STUDIES ON MUSEtTMS AND KINDRED INSTITUTIONS. 551 



tho very old bindings suffor in the same way. Books securely inclosed 

 will not l)e more liable to damage than the stiitfed skins of animals, 

 and though the latter are thoroughly poisoned, this is not the case 

 with insect collections. At any rate, at the Dresden Museum, where 

 the insect collection is installed in air-tight iron cabinets, no injury 

 has been done to it up to this time. 



Still more interesting than this subject is that of the ventilation. 

 The system installed is as in the technical school, so that on\y cleansed 

 air is introduced into the building. Here the windows are arranged 

 so that they can be opened; but too little pressure has been allowed for 

 the incoming or outgoing air, and in consequence the rooms are stuffy. 

 There appeared to be no remedy for this except to make casements or 

 valves in the windows to let the air in from outside, and consequently 

 the entire costly ventilating apparatus is rendered superfluous.'^' This 

 difficulty could doubtless be remedied if the flues were altered, but 

 only with great difficulty, since all of the tubes and shafts are so buried 

 in the stone in the (xothic structure that it could not be accomplished 

 without greath' damaging the entire building. As a result the ven- 

 tilating arrangement was abandoned and unclean air is now admitted 

 from the outside into this "jewel box," so that it will soon ])e damaged 

 by smoke and soot, and the costly books with their precious old ])ind- 

 ings will sufl'er. 



Hot- water heat is emplo3^ed, and the air which is forced in is strained 

 through cotton. It is not, however, washed, though previously warmed 

 as it passed over the hot pipes. An electric-light system throughout 

 dispenses with the use of gas, which is so detrimental to ])ooks. 



The building is flreproof, constructed entirely of stone, and almost 

 entirely vaulted. The floors have two fireproof layers with a space 

 between, though covered with oak wood. So much wood has been 

 introduced into the building itself, exclusive of the wooden cases, that 

 a fire starting on the inside and not immediately detected might lead 

 to the destruction of the valuable books. If the cases were of iron, 

 even though the excellent American librar}" installation should not be 

 adopted, and so much wood had not been utilized in the interior decora- 

 tions for the purpose of increasing the testhetic effect, this danger 

 would have been obviated. The location of the building in the center 

 of the city, closely surrounded by houses, makes the danger still greater. 

 The architect belonged to those who have foremost in their mind the 

 building itself and not its purposes and contents. How justice can be 

 done to the people and to the objects for which the building is designed, 

 that is another question.'' 



One of the special features, besides the collection of 2,000 rare block- 

 printed books and first impressions (nearl}^ all antedating 1480), is that 



«See p. 484 undt^ Chicago. 



&A brief description of tlie building is given in Lihv<ir>/ AKSociaiicn Record, I, 1S89, 

 pp. 68fi-()SS; tlic BuUdrr, 1900, pp. 78-81, No. 2973. 



