Privacy. This requirement can be met by the proper provision and arrangement of the furniture, which will be further treated under the head of Tables. The former method was to use almost exclusively large open tables, seating ten or more, or tables with lengthwise and crosswise partitions, setting aside bins or stalls like voting booths to shut out distracting sights. The large plain tables are not now in favor, the tendency being toward tables for six, four, two, or even one. See floor plans and interiors of libraries in Koch and elsewhere.
Light. Light falling from the left, shaded from the eyes, focussed on the table in front of the reader on the book he is reading there, or the paper on which he is writing, is desirable. If the room is lofty, windows high in the walls, carefully shaded from glare, are out of range of reader’s eyes. If lower, as most rooms are, the table seats should be so disposed if possible as to give each reader light from the left.
The question of artificial light is discussed elsewhere. The best of high lamps for diffused light, of side lights and of hanging lamps to light readers, is a special study for the architect. As readers have varied eyesight, individual table lights, adjustable and severally operated are best on the whole, but the wiring of each table fixes its location so that it cannot be moved in cleaning or re-spacing. Bulbs hanging about eight feet from the floor are much used.
Good Air. This is as important as it often is unsatisfactory. Bad air interferes more than anything else with clearness and concentration of thought. Mr. Ranck of Grand Rapids is now chairman of an A. L. A. Committee on this subject. He writes me: “Personally, the more I have looked into it, the more I am convinced that the physiological side is most difficult, not the mere keeping down the amount of carbon dioxide. I am inclined to think it will be necessary to make a number of experimental tests to determine these points.” The report of this committee will be interesting.
Meanwhile, the best thing to do is to get a report from recent buildings as to their methods, and the success of each. Evidently the problem varies with the size and situation of the room and the method of heating, including heat from artificial light.
If perfect ventilation could be installed, crowded tables would not be quite so bad.
Space. H. T. Hare, an architect, in a recent number of the Library Association Record,[313] writes: “Almost all our public libraries are too closely packed for comfort, health and movement. A fifty per cent increase in floor space would not be at all extravagant.”
If there is money to spare, this might be desirable, but unfortunately few libraries, large or small, have funds enough to allow luxuries. The spacing of seats must be as close as health and convenience will permit. It is generally agreed that for serious reading, which may require room to spread books open and to lay manuscripts beside them, 25 square feet are ample, 20 square feet sufficient, 16 square feet rather a crowded minimum, to include chair, table and passage-ways.
As to size, Duff-Brown[314] suggests finding the daily average of readers and plan for one quarter of this daily attendance at any one time during the day, as sufficient space to allow.