Faults to be Looked For
In visiting other libraries or looking at other plans, the virtues are sometimes hard to detect, but there are some faults even a novice can see. For instance—
- Heaviness or embellishment of exterior, unsuited to a library.
- Arched or pointed, mullioned or leaded windows, obstructive of light.
- Domes, with rotundas beneath.
- Columns and porticoes.
- Overhanging roofs or cornices.
- Stories, corridors, or rooms, unnecessarily high in the walls.
- Waste of floor space.
- Ornamental and excessively broad or massive stairways.
- Stairs and corridors separating rooms which should adjoin.
- Poor light anywhere; light in the eyes of readers instead of on the backs or pages of books.
- Drafts, or absence of air.
These are a few common faults; any good librarian can suggest others from his or her own experience.
As the classes of library schools go about visiting libraries, it would be well to have some expert instructor or guide point out obvious faults of construction. The local librarian could best show merits. Special reports or theses on buildings would advance the cause of rational planning among the coming generation of librarians.