planning began for 
Aurora College with the conviction on 
the part of the staff that the task of the 
library is to foster the association of 
students and teachers, individually and 
together, with books. In a small church-
related college where the fellowship of 
students and teachers is cherished, a con-
tagious enthusiasm for learning can be 
shared directly and naturally in the 
midst of books. The library is uniquely 
the intellectual center of a liberal arts 
college since the students and teachers 
of all departments must seek its re-
sources. As the library reveals man's 
heritage of ideas and gives insight into 
the close relationships among the fields 
of knowledge, it extends scholarship be-
yond the classroom. 

Because Aurora College believes in 
the central significance of the library, 
much thought was given to planning its 
recently dedicated library building. An 
early step was the appointment of an 
Advisory Committee on Library Build-
ing in May 1958. This committee in-
cluded representatives of the faculty, the 
administration, and the library staff. Its 
task was to study in detail the purposes 
and functions a library building for 
Aurora College should serve. 

The members of this committee read 
widely about college library buildings 

Dr. Tapper is Librarian of Aurora College. 

and visited a number of new structures. 
After meeting frequently throughout a 
year and clarifying in discussion their 
convictions about the library, the mem-
bers of the committee released a twenty-
page "program" report. 

In preparing the report the committee 
had reviewed the objectives of this par-
ticular college, the characteristics of its 
student body, and the curriculum it 
provided. Clearly the demand was for an 
undergraduate library supporting gen-
eral education and the undergraduate 
majors of the various departments. 

The report analyzed in some detail 
the different constituencies to be served 
in varying degrees and the services to be 
rendered to each group. It appeared that 
serving two groups of ten considered, 
namely, the regular student group and 
the faculty group, constituted the major 
task of the library and that if these two 
groups were served well most of the 
justified service .to the other eight would 
have been provided. 

Anticipating the probable growth of 
enrollment and of the book collection, 
the committee estimated the space that 
would be needed for readers, book col-
lection, and technical services in the next 
twenty years. At this point no attempt 
was made to determine the number or 
layout of floors except that certain prin-
ciples were adopted as a guide for the 
architect: 

I. The basic principle set forth was 
the free association of students and fac-
ulty with books through the intermin-

230 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



gling of books and reader areas. Because 
both the number of students in the col-
lege and the number of volumes in its 
library will be limited, the library can 
be organized so that each student or 
teacher can have easy access to the books 
and related materials. 

2. A second principle called for the 
provision of a variety of accommoda-
tions to care for the different ways in 
which readers may wish to use the wide 
range of materials available. The stu-
dent should have encouragement through 
both facilities and materials to study 
independently. 

3. Not only must an effective and dis-
tinctive building be functionally ade-
quate but it must also give esthetic satis-
faction. Therefore a library must be at-
tractive, not in the sense of a monument 
to be contemplated from without, but 
in the evidence of an unspoken invita-
tion to enter. The appeal to reading 
must be specifically evident as soon as a 
person enters the building. At the same 
time the reader has been given close as-
sociation with books he must find in the 
building the release offered by a sense 
of relative spaciousness. 

4. The building must have the prac-
tical provisions of fire resistance and 
sound absorption. 

5. It must be planned for economy in 
terms of operating staff and of main-
tenance. 

6. The building must have reasonable 
flexibility to permit changes that may 
become desirable functionally, and must 
allow for expansion if and when that 
should become necessary. 

f._fter defining these principles, the 
committee offered some suggestions con-
cerning the desired space relationships 
among certain functions such as the card 
catalog, the order department, the cata-
log department, the circulation desk, etc. 
The functions to be grouped on the 
main floor were defined. Consideration 
was also given to areas which might, 

MAY 1963 

without reducing functional or esthetic 
valu~s, serve multiple purposes. 

Student representatives interested in 
the project also visited other libraries 
and contributed helpful suggestions for 
the consideration of the planning com-
mittee. Significant help for the general 
problems of library building came to 
the librarian from attendance at the Li-
brary Building institutes of the ALA. 
Especially valuable was the counsel of 
Ralph W. Tyler, consultant in higher 
education, and Keyes D. Metcalf, con-
sultant in planning for all aspects of the 
functional design of the building. The 
opportunity to have such authoritative 
help has resulted in a building that is 
educationally effective in both purpose 
and practical aspects. The value of such 
wise and experienced consultants can-
not be overestimated. 

The architect translated the principles 
set forth by the committee into blue-
prints which were studied and modified 
until it seemed that the planning re-
quirements had been adequately met. 

After the architect had actually begun 
to design the floor plans, the develop-
ment of a three-dimensional scale model 
of the proposed interior layout proved 
exceedingly useful in checking the plan-
ning at specific points and in interpret-
ing the plans to the board of directors, 
students, faculty, and visitors. 

Modification in detail of the lay-
out continued steadily as the architect 
worked. Only after the architect's plans 
had met satisfactorily the functional 
needs of the interior was attention con-
centrated on the exterior design. 

The site chosen for the library is near 
two other rna jor academic buildings and 
provides space for expansion. (There 
is room to the north for additional mod-
ules.) An added advantage of the loca-
tion is that it permitted a building de-
sign maximizing the use of north light 
for both readers and technical staff. 

The library with two floors and partial 

231 



basement has approximately twenty-sev-
en thousand square feet of floor space. 
The building is of simple rectangular 
design with the long axis of the build-
ing running east and west. The one 
public entrance, off-center on the south, 
is oriented toward the rna jor academic 
buildings. The exterior is of warm-toned 
red ceramic tile with white concrete 
columns at regular intervals. Economy 
was secured through modular construc-
tion of reinforced concrete. The build-
ing is planned to sustain the weight of 
books at any location and since there are 
few interior walls the arrangements are 
flexible. The building footings were so 
put in place that the partial basement 
can be completed if desired. A virtue of 
the modular plan is its flexibility, which 
allows some change at a later date. Nev-
ertheless, it seemed desirable to plan as 
carefully as possible, as if rna jor changes 
were not likely in the future. 

The building is heated by a system of 
hot water circulating through convectors 
at the perimeter-wall of the building. 
The source of heat is a gas-fired boiler. 
Duct space has been provided for air 
conditioning at a later date. Several sur-
face textures have been used in the 
interior. Floors are covered with vinyl 
tile and ceilings with acoustic tile. Care-
ful choice of colors for floors, walls, 
stacks, and furniture gives a sense of 
light and beauty, inviting students to en-
ter. Maximum use has been made of 
daylight. The windows begin at desk 
height. Vertical blinds control the ad-
mission of sunlight. In themselves, the 
blinds are a significant element both in 
the exterior appearance of the building 
and in interior decoration. In tone, they 
match the exterior ceramic tile; in the 
interior, they provide quietly warm col-
or in the window areas. Artificial light 
is of the fluorescent type. 

Immediately upon entering the build-
ing, one is aware of books, some within 
the foyer and many others immediately 
beyond the surrounding glass partition. 

Through the partition one also sees the 
gracefully curved balcony by which the 
second floor is cut back from the front 
windows. A luminous ceiling over this 
two-story area dramatically ,reveals a 
cross section of the library with its book 
resources close at hand for readers. Be-
low the balcony, reading areas are divid-
ed by low shelving into the semblance of 
alcoves. This accomplishes a sense of 
intimacy with books at the same time 
that the smaller areas actually flow to-
gether to unify and give the whole area 
a feeling of spaciousness. 

Throughout the whole library, book 
and reader areas are freely intermingled, 
and traffic patterns are such that readers 
may reach book areas directly or may 
enter study areas without disturbing 
other readers. The width of each aisle 
was determined by the proportion of 
traffic it is expected to bear. There are 
stairways at either end of the building, 
and there is an elevator for the use of 
staff and physically handicapped persons. 

Allocation· of space on the first floor 
was closely scrutinized. Just beyond the 
entrance lobby and at the junction of all 
paths leading to the entrance is the cen-
ter of public service, an area combining 
the card catalog, the circulation desk, 
and the open reserve shelves. (The use 
of reserve shelves is somewhat limited 
since, so far as is practical, students are 
encouraged to explore the resources of 
the stacks.) This center of public service 
is placed between the area of technical 
service and library office and the public 
area for reader use. The glass partitions 
dividing these areas from each other 
keep a sense of openness in the building 
and make for economical use of staff in 
general supervision. 

The collection of general reference 
books, periodical indexes, and vertical 
files are easily accessible in the center 
section of the main floor. The use of 
reference shelving 60 inches rather than 
90 inches high contributes to a sense of 
openness. Surrounding the reference 

232 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



shelves are a variety of reader accommo-
dations. Near by are shelves for current 
periodicals and a pleasant area for the 
use of audio-visual materials by indi- · 
viduals. Sections of stacks ad join the 
reader areas, and there are carrels beside 
the windows surrounding the stacks. 

Accommodations were planned to 
care for the different ways in which 
readers might wish to use the variety of 
materials available. There are many in-
dividual study desks (carrels), a consid-
erable number of informal chairs, and 
a few conventional table arrangements. 
There are special study rooms for the 
use of small groups and several seminar 
rooms, all of which are equipped with 
blackboards. There are also typing 
rooms, and rooms for rare books, college 
archives, and a research collection of 
religious materials. Practical needs are 
met by such areas as a coat room, a staff 
room, and a kitchenette. 

The basement has an area for mend-
ing and binding activities, shelving for 
the temporary storage and sorting of 
collections of gift books, and stacks for 
several thousand of the less frequently 
used titles. 

Certain rooms have been set aside for 
special purposes. One large room is 
available for informal literary events 
and for the formal meetings of faculty 
and the board of directors. Since the col-
lege is concerned with Christian values, 
a small chapel for individual meditation 
was included. 

Aurora College, like most small col-
leges, needs flexible space in which to 
meet certain occasional needs of the 
whole institution. Already, without hin-
drance to library service, the new build-
ing has demonstrated its value for cer-
tain other purposes. The library pro-
vided a gracious setting for the recep-
tion at the time of the inauguration of 
the president. The general and varied 
facilities of the library made an educa-
tional contribution to such occasions as 
Parents' Night, a meeting for educa-

MAY 1963 

tiona! counselors in connection with a 
Careers Conference, and meetings of 
community literary groups. Some of 
these functions occurred during regular 
library hours while the regular activities 
of the library went forward concurrently 
and without interruption. 

Deliberate care was given to the fur,. 
nishings and equipment. Wood was cho-
sen as most appropriate for the card cata-
log, charging desk, CBI and index ta-
bles, atlas cases, and catalog consultation 
tables. The finish is a color between 
fruitwood and walnut, and harmonizes 
with the birch trim of the building. At-
tention was given to a surface for the 
charging desk that should be durable, at-
tractive, quiet, and nonglossy. After care-
ful preliminary study the charging desk 
was built 42 inches high. 

Steel was chosen for tables, chairs, and 
carrels. Before this decision was reached 
it was ascertained that the surfaces did 
not seriously reflect either sound or light 
and that chairs and tables were not 
noisy when they touched each other. A 
design of chair was chosen so that the 
backs would not rub against walls or 
other pieces of furniture. Because carrels 
were planned for maximum use rather 
than individual assignment, a type of 
carrel was designed without shelves or 
drawers which might encourage "squat-
ters' rights." In many locations, near the 
north windows for example, the carrels 
have only _ three-inch backstops at the 
edge of the desk tops. Others of the car-
rels have twenty-inch backs to maintain 
shields between carrel users opposite 
each other. (Attendance records show 
that carrels are the favorite accommoda-· 
tion for students. Both types are used 
consistently.) 

There are a few tables, each accommo-
dating only four students. The size of the 
table top is 6 feet by 4 feet, allowing a 
3-by-2-foot area for each user, or the same 
amount as the surface of an individual 
carrel. 

A pleasing, "non-institutional" grey-

233 



green is the basic color unifying the li-
brary. This gray-green color occurs in 
the frames of the tables, chairs, and 
carrels and is carefully matched in the 
shelving. On the furniture it harmonizes 
with the somewhat deeper green used in 
the module columns of the building and 
is a pleasant contrast to the vertical 
blinds. The carrel and table tops are a 
very light green textolite. (The texto-
lite is cushioned below to absorb sound.) 
The upholstery of the chairs uses bright-
er accents such as tangerine, gold, and 
persimmon as well as deeper greens. The 
more striking colors were kept to the 
items which could be changed in loca-
tion if desired. 

The building is equipped for approxi-
mately one hundred thousand volumes 
(or slightly more than double the pres-
ent holdings) and has a seating capacity 
of 250 plus the capacity of the seminar 
and special rooms. (The seating provid-
ed is for one-third of the day student 
registration estimated for ten years 
hence.) 

The cost of the building was $500,000 
and of the furnishings and equipment 
$80,000. The magnificent gift of one-
half million dollars for the building was 
given by Charles B. Phillips, a citizen of 
Aurora who in his ninety-third year 
shared in the dedication of the building. 

On an overcast Friday morning in 
May 1962 a good-natured company of 
some three hundred students, teachers, 
administrators, office secretaries, janitors, 

and dormitory housemothers, carrying 
armloads of books, moved in a vigorous 
line from the old library quarters to the 
new. They gaily made the circuit again 
and again, and in little more than three 
hours transferred some forty thousand 
volumes to their proper locations in the 
new library building. The next Monday 
afternoon library service was resumed, 
and the following Saturday the building 
was dedicated. In those nine days the 
climactic chapter to the long story of 
planning the building was written swift-
ly. 

The time since has been too short for 
anything but a tentative appraisal of 
trends in the usage of the library. All 
facilities and services of the building 
have been used in varying degrees and 
with satisfying results. There are marked 
gains both in student use of the library 
facilities and in external circulation. 
There is a definite increase in the use 
of such special equipment as the audio-
visual provisions. The reaction of the 
day-by-day users-the faculty and stu-
dents-is even more enthusiastic than 
their spirit on the day they moved the 
books. 

In such a favorable situation, it is 
now desirable and necessary to engage in 
planning two kinds of sustained develop-
ment which must take place concurrent-
ly: (I) the strengthening of the collec-
tion and (2) the increasing of the effec-
tive use by both students and faculty of 
the available library resources. • • 

234 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES