This is the view from in front of the Admin building looking towards the front of the old library. Notice the top of the bell tower behind it, which looks like this….. and stands across the street from the back of the library.
This first shot below shows the central part of the library built while Uncle Louey was the head librarian. He wanted a classic library with marble, and Greek columns, and an oculus, and cathedral ceilings and roof bosses he got all that and more.
Here’s me and one of the head librarians today…..
It is very difficult to convey the huge scale of the large reading rooms and columns but here’s my best effort…
The oculus is in the central rotunda upstairs and it imitates the one in the Pantheon in Rome, but also the one in the National Gallery in D.C.
There are various alcoves and niches with statues for instance….
And here’s the view from the top steps of the main entrance back towards the admin building…
Lastly there are insignias everywhere with our university motto– lux, libertas, light and liberty, which this library certainly promoted and still does.
The latest issue of Endeavors magazine which comes with the Alumni Review is all about the digitizing and updating of the library and ways the library is helping students learn in the digital age.
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