STUDIES ON MUSEUMS AND KINDRED INSTITUTIONS. 549 



chase of books the sum of $24,000 annually, and from this fund the 

 increase approximates 10,000 volumes yearly, but as the l)uildinit^ is so 

 arranged that it can scarcely be extended, and as it is already filled, 

 they hardly know how to meet this difficulty/' 



A more attractive building- is hardly imaginal)le, nor one less suited 

 for a library, in which the readers must ])e supervised. Disregarding 

 all the experiences gained by liliraries and all libi-arv princi[)ies, the 

 architect, following the wish of Mrs. Rylands, designed a magnificent 

 Gothic structure similar to the library of Mansfield College in Oxford. 

 The entrance hall is a perfect forest of columns, uncommonly attractive 

 artistically, but entirely useless, for the hall is so narrow and dark that 

 it must be artificially lighted in the daytime.^ The entire building is in 

 the style of a church, and, imposing as it appears in its main nave (23 

 by 160 feet long, 50 feet high), in its side chapels, so to speak, or 

 alcoves, in its galleries and transepts, it is so dark that at 3 o'clock in 

 the afternoon in Septeml)er electric lights had to be turned on through- 

 out. The books are not arranged in accordance with modern library 

 methods, as one might expect, but in cases, the same as has been done 

 from olden times, onl}" the reference library being directly accessible 

 to the visitor. These cases, built of oak, with brass dooi- frames and 

 plate glass, are delightful. Thej" close perfectly and are dust proof as 

 long as the wood does not warp. Such an ideal and magnificent arrange- 

 ment is certaiidy not to be found in many places; but, as I havealread}' 

 remarked, the library is full, and, in view of the difficulty of adding to 

 this building, it will in the course of time be necessar}' to abandon this 

 elegant installation. The plate-glass doors of the cases are 10 feet high 

 and 2 feet wide, and in the grooves are rolls of velvet with an 

 inclosure of wool to make them dust proof. The librarian is of the 

 opinion that in consequence of the complete air-tight closing of the 

 cabinets, the majority of the costly books become moldy, and it is 

 therefore necessar^^for him to ventilate the cases by leaving the doors 

 open from time to time. I do not share his opinion'' and I believe, 



« F. J. Burgoyne, Library Construction, Arcliitectnre, Fitting?, and Furniture, 

 London, 1897, p. 128, says, in the chaijter The Architectural History of the British 

 Museum Library: The history of all lil^rary architecture is jiregnant with two 

 especial morals — the need of building from the first upon some well-considered i)laii, 

 so prepared as to admit of harmonious develoj)ment in the future, and the necessity 

 of making extremely generous estimates in respect of space. Unless in the case of 

 libraries devoted to special classes of books, or of branch libraries controlled from 

 the parent institution, or of libraries where books no longer in general demand are 

 systematically sold off, space, unless the most effectual measures have been taken at 

 the very outset, nuist become the librarian's master. The architectural history of 

 the British Museum is to a consiilerable extent a history of struggle against circum- 

 stances created by neglect of these elementary princij)les. 



''See my preceding remarks on tlie dark stairways and jyassages in the townhall 

 designed by A. Waterbouse. 



<'See the remark, p. 461. 



