But be Sure to Get Good Advice
Either from your own librarian or his friends, or from a library commission, get thorough advice and special study for every point in every department as you plan, and before allowing any exterior features to be settled. Do not put too heavy a burden of responsibility on the architect.
“He should not be expected to furnish the idea of the building. Its planning is a separate problem to be solved. It is the business of the owner, not of the architect, to decide this.”—Patton.[121]
“Do not rely entirely on an architect, however great his artistic and technical qualifications.”[122]—Duff-Brown.
“Most of the unsuitable buildings are due to unstated problems. Too much of the lay trustee, too much of the librarian himself sometimes, who thought he knew, but didn’t, have been the causes.”—B. R. Green.[123]
Indeed, rather than trust to incompetent library advice or an inexperienced architect, I would suggest going to the Library Bureau and giving them charge of building. They would at least know where to go for competent advice, and would not charge any more profit on what they expended than experts deserve. So thinks B. R. Green.[124]
“Many librarians are burdened with repeated calls for information which more properly ought to be obtained from an independent expert.”—H. J. Carr.[125]
But, remember, in getting such advice from busy librarians, you are getting only their opinions, founded on experience and impressions, but not on careful and minute study of conditions involved in your problem, to which they cannot afford to give due consideration.
The fable of the lawyer is here germane, who, when reproached by a friend, “That advice you gave me was worth nothing, absolutely nothing,” replied, “Well, isn’t that just what you paid me for it?”
The off-hand answer of a librarian, even an expert, may or may not fit the case. He is certainly not to be blamed if it does not fit, unless he has been duly retained, and has taken time for mature study of all the facts.