This New Library

Dartmouth men of all classes will find this buildinga small city in itself. Its bell-laden tower becomes a peakin the Connecticut Valley, visible for miles on all sides.Its enormous study, reference, and reading rooms arethoroughly cozy and comfortable, yet in no way is the zestdiminished that came in older and rougher days when menlost themselves in the magic of books before open fireplacesor under the smoky light of candles or kerosene lamps.Inside this structure is preserved the original DartmouthLibrary as it was in 1777, and in it are books that Wheelock collected as early as 1740, when these books were onthe shelves of the Indian School at Lebanon Crank, Conn.

IN the history of Dartmouth there have been a few periods of short duration when shelves were sufficient to hold our books, but for the major part of our hundred and fifty odd years to find sufficient shelf room has been our problem. In the new Baker Library space has been reserved in the building for a large increase in the stack room and there is the possibility of almost indefinite enlargement of that part of the building in which stack room should expand. The indications are that with respect to library equipment our successors can look back and say that the first hundred and sixty years were the hardest.

There is no evidence that the 305 volumes, besides duplicates, Bibles, Testaments, text books and hymn books making up the College Library crowded the shelves in the southeast chamber of Professor and Librarian Bezaleel Woodward's house in 1777, but they probably did, because they were moved to a room in the Old College.

Again in 1783, they were moved to President John Wheelock's house and again in 1791, to Dartmouth Hall to a narrow room directly over the seats where the facculty used to sit in the old chapel.

By 1809, when the first catalogue of the library was issued, it had grown to 2900 volumes, of which nearly 1000 were duplicates, so that it is fair to assume that the desirability of more space had something to do with these moves.

*ED. NOTE. Some books were lost or damaged oil that memorable occasion when the students, armed with books, drove the University officers from Dartmouth Hall.

In 1817, the library was seized by the University party and when it again came into possession of the College, it was smaller by several hundreds of volumes.*

There we have definitely a time at which the College was not short of library space.

In 1829, the library was moved to a room extending quite across the north end of Dartmouth.

By 1834, the need of more space became urgent but no space and no money were available. Plans were discussed for what we would now call a "drive", but times were bad and it was postponed. It was again proposed in 1836 and instructions were given to go ahead. Unexpectedly, however, a legacy from the Honorable William Reed came to the College in 1837 and the drive was abandoned. Reed Hall was built and was ready for occupancy in 1840.

The College Library was moved to its second floor and joined with it were the libraries of the Social Friends and the United Fraternity, the three together numbering 15,000 volumes.

By 1875, the need for more space had again become urgent, in fact so urgent that the project of converting Bissell Hall into a library was quite seriously considered. When the situation had become almost impossible, relief again came from an unlooked-for source.

In January 1883, George F. Wilson left a bequest to the College which made Wilson Hall possible. In 1885 the library consisting of 60,000 volumes was moved into Wilson Hall.

I do not know just when the library outgrew Wilson Hall, but during all of my term as trustee, which is now over ten years, the need for a new library building has been recognized as the most urgent need of the College. Ways and means of relief have been almost continually under consideration.

In November 1919, the location for a new library building in the square north of the Campus, where the axes of Tuck Drive and the Campus meet, was definitely adopted by action of the board.

By 1925 we had arrived at a point where we were ready to mortgage Dartmouth Hall, the Campus or the Charter or all of them if necessary, to get a suitable library building. On October 22, 1925, it was voted:

(1) That the Trustees take measures for the immediate construction of a library building and

(2) That the President appoint a special committee for immediate investigation and study of all questions relating to this matter, which committee shall forthwith make a study of the library requirements of the college looking well into the future, secure preliminary plans and specifications, estimate the time required for construction and the cost thereof, and decide upon methods of financing.

Such a committee of the trustees was appointed under the chairmanship of Mr. Parkhurst and began immediately to function.

There was in existence a very excellent faculty library committee, which after much study had formulated the needs of the College. Supplementing this, a special committee of the faculty was appointed by the President to sit with the trustee committee and to represent all the varied interests of the resident College which the library must serve. This committee consisted of: Professor Haskins, chairman; Mr. Goodrich, librarian; Professors Ames, Gray, and Richardson. The site had been selected and the college architect, Mr. Larson, had in mind the form which the building should take; so that it was possible by perfect cooperation between these three agencies—the trustees committee, the faculty committee and the architect— to put their dreams into the form of general plans, check them by study of other college and public libraries and be ready to report upon them within six months.

The financing was not so easy a problem, but even as to that the trustees committee was ready to suggest methods—none perhaps impossible and none easy. At about this time, word came to the President that, as in the case of Reed and Wilson, help was forthcoming.

Mr. George F. Baker expressed his desire to make a gift of a library building as a memorial to his uncle, Fisher Ames Baker, of the Class of 1859. Fisher Ames Baker in college was a scholar of Phi Beta Kappa rank and a leader in college life. He was, among other activities, captain of a voluntary military organization called the Dartmouth Grays. This, it has been asserted, was the first college military organization to be formed in anticipation of the war which soon developed. After graduation he studied law and then enlisted in the army for the Civil War. He made a distinguished record in the army and later as a member of the bar in New York City. He well deserved a memorial. When the President learned of Mr. Baker's desire I have the impression that he did not hesitate to gratify it. At all events he did not hesitate in getting into action. He canvassed the board as to the appointment of an operating committee of the trustees with full powers to erect a library building and as to its personnel. He notified the members of the proposed committee that they would be appointed at the next following meeting of the trustees, so that in the meantime they could make preparations for immediate actionfollowingtheir appointment. By design or good fortune, among other indispensable members of the committee one was Morton C. Tuttle, whose large experience in the construction of major building projects was invaluable. He was quick to see the advantages of a contract with responsible builders on a cost plus basis with a guaranteed maxi- mum; not the least advantage being in the fact that the architect's general plans were sufficient to enable the builders to begin at once, the detailed plans to follow as the construction progressed.

It was, therefore, possible in Commencement week of 1926, for the trustees

To pass a vote of thanks to the donor; To appoint a trustees library building committee, and To approve a contract for the construction of the building. And for the committee itself to get into action: By organizing for the cooperation of all departments involved in the work, and

By establishing a schedule of operations calling for beginning of the work in July 1926 and the completion of the building May 1, 1928. Work began as scheduled.

Butterfield, which housed the Natural Science departments and the museum collection, had become insufficient for its principal purpose and was so located with reference to the library site that while it would not hinder the construction of the library building it would effectually cut off the main entrance of the library after its completion. In fact the cornice of Butterfield before its removal almost touched on each end a front wing of Baker. The programme, there- fore, involved the removal of Butterfield before the formal dedication of the library, but to accomplish its removal, a new building would have to be constructed to house the Natural Science departments and some disposition would have to be made of the museum collection.

A lesser problem was the Graduate Club, which occupied a building encroaching upon the library site. This problem was speedily solved by adapting the former home of the President on College Street to the use of the club and moving it there as soon as possible.

To solve the greater problem, plans were made and work started on the Natural Science building located on the northwest corner of Main Street and Tuck Drive and it was decided that Wilson Hall, after the removal of the books, should be modified for use as a museum.

Some faculty houses had to be removed or destroyed and as the growth of the faculty is somewhat limited by the paucity of houses in which they can live, faculty houses to replace those to be removed had to be built, so that with all of these ramifications, the building of the library became a complicated and rather large project for Dartmouth, with completion of the library on time depending upon completion of all of the various parts of the whole programme on time.

Thorough cooperation of departments only indirectly related to the library was involved, as well as the cooperation of all of those directly concerned with the library construction. By June 1827, sufficient progress had been made to justify the establishment of some definite dates:

The library to be ready for partial use by February 1, 1928, and the books to be moved and distribution started from the basement of the new building during February.

The Science Building to be ready for use March 29, 1928, and the Science departments to be moved into it from Butterfield during the spring vacation.

Museum material to be catalogued and packed for temporary storage during 1927 and to be removed from Butterfield before April 1928.

Butterfield to be demolished and rough grading around library to be completed by Commencement 1928.

A committee of which Professor Fairbanks was chairman set about the work of cataloguing and packing the museum material.

Another consisting of Messrs. Edgerton, Ames, Goodrich, Keyes and Larson was requested to undertake the selection of furniture, and finally as the building approached completion, another consisting of Messrs. Ames, Larson and Edgerton supervised the selection and hanging of pictures.

I am calling particular attention to those committees, because it was their work which made the library what it is. The original special library committee of faculty members which functioned in 1925 in the preparation of plans, carried on to completion. In the committee room of the library is a bronze tablet testifying to the appreciation by the trustees of this committee's work. There is not a detail of the building and its working equipment which did not receive this committee's careful and thorough consideration. Just as an illustration, I will cite the illumination of the study rooms and stack room. Professor Haskins made a scientific study of illumination as applied to these rooms which has resulted in ideal lighting at a minimum consumption of current. The committee on furniture studied and approved each individual type of furniture and many of them the committee designed.

It was feared that in the removal of the museum material from Butterfield, much that is of value would become valueless by separation from its class or its accompanying description. By the painstaking efforts of Professors Fairbanks and Lord, it is believed that this material will find its place finally in Wilson Hall with its value enhanced rather than lessened.

The picture hanging committee viewed critically the College's pictures and of those not tied by gift to particular places, selected the most appropriate for the library and designated the places where they should hang. In fact I saw this committee in action in the week before Commencement and its members were coming pretty close to hanging the pictures them- selves.

All of this work was done not only cheerfully but apparently gladly, although it . must have cost them many games of golf and other frivolities with which even learned men occasionally divert themselves. The impression I received was that every man in Hanover connected with the College was so interested in the library that he looked for opportunities to do his part.

Besides all of his other duties, with many of them heavier on account of the library construction, Mr. Edgerton acted as clerk of the trustees building committee and in that capacity kept all parts of the programme moving along in synchronism so that there was no delay either in parts or in the whole.

The architect, Mr. Larson, is not a graduate of the College but he married into the family and has lived in Hanover long enough to know our ways and to like to work with us. His thorough cooperation with all concerned was in evidence from beginning to end. It is fitting that he should have been adopted into the Dartmouth Fellowship by an honorary degree at the last Commencement.

Mr. Gooding of the department of buildings and grounds was seen, I understand, one evening in the week before Commencement, with the help of a flash- light counting the blades of grass growing where Butter- field once stood.

Now, what is the result of all of this expenditure of money, time, thought and enthusiasm? A man well qualified to express an opinion, after going through the library, said it was the best college building he had ever seen. Another, after going through the Tower reading room, said, "This isn't like an institutional library. It is like a private library."

It was the careful, painstaking, efficient work of Professor Haskins, Librarian Goodrich, Mr. Edgerton and others, always including Mr. Larson, which produced the educational utility, "the best college building he

It was the trained, artistic eye of Prof ess or Ames, the discriminating taste of Homer Eaton Keyes and again the continuing interest of the architect in every detail of construction and embellishment applied also to the furnishing, which have given it the individuality more characteristic of a private library than of a college library or public library.

I may be an enthusiast about the library. I certainly am about the spirit which pervaded the college people who worked upon it.

Descriptions of the building and the proposed arrangement of rooms and their uses have been published. The library is as planned and I will not repeat descriptions, but I will refer briefly to some of the outstanding features which have surpassed expectations.

The distance from the north end of the Campus to the main entrance to the library is about half the length of the Campus, so that looking from the Inn, you get the effect of a greater spaciousness—of a longer Campus. The old buildings are not dwarfed, but the whole picture seems in prefect proportion to the beautiful tower rising above the trees at the end of the vista.

As you enter the building, you come into the main delivery hall, facing the delivery desks, with an archway connecting with the stack room. Over the archway are the words: THIS BUILDING IS THE GIFT OF GEORGE F. BAKERIN MEMORY OF HIS UNCLE, FISHER AMES BAKERDARTMOUTH 1859—A SOLDIER IN THE CIVIL WARAND AN EMINENT MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK BAR

In niches in the wall opposite the windows are cases for the exhibition of objects of general interest or of special interest on special occasions, as, for instance, during this past Commencement there were in one, the flag and the roll of the Dartmouth Grays and a cane presented to Captain Baker; in another, pictures relating to the 50-year class when it was in college. The room is very impressive and it was impressive before there was a thing in it. It is good architecture which makes the room.

The building, you will remember, is in the general shape of an H, with an extension running northerly from the bar of the H, the extension being stack room and the delivery room forming the southern half of the bar.

Of the space reserved for stacks, only about sixty per cent is equipped, but that sixty per cent has over two and a half times the capacity of those in Wilson Hall. I confess that when I looked at Wilson stacks and Baker stacks, I had a feeling that in order to make a respectable showing of books, we should have to bring our duplicates and Bibles and Testaments and text books and hymn books in about the same proportion as in the original library, but when they had moved in our books—many from basements of dormitories and some of them in the original packages—I realized still more how much this building had been needed. Professor Haskins has already told us that we must immediately equip two more levels of stacks.

The southwest wing is a study hall, handsomely furnished by the class of 1902. If this room had been in existence when you were in college, you would have taken your books and gone there on one of those evenings when you were filled with a craving for work and your chum was giving a card party. Or perhaps you gave the card party and your chum would have been the one to use it.

The southeast wing is the periodical room, with ample space for display and study of more than a thousand periodicals regularly taken.

The northeast wing is one of the show rooms—the reference book room. The books are in alcoves with a gallery extending around three sides of the room, with long tables through the middle of the room and smaller ones in the alcoves.

The northwest wing is occupied by the librarian's office, the faculty library committee room—both attractively furnished—the assistant librarian's room and the Treasure room. The Treasure room is intended for rarer books not intended for circulation— first editions, special editions, etc. (Alumni should note that the librarian is in a receptive mood). This room in our library is named Hough's room, because it was finished and furnished by the surviving members of the Class of '79 in memory of their classmate, Judge Hough. Being a member of that class, I shall have to be rather reserved in my statements about it. However, I noticed during Commencement week that it attracted much interest and the comment was rather enthusiastic. It is finished in oak and the windows are of leaded cathedral glass. Over the mantel is a portrait of Judge Hough—a copy of one hanging in the U. S. Court Room in New York City. The room is well furnished to give the effect of a small private library. There are five windows. The central medallion of one represents 1769 with President Wheelock seated under a pine tree in front of a log cabin teaching an Indian. That of the next represents 1928 showing the facade of Baker Library. These are in the north wall of the room. Of the three in the west wall, the medallion of the first is the seal of the Social Friends, of the second, the seal of the College, and of the third, the seal of the United Fraternity. There is also in the north window a condensed history of the library, illustrated by pictures of the buildings it has occupied. In the other windows appear a history of the contributions of the two literary societies to the library, a selection from Webster's speech and a copy of the original manuscript of Hovey's "Men of Dartmouth." Scattered through the windows are pictures of such things as the Old Pine, the Tower, the Senior Fence, a Senior cane, the President's Jewel, the Wentworth Punch Bowl and emblems taken from the seal on our colonial charter, from the college book plate, etc. There is nothing in the windows which is not connected in some way with Dartmouth history.

The question has been asked as to the aptness of three stars shown on one of the windows and it should be ex- plained that they come from the original seal of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Dartmouth and have no connection with the trademark of one Hennessey.

In corners and inconspicuous places in the windows are photographic portraits of the members of the Class of '79. Being not larger than a quarter of a dollar, they are unobtrusive and are appropriate because they will carry down to posterity the faces of what every member of the Class of '79 will admit is a very remarkable class.

Going up the west stairway, we come on the mezzanine floor, to a small room of very great interest. It is intended to be a replica of the southeast chamber of Professor Bezaleel Woodward's house which stood on a plot covered by Baker Library and housed Dartmouth's collection of books in 1772. The books on the shelves are largely the original books. (Duplicates and hymn books omitted.) This room very appropriately was finished and furnished by Charles N. Haskins, professor of mathematics and chairman of the faculty library committee in memory of Bezaleel Woodward, first professor of mathematics and first librarian. The furniture is what the Haskins family used in the period contemporary with the early library.

Directly over the main delivery hall on the second floor are the Tower reading rooms—one room occupying the space of the tower and a longer room on each side, the three opening into each other and making really one large and beautiful room: attractive books on open shelves in alcoves and galleries with easy chairs, and all of the furniture of a private library—even ash trays—are what give this room its enticing effect. This is the room of all others intended to call out to a man, "Take a book and sit down and read for enjoyment and relaxation—get the habit," and in carrying out this intention Messrs. Keyes and Larson and Ames and Good- rich and Edgerton have done a wonderful piece of work.

At the opposite ends of the group of rooms over great fireplaces, are life-size portraits of George F. Baker and Fisher Ames Baker. There are wall spaces, where someone sometime will give us mural paintings. Discriminating alumni will give us bronzes and perhaps a piece of tapestry or a pair of vases or other things of beauty, which will add still more to the charm of the place, but the charm is there now.

On this floor also are the so-called "departmental centers" attractively placed in the respective wings of the building. In these, as in other rooms, there is the particularly inviting opportunity for the establishment of memorials. As the Class of 1879 has done in the Hough room, and as the Class of 1902 has done in the beautifully equipped study hall on the first floor, so there are opportunities for many another class or many another individual at remaining points within the library to erect appropriate memorials.

Already Mr. Bennett S. Ferguson of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, has generously promised the amount of ten thousand dollars for finishing and equipping a departmental center in the social sciences in memory of his son, John A. Ferguson, a popular and able member of the Class of 1910.

The rooms to which I have referred are the outstanding rooms. There are working rooms in the basement, studies for members of the faculty where they can work with the stacks at their elbows; seminar and conference rooms where they can meet with large and small groups of students with the library at hand.

When I was in college, the library was a place for the storage and distribution of books. This is a place for the storage, distribution and use of books and beyond that, a place which will cultivate the love of books and the love of beauty. It gives the faculty, the undergraduates and all connected with the college in Hanover, a better chance to work and a richer college life. And of those out of Hanover, no Alumnus with a spark of imagination can come back to a class reunion and see the tower rising above the elms—see it illuminated at night —hear the chimes at twilight—see the beautiful interior and think of what it is going to mean in the education and college life of generations of Dartmouth men to come—without feeling a thrill such as rarely comes in this sophisticated world.

Ultimately there will be buildings connected with Baker by service passages devoted to uses associated with the library. They will be so shaped and placed as to flank the three main entrances to the library and will add to the attractions physically and to the use educationally of Baker. Two of these buildings are in process of construction: Carpenter for Fine Arts at the northwest angle, and Sanborn for English Literature at the southwest angle.

THE TOWER ROOM

HOUGH'S ROOM

REFERENCE ROOM

NINETEEN HUNDRED AND TWO READING ROOM