College and Research Libraries


B y E U L I N K . H O B B I E 

American International College 
Library Building 

Mrs. Hobbie is librarian, American In-
ternational College, Springfield, Mass. 

A M E R I C A N I N T E R N A T I O N A L C O L L E G E i s 

JLx. a coeducational, liberal arts, non-
residential college located near the center 
of Springfield. T h e r e are t w o small dormi-
tories on the campus, one f o r women the 
other f o r men, but the m a j o r i t y of the stu-
dents come f r o m Springfield and surround-
ing communities and live at home. 

U n l i k e most colleges w i t h building pro-
grams, money f o r the library at A m e r i c a n 
International C o l l e g e came f r o m income, 
not f r o m g i f t s or f r o m a special donor. 

T h e s e t w o f a c t s w e r e v e r y important 
f a c t o r s in influencing the plans f o r and the 
construction of the college library. I t w a s 
essential to build economically and to plan 
to accommodate at one time as large a num-
ber of the student body as possible. 

T h e original plans f o r the building called 
f o r a central unit and t w o w i n g s . C o n -
struction of the central unit and the right 
w i n g w a s completed in 1 9 4 9 . 

T h e exterior of the building is brick, and 
the interior is cinder block, plastered in 
some rooms but simply painted in others. 
T h e stack areas have w a l l s of ceramic tile. 
Because steel w a s scarce and very expen-
sive there is very little of it in the building. 
T h e floors are reinforced poured concrete, 
supported by columns. D u r i n g the con-
struction of the building, the students w e r e 
much interested in w a t c h i n g the w o r k m e n 
erect the columns and pour all the floor 
slabs before any exterior w a l l s w e r e begun. 

I n f a c t no w a l l s , exterior or interior, in 
the building are supporting w a l l s . T h i s is 
a much less expensive type of construction 
than the usual steel, and this w a s an im-
portant item w i t h us. T h e n too, it makes 
it possible f o r us to change the position of 
partitions in the f u t u r e , if w e ever decide 
w e need to. 

T h e r e are some things about the build-
ing which w e like very much. B y an ex-
tensive use of glass in doors and some parti-
tions, f o r easy and quick supervision, it is 
possible in all but the busiest times, f o r one 
member of the staff to handle the main, or 
control desk, in the lobby. 

T h e book collection is on open shelves 
and easily accessible to the students, w h o 
are encouraged to help themselves. T h e 
public catalog is in the lobby, near enough 
to the desk so that the students can secure 
help if they need to. 

B a c k of the control desk are the reserved 
books, the only part of the collection on 
closed shelves. T h e f a c u l t y are v e r y co-
operative and most of them keep the num-
ber of books on reserve to a minimum. 
T h e y p r e f e r to have their students use the 
entire book collection whenever possible. 

O p e n i n g off the lobby is the largest of 
three reading rooms. W e shelve the cur-
rent periodicals at one end of this room. 

T h e r e are t w o other reading rooms. T h e 
building is on three levels, and on each of 
these levels is a reading room adjacent to, 
and readily accessible to the stacks, which 
are on each floor. I n addition there are 
carrels in the stack areas. W e have tried 

A P R I L , 1953 12 7 



to keep o u r r e a d e r s as n e a r o u r books as 
possible, a n d to m a k e it possible f o r t h e m 
to s e c u r e the m a t e r i a l s needed w i t h the 
least e f f o r t . 

T h e c e i l i n g s in the stacks a r e a s , l o b b y , 
a n d offices a r e seven and a h a l f f e e t h i g h . 
I n the r e a d i n g r o o m on the m a i n floor, the 
c e i l i n g is f i f t e e n f e e t because the r o o m is 
l a r g e a n d needs h e i g h t . S o m e of o u r f a c -
u l t y a n d s t u d e n t s w e r e s k e p t i c a l a b o u t the 
l o w c e i l i n g s in the l o b b y a n d o t h e r a r e a s , 
but w h e n the l i g h t s w e r e i n s t a l l e d a n d the 
d e c o r a t i n g c o m p l e t e d , they decided they 
l i k e d the i n f o r m a l , f r i e n d l y f e e l i n g w h i c h 
y o u f i n d w h e n y o u c o m e into the b u i l d i n g . 

W i t h o u r a s p h a l t tile floors, m e t a l s h e l v -
i n g , c e r a m i c tile w a l l s in the stack a r e a s 
and p l e n t y of o u t l e t s f o r u s i n g e l e c t r i c a l 
e q u i p m e n t , such as floor s c r u b b e r s , polish-
ers a n d v a c u u m c l e a n e r s , the b u i l d i n g is 
easy to keep c l e a n at a m i n i m u m of e x p e n s e . 

N o w w h a t a r e some of the t h i n g s w e do 
n o t like a b o u t o u r b u i l d i n g — f o r no b u i l d -
i n g h o w e v e r c a r e f u l l y p l a n n e d , is e v e r per-
f e c t . M a n y of o u r d e f e c t s c a n be c h a r g e d 
u p to the need f o r e c o n o m y . F o r i n s t a n c e , 
o r i g i n a l p l a n s c a l l e d f o r a c o u s t i c a l l y t r e a t e d 
c e i l i n g s t h r o u g h o u t the b u i l d i n g . W e s a v e d 
a c o n s i d e r a b l e a m o u n t b y f i n a l l y l i m i t i n g 
o u r s o u n d a b s o r b i n g c e i l i n g s to the m a i n 
r e a d i n g r o o m on the f i r s t floor, o u r m u s i c 
a n d t y p i n g r o o m on the second floor and the 
office of the l i b r a r i a n . 

I f w e w e r e b u i l d i n g a g a i n , w e w o u l d 
m o s t c e r t a i n l y s o u n d p r o o f the l o b b y a n d 
the s t a c k a r e a on the f i r s t floor. I n f a c t , 
w e e x p e c t to do the l o b b y as soon as f u n d s 
a r e a v a i l a b l e . 

I f w e w e r e b u i l d i n g a g a i n w e w o u l d w a n t 
t o c h a n g e t h e o u t s i d e e n t r a n c e . T h e li-
b r a r y is n e a r the s t r e e t . T h e r e is a v e r y 
m o d e s t a r r a n g e m e n t of f o u r o r f i v e steps 
g o i n g to the d o o r s — b u t these steps a r e the 
f a v o r i t e g a t h e r i n g p l a c e of s t u d e n t s w i t h 
a l i t t l e f r e e t i m e . M o s t of the t i m e there 
a r e as m a n y as f i f t e e n or t w e n t y g a t h e r e d 

t h e r e , r a i n o r shine, a n d t h e i r " b u l l " ses-
sions g e t m o r e t h a n n o i s y . S i n c e the l o b b y 
is less t h a n f i f t e e n f e e t a w a y , it c r e a t e s a 
real p r o b l e m . 

W h e n y o u do not h a v e c e n t r a l h e a t i n g 
on y o u r c a m p u s , a n d w e do not, a b o i l e r 
r o o m becomes a p r o b l e m . U n l e s s it is 
c o m p l e t e l y a n d t h o r o u g h l y i n s u l a t e d , the 
a r e a a b o v e m a y s u f f e r f r o m o v e r - h e a t e d 
floors. I speak v e r y f e e l i n g l y a b o u t this, 
because m y office is d i r e c t l y o v e r the b o i l e r 
r o o m . I s u f f e r e d t h r o u g h the f i r s t f e w 
m o n t h s , b u t n o w the c e i l i n g of the b o i l e r 
r o o m is w e l l i n s u l a t e d and m y office is m o r e 
c o m f o r t a b l e . 

O n e of o u r g r e a t " l a c k s , " w h i c h w i l l be 
r e m e d i e d w h e n w e b u i l d the l e f t w i n g is 
e n o u g h c o n f e r e n c e r o o m s . W i t h so m a n y 
of o u r s t u d e n t s l i v i n g off c a m p u s so t h a t 
d o r m i t o r y r o o m s a r e n o t a v a i l a b l e to t h e m , 
they do need places w h e r e they can w o r k 
in g r o u p s . T h e o n l y r o o m is in g r e a t 
d e m a n d and m a n y s t u d e n t s w h o w o u l d like 
to use it do not h a v e an o p p o r t u n i t y . 

A n o t h e r p r o b l e m w h i c h needs some s t u d y , 
is the question of floors. T h i s is not a 
p r o b l e m at the A . I . C . l i b r a r y a l o n e , f o r it 
a f f e c t s o t h e r types of b u i l d i n g s too. W h e n 
a s p h a l t tile is l a i d d i r e c t l y on p o u r e d con-
c r e t e it m a k e s a g o o d l o o k i n g , e a s i l y m a i n -
t a i n e d floor, p e r f e c t l y s a t i s f a c t o r y f o r the 
c a s u a l u s e r . H o w e v e r , it m a y p r o v e v e r y 
t i r i n g f o r the person w h o w a l k s on it a l l 
d a y l o n g . 

A n y k i n d of p a d d i n g is e x p e n s i v e a n d the 
floor does not s t a n d u p w h e n h e a v y f u r n i -
t u r e is placed on it. T h e s a m e seems to 
hold t r u e of the s o f t e r c o r k a n d o t h e r c o v -
e r i n g s . 

O f c o u r s e the l i b r a r y staff can w e a r 
e s p e c i a l l y c u s h i o n e d shoes, b u t t h a t is n o t 
a l w a y s c o n v e n i e n t . 

A n o t h e r f a l s e e c o n o m y w a s the e l i m i n a -
tion of a u t o m a t i c w i n d o w o p e n e r s . T h i s 
w a s a m i s t a k e f o r w e f i n d it d i f f i c u l t to 

(Continued on page 173) 

148 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



again if the student loses his copy. 
T h e librarian does not spoon-feed stu-

dents. F o r example, if he finds a likely 
title in the card catalog under a subject 
heading not yet explored by the student, he 
will refer him to the subject heading rather 
than to the book itself. O r he w i l l simply 
recommend a certain bibliography even 
though he has already gone through it and 
found several pertinent titles. A t their next 
conference he may ask the student how 
productive this subject heading or that 
bibliography has proved to be. 

In almost every instance the librarian has 
to decide whether to present the student 
with a general lead in the direction of a 
reference, a specific title complete with the 
call number, or even a text itself. T h e 
library competence of the student and the 
nature of the reference determine what the 
librarian w i l l do. If he has encountered a 
pamphlet or a government document purely 
by chance, it is usually best to refer it to 
the student as specifically as possible at the 
same time pointing out where similar refer-
ence might be found. 

A number of departments of the college, 

principally in the social sciences, have asked 
the reference librarian to address their 
honors students before they begin w o r k on 
their theses. H e r e the reference librarian 
has the opportunity to call attention to 
items generally useful in their subject field 
and also to invite the students to confer 
with him individually. Reports of the 
reference program have spread among stu-
dents and faculty with the result that stu-
dents consult the reference librarian on 
their own initiative and more and more 
faculty members are asking the reference 
librarian to address their students. 

T h e effects of this collaboration between 
student and librarian can be found in sev-
eral areas of the library. M o r e United 
States government documents have been 
used and a f e w students have learned to 
ask for them by serial document volume 
number. Bibliographic aids of all kinds 
have been given greater use. Finally the 
number of students w h o received continu-
ing reference assistance almost doubled be-
tween the first and this second year of this 
program's operation. T h e library is an in-
tegral part of instruction. 

American International College Library Building 
(Continued from page 148) 

regulate the windows in the main and lower 
level reading rooms and in the lower level 
stack area. 

Another thing that bothers is the type of 
cinder block which w e used. T h e y are 
very porous and w e discovered that sound 
carries through them. In many instances 
this is not important, but in some cases w e 
found it necessary to insulate and plaster 
some w a l l s which w e had not intended to 
do. "There are other quality cinder blocks 
available, but again, in order to economize 
we were forced to use a cheap grade. 

Looking at the library as objectively as 
possible f o r one w h o is using it every day, 
w e do feel that the good points outweigh 
enormously the things that irritate. 

W e like the good lighting, our adequate 
elevator, the feeling of space, the relation 
of one w o r k area to another, the pleasing 
color, the lack of waste space in corridors 
and stairwells, and the attractive furnish-
ings and equipment. A s one student re-
marked a short time ago, " I just love to 
come in here and sit even when I don't have 
to study. It's great to think it is ours." 

APRIL, 1953 
1 

173