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THE HESPEKIAN
THE HISTORY OF A CATASTROPHE.
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THE LIBRARY.
ITS NEW BUILDING.
To oxtond the facilitios of tho library
moans to enlarge the general usefulness of
the whole institution. No department
touches more people than does this one. In
fact, besides being a department by itself
with its own work to perform, it constitutes
a large factor in every other department.
What cripples one cripples all. Of course
what the library wants chiefly is its new
building, the most casual observer must
know this. Twice as many people as there
should be are crowded into those two rooms,
jostling each other, breathing the foul air
and straining their eyes because of the poor
light; they no more than half accomplish
what they might in an ample, well' lighted
and perfectly ventilated reading room, such
as the new building provides. In the pres
ent cramped quarters the library attendants
cannot adequately servo the students who
assemble there for work. Much of the diffi
culty arising from mislaid books arises from
lack of space.
To state that more room is needed for
shelving bookB is stating a very patent fact.
The accessions to the library average nearly
500 volumes a month, and evory available
space in the two rooms has boon built up
with shelving. If the now building is
granted by the legislature all available
shelves will be full before it is ready for
occupancy, and the library staff have not
had the courage to face the state of affairs
should the building be refused. We need,
of course, more chan shelves enough to hold
the books. We want more return shelves
which would vastly facilitate the reference
work. We want shelves for tho now books,
that students and professors may seo what
books on various subjects are coming into
the library. We want shelves for books on
topics which special occasions bring up.
Then we want more room for books in their
regular places, so that a half dozen now
books may bo added in a subject without the
moving and shifting that is now necessary to
accommodate them. Then wo want work
rooms. Tho office of any institution must
bo away from tho gonoral commotion of
business. Whore tho cataloguer can work
uninterrupted, now books can be placed in tho
hands of readers much more promptly. In
tho now building with ample work room,
even tho small force now employed will bo
able to accomplish more and bettor work.
In the present quarters there is no opportunity
for seminar work in connection with the
library. In tho now building ample room is
provided in which classes may meet at any
time of the day, in rooms adjoining tho
library where they may enjoy all tho facili
ties of the catalogs and reference books bo
sides tho work devoted to special subjects.
After the new building comes more as
sistance in our list of needs. In our present
quarters we have as large a staff as we have
room for, but it is not large enough to
accomplish the work circumstances demand.
In a library of a few thousand volumes it
might bo possible for one person to become
so familiar with the works as to dispense
with a catalogue. But in a library rapidly
approaching 30,000 volumes, it is manifestly
bad economy not to index them in some
such way that their valuable contents are
available. Hence a catalog complete in
every detail is an absolute necessity. Un
less more assistance is granted for the- com
ing biennium than has heretofore been em
ployed, much of the work must continue un
done. Tho departmental libraries are need
ing attention which can not be given at
present. Up to this time the chief work of
tho staff has been confined to tho main
library, but the departmental libraries are
an integral part and can not long be neg
lected without serious detriment to the whole.
Some of tho work bestowed upon thom by
the departments might bo more economically
' dttti
JM
